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Stamp Act
The British Parliament created this act to force colonists to pay a tax on every kind/piece of paper that they used. The British were using it as a fund to help pay for protecting the American frontier by the Appalachian Mountains. -
Protest of Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was officially repealed on this date but was protested for much longer. Colonists were violent about this case, hurting tax collectors and refusing to pay. -
Committees of Correspondence Established
The Committees were established to spread the news people were receiving from town to town. -
Gaspee Affair
The people of Newport baited the captain of the Gaspee to come to shore in their province. Once he was closed enough, colonists boarded the ship, wounded the captain, and captured the entire crew. They brought them ashore only to force them to watch their own ship being looted, and then burned. The Gaspee Affair was meant to show the severity of the colonist's situation. -
Boston Tea Party
On a cold December night, a group of Massachusetts Patriots rebelled against unfair imposed taxes by seizing 342 chests of tea and dumping them into the harbor. -
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Coercive Acts
These Acts were established upon the colonies to restore order and punish them for the Boston Tea Party. The British wre desperate to re-gain control of them. -
Quebec Act
The British enforced this to attempt to make Quebec more involved with their empire. The Act gave them a new government and an official to run it, new borderlines, and new laws. -
Declaration of Independence
On this date in congress, the thirteen colonies unanimously declared themselves the thirteen states of America, independent from British rule. Their new beliefs allowed them to state that all men are created equal and deserve a say in the government, which they included in the document. It was the beginning of their new lifestyle as a nation. -
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First Continental Congress
The first meeting occured in Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia. It was a vital discussion between the members in which they agreed that they had to stand up to the King and argue his unfair laws about taxes and government. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The first shots of the revolution were fired in these battles. Paul Revere managed to warn everyone of the British arrival by sea by lighting two lanterns. Although the Minute Men were greatly outnumbered, they fought to the best of their ability. British soldiers proceeded to move onto Concord. Colonists there scattered and hid the ammunition they were hiding, resulting in the British only destroying some of their supply. -
Paul Revere's Ride
Once Paul Revere heard the news about the British coming, he took a horse and rode through the night, warning all towns they were passing through on their route to reach Concord. -
Second Continental Congress
Although the Continental Congress didn't have the authority to make serious decisions for the colonies, they did anyways. They changed things such as military laws, financing the war, and legislation. -
Olive Branch Petition
Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Johnson, John Rutledge, John Jay, and William Livingston wrote this document to the King together. It was seen as a peace offering, asurring him that the colonists weren't looking for independence and that they remained loyal. However, the King reacted by announcing that the colonies had embersed themselves in a full-scale rebellion. -
George Washington Apoointed General
The continental congress appointed Washington to be in charge of depending their united nation's liberty against the British. He was unanimously selected and became a strong leader for colonists to look up to through their revolution. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
This battle of the revolution is said to be the most bloody of all. The colonists fought to the best of their ability and didn't back down. Both sides experienced many casualties and fatalities. British victory ended the battle, however, it didn't make the colonists lose hope or become any less determined. -
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Writing of Declaration of Independence
The committe of writers, consisting of John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman, wrote a draft of the Declaration and then submitted it to the Continental Congress. -
Proclamation for Suppressing Rebellion and Sedition
This proclamation published by King George III stated that the colonists were open to rebel against his authority and that people who were a part of it or knew details of it that they didn't share were required to face penalty. -
Common Sense Published
Thomas Paine published this book to encourage colonists to claim their independence from Great Britain. -
British Evacuate Boston
British soldiers were planning to use ships in the Boston Harbor to destroy American position. A storm occured, giving Washington and his army time to set up. The British lost their position and retreated. -
Britisn Pulled out of Virginia
General Cornwallis had to pull his troops out of Virginia. He had started off with a strong lead, but the colonists brought in reinforcements. He couldn't because all of his other troops were already stationed. To avoid defeat, Cornwallis pulled out and took his troops elsewhere.
