Some problems dated back to a war that took placein North America from 1754 to 1763.
In 1764, it passed the Sugar Act, which placed customs duties on sugar and othernon-British imports.
In 1765, however, Parliament caused an uproar throughout the colonies by taking a new step to raiserevenue.
After months of colonial unrest, Parliament repealed the Stamp Act in 1766.
In 1767, Parliament passed the Townshend Acts, a set of customs duties on British glass, lead, paints, paper, and tea. Since the colonists had admitted Britain’s right to regulate trade, Parliament thought they had little reason to protest
In 1770, the colonists of New York City erected a large statue of King George III on horseback
On March 5, 1770, a group of residents confronted British soldiers on the street.
In 1773, Parliament unintentionally sparked new protests by passing the Tea Act, which gave the British East India Company the sole right to sell tea in the colonies.
In 1774, Parliament passed a series of laws so harsh that the colonists called them theIntolerable Acts.
. The first meeting of this Continental Congress, in 1774, had recommended boycottsand other actions to protest the Intolerable Acts.
At the Second Continental Congress, held in 1775 afterthe battles at Lexington and Concord, delegates decided to form a new Continental Army
On the evening of April 18, 1775, the Minutemen were called into action. About 700 British soldiers were marching from Boston to seize a stockpile of Patriot munitions in Concord, Massachusetts. In the early morning, they reached the village of Lexington,
In June 1775,the two sides clashed at the Battle of Bunker Hill.
Then on July 4 it formallyapproved the Declaration of Independence.
. In July 1775, it sent a petition to King George III affirmingloyalty to him, asking for help in addressing their grievances, and expressing hope for a peacefulsettlement.
Early in 1776, Paine publishedCommon Sense, a 47-page pamphlet that made afervent case for independence.
. On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia introduced aresolution proposing independence for the colonies.
On July 2, Congress voted for independence by passing the Lee Resolution
On July 9, 1776, the newly written Declaration of Independencewas read aloud at a public gathering inNew York City.
In the summer of 1776, it looked as if Britain might force a quick end to the war.
By December 1776, Congress had fled Philadelphia in despair.
By 1776, most colonists belonged to one of three groups, based on their views of British rule. One groupwas the Loyalists, who staunchly supported the British government. A second group was the Patriots,who opposed British rule and believed the colonists
Finding himself surrounded,Burgoyne surrendered on October 17, 1777.
In the winter of 1777–78, the British still occupied Philadelphia.Washington and his army made camp atnearby Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.
In June 1778, theyattacked the British at Monmouth, New Jersey.
y. The Battle ofYorktown began on October 6 and lasted about two weeks
. In December 1778, they captured the key portof Savannah, Georgia, and gained control over the Carolinas.
In the fall of 1781, American troops converged on Yorktown, joined by French soldiers and navalforces
On October 19, 1781, Cornwallissurrendered
Peace talksbegan in Paris in 1782,
Peace talksbegan in Paris in 1782, and in September 1783