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Before 1764, the British government had left the colonists to govern themselves. In 1764, they began to impose new laws and taxes. They implemented several laws, including the Sugar Law, the Monetary Law, the Lodging Law, and the Stamp Law. -
Many people start to protest against the bads new British taxes and laws. A little group called the Sons of Liberty formed in 1765 in Boston and soon spread throughout the colonies. During a protest in Boston, a fight broke out and several settlers were shot and killed. This incident became known as the Boston Massacre. -
The Stamp Act 1765 was very unpopular among colonists. A majority considered it a violation of their rights as Englishmen to be taxed without their consent that only the colonial legislatures could grant. Their slogan was "No taxation without representation". -
But the colonists were angry because the Act would give the East India Company a monopoly on tea sales in the colonies. The colonists became angry again about being taxed without representation. They decided to restart the boycott of tea. -
This convention, the First Continental Congress, formally declared that colonists should have the same rights as Englishmen -
In 1775, British soldiers in Massachusetts were ordered to disarm the American rebels and to arrest their leaders. The Revolutionary War began on April 19,1775 when fighting broke out between the two sides at the Battles of Lexington and Concord. -
The Continental Congress agrees to Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence. -
The Continental Congress adopts the "Stars and Stripes" Flag sewn by Betsy Ross. -
The Continental army under George Washington spends the winter training at Valley Forge. -
Treaty that officially ended the war.