Road to Revolution

Treaty of Paris 1763

Feb 10, 1763

Treaty of Paris ended the French and Indian War. The British took control of the Ohio River Valley.

Sugar Act

Apr 5, 1764

This was the first tax levied on the colonists by the crown. This tax was put on sugar from the West Indies in order to help pay for the French and Indian War.

Stamp Act

Mar 22, 1765

This act required any paper product to have a certain stamp that certified the colonists had paid taxes on it. Many colonists were angry about this act and eventually boycotted it.

Quartering Act

Mar 24, 1765

This act required colonists to provide housing and food for British soldiers. The colonists already didn't want troops in the colonies in the first place so the Quartering Act made this worse.

Stamp Act Congress

Oct 7, 1765

Delegates from nine colonies met in New York to draft a petition for a repeal of the Stamp Act. This gathering promoted unity throughout the colonists even though the petition was widely ignored in England.

Declaratory Act

Mar 18, 1766

This act was passed with the repeal of the Stamp Act and it affirmed Parliament's control over the colonies.

Stamp Act Repealed

Mar 18, 1766

After much protesting and boycotting from colonists, Parliament was forced to repeal the Stamp Act. This, however, came with the Declaratory Act which claimed that Parliament still had control of the colonies.

Townshend Acts

Jun 29, 1767

These acts, created by Charles Townshend put a tax on imports to the colonies.

Boston Massacre

Mar 5, 1770

This event was a deadly clash between Boston citizens and British soldiers quartered there. Eleven citizens were killed or wounded which further angered the colonists.

Townshend Acts Repealed

Apr 1, 1770

All Townshend Acts, except the tax on tea, were repealed. The tea tax was kept as a reminder to the colonists that Parliament maintained the right to tax them.

Formation of the Committees of Correspondence

Nov 2, 1772

The Committees of Correspondence were formed as one of the first ways to maintain communication throughout the colonies. This helped to "spread the spirit of resistance" in the colonists.

British East India Company Granted Tea Monopoly

Apr 27, 1773

The British East India Company was about to go bankrupt, which would cost the London government a massive loss in tax revenue. Instead of allowing this to happen, they granted the company a monopoly of tea sales in the colonies. Even though prices of tea were lowered in the colonies because of this, the colonists thought they were being tricked into paying the taxes they didn't want to pay.

Boston Tea Party

Dec 16, 1773

Many colonists wouldn't let the tea from the British East India Company be unloaded from the cargo ships, however, Governor Thomas Hutchinson said the ships couldn't leave until it was unloaded. In response, about 100 colonists secretly boarded these cargo ships dressed as Indians and dumped 342 chests of tea into the Atlantic.

Intolerable Acts

Jun 2, 1774

The Intolerable Acts were a series of acts that were passed in retaliation against the Boston Tea Party. These acts closed the port of Boston, revoked some colonial rights, and expanded the Quartering Act.

Quebec Act

Jun 22, 1774

This act allowed the French subjects conquered in the French and Indian War to have rights to Catholicism and let them keep some of their old customs and rituals.

First Continental Congress

Sep 5, 1774

The First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia in response to the Intolerable Acts. Delegates from 12 of the 13 colonies were present.

Battles of Lexington and Concord

Apr 19, 1775

These were the very first events of the Revolutionary War, in which the colonial militia was able to defend large stores of ammunition. British troops had sought to capture these stores and to take down threats like Sam Adams and John Hancock.

Second Continental Congress

May 10, 1775

Representatives from all 13 colonies were present for this meeting. Throughout the Second Continental Congress, the representatives drafted the Declaration of Independence and organized war efforts in the colonies.

Battle of Bunker Hill

Jun 17, 1775

In this battle, colonists seized Breed's Hill only to run low on ammunition and be forced back down the hill. Even though the colonists were not victorious, they caused mass casualties to the redcoats.

King George Proclaims Rebellion

Aug 23, 1775

In August of 1775, King George formally proclaimed the colonies in rebellion. A colonist found guilty of this was punished by hanging. This proclamation also offered no hope of reconciliation with Britain for the colonies.

Thomas Paine's Common Sense

Jan 9, 1776

Common Sense was published by Thomas Paine and is still referred to as one of the most influential writings to ever exist. This pamphlet convinced colonists that independence was necessary.

Declaration of Independence

Jul 4, 1776

This document was written by Thomas Jefferson and declared formal separation from the crown. It included "natural rights" of man and claimed that the king had violated these rights.

Battle of Saratoga

Sep 19, 1776

This colonial victory was crucial in securing French support for the colonial cause. It also revived colonial spirits after rough losses.

Formation of French-American Alliance

Feb 6, 1778

The Treaty of Alliance with France was crucial to the success of the colonial cause throughout the American Revolution. This treaty was largely made possible by the colonial victory at the Battle of Saratoga.

British Surrender at Yorktown

Oct 19, 1781

George Washington and the Continental Army surrounded General Cornwallis at Yorktown with the help of the French. French ships stayed in the harbor, preventing British aid to come ashore. The war wasn’t officially over yet, but this was one of the biggest steps to victory.

Treaty of Paris 1783

Sep 3, 1783

This treaty officially ended the Revolutionary War with Britain recognizing the independence of the United States along with other stipulations. This treaty was signed by representatives from the United States and Britain.