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Stamp act
After being denied land due to the proclamation line, the colonists are taxed by using special stamps, due to the immense war debt Endland has accumulated by fighting the French and Indian war. This would serve to fan the flames of rebellion as the colonists didn't believe they had a true voice in their own affairs. To rebel, they began boycotting British goods to protest their views. -
Townshend Acts
The British passed a variety of acts to further tax the colonies, seeking to maximize the profits they made to help pay for the debt incurred during the French and Indian war. This included taxes on imports that colonists needed, like glass and lead, but also included things like the ability to try smugglers in courts. The colonists are furthered spurred into their ideals of deserving a "seat at the table" as they continue to protest against the British and boycotting their products. -
Boston Massacre
The unease between the colonists grew as more colonists protested "taxation without representation". These feelings grew stronger as protests in Boston escalated to death threats and violence, causing British soldiers sent to protect the king's money to fire into a gorup of protesting colonists, killing five of them in the process. This served to cause many loyalists, those who declared themselves still connected to the crown, to consider joining the side of the rebelling colonists. -
Tea Act
The British, in order to help their own economy, allow the East India Company to sell tea to the colonists without first landing it at England, making the tea much cheaper for colonists than colonial merchants and traders. This sparked the creation of the both the Sons of Liberty and Daughters of Liberty, as boycotting resurged in the colonies. A large amount of tea was dumped into Boston Harbor as part of a special Boston "tea party". -
Intolerable Acts
Britain had begun to again tighten control on the colonies as a result of their constant protesting, passing the four Intolerable Acts. These gave colonial territory to quebec, closed Boston Harbor and limited charters to Massachusetts, and made many buildings legally usable for the quartering of British soldiers. This was a tipping point as it forced many of the colonists to truly begin planning their revolution, converging in a continental congress later in the year to propose their response. -
The Battle of Lexington and Concord
The British, knowing that conflict would soon arise in Massachusetts, set out to Concord to capture colonial stores of weaponry, only to be met with the Minutemen, a militia that could be ready to fight for the colonies at a moment's notice. This was known as the kicking off of the Revolutionary War, though the colonists have not devlared independence at this point. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
Known as the first official battle in the war, the British defeated the colonists at Massachusetts, though it was known that they themselves had suffered heavy casualties. This would help encourage Continental Army soldiers to push onward. -
America Breaks ties with Great Britain
After dealing with fighting against the oppresive force of the British Parliament and the might of the redcoats, the colonists of the second continental congress decide to finally announce their independence and renounce their British kin. -
Battle of Saratoga
In Saratoga, New York, General Gates leads the Continental Army against the Redcoats, with both sides pushing back against each other. Due to the lack of reinforcements, the British collapsed and suffered heavy casualties, which pushed the Americans to bolster themselves after a hard-fought victory. This battle would later lead to some of England's rivals, including France, to support the American cause. -
France Joins the American Revolutionary War
Acting as a diplomat to secure support of the raging war back home, Benjamin Franklin goes to France and brokers a treaty for military support, exemplified by the success at the Battle of Saratoga. Their support was important in keeping the Continental Army armed and supported, boosting their morale with fresh troops and fresh arms. -
Battle of Cowpens
After suffering a loss at Charleston, the Americans give a decisive blow to the British Army under the command of Major General Greene. Using a hit-and-run tactic, they were able to inflict losses on the British Army, forcing them to retreat after suffering fa rmore casualties than the Americans. -
The British surrender at the Battle of Yorktown
A combined force of the French and American soldiers fight the British at Yorktown, Virginia. By attacking on two fronts, the north and the south, the land and the sea, General Conrwallis was forced to surrender to the Continental Army after a long period of aritllery barrages. A final charge quickly put them into submission, effectively ending the war. -
Treaty of Paris (1783)
The Treaty of Paris is signed, ending the Revolutionary war and earning America its freedom. The British made many concessions for the new country, increasing the size of it by pulling out of the territory west from the colonies.
