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War broke out between the British and French over land in the Ohio River Valley. The war spread across French territories. The British defeated the French in 1759. In the treaty of Paris in 1763, France gave up all its North American territories. -
The British created a rule that did not let American colonists cross the Appalachian Mountains. This was in fear of creating tension with the French and Native Americans there. This Happened in 1763. It was controlled by the British. -
The act required colonists to pay a tax. It was represented by a stamp. This stamp was placed on various forms of papers, documents, and playing cards. Colonists did not like it. -
A tax set by the British on sugar. People got mad and ended up smuggling molasses. This replaced the Molasses act that was way too expensive. It was targeted towards the north american colonies. -
The Quartering Act was an act where Great Britain would house its soldiers in American barracks and public houses. If the soldiers outnumbered houses, they would be quartered in inns, alehouses, barns, or other buildings. This happened in 1765. Many people were forced to move out of their homes for this. -
The Townshend Act was made to help pay the expenses involved in governing the American colonies. Parliament passed the Townshend Acts, which taxed glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea. In response to new taxes, the colonies again decided to discourage the purchase of British imports. This happened in 1766. -
It began with an argument that led to a riot outside of the Customs House. Captain Preston arrived with eight fellow Redcoats to extract White from the square. The crowd pressed on the soldiers and shots were fired by the Redcoats. This happened in 1770 -
The Tea Act granted the right to directly ship its tea to North America. It also allowed the right to the duty-free export of tea from Britain. Even though the tax imposed by the Townshend Acts and collected in the colonies remained in force. This happened in 1773. -
Boston Tea Party was an incident in which over 300 chests of tea belonging to the British East India Company were thrown from ships into Boston Harbor. This was done by American patriots disguised as Mohawk Indians. This conflict lead to many problems down the road. It happened in 1773 -
Boston was essentially placed under martial law. These laws included the sugar act, stamp act, quartering act, townshend act, and the tea act. The colonists referred to these laws as the “Intolerable Acts,” and Boston became the center of colonial resistance. This happened in 1774. -
In response to the Intolerable acts, a group of colonial delegates including George Washington, John and Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, and John Jay met in Philadelphia. This was to give voice to their grievances against the British crown. This First Continental Congress did not go so far as to demand independence from Britain, but it denounced taxation without representation, as well as the maintenance of the British army in the colonies without their consent. This happened in 1774 -
New additions to the first continental congress happened. Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson—voted to form a Continental Army, with Washington as its commander in chief. At the Second Continental Congress meeting, the colonists drafted the Olive Branch Petition in hopes of gaining King George III's support against the Parliament. Ultimately, the Second Continental Congress voted to declare independence from Great Britain. This happened in 1775. -
The British won and the Bunker Hill area—plus Breed’s Hill and the Charleston Peninsula—fell firmly under British control. Despite losing their strategic positions, the battle was a significant morale-builder for the inexperienced Americans. This convinced them that patriotic dedication could overcome superior British military might. This fight is referred to The Battle of Bunker Hill. This happened in 1775. -
The Olive Branch Petition was adopted by Congress in 1775, to be sent to the King as a last attempt to prevent formal war from being declared. The Petition emphasized their loyalty to the British crown and emphasized their rights as British citizens. The Congress met according to adjournment. The petition was rejected by the British government; King George had refused to read it before declaring the colonists traitors. -
Hundreds of British troops marched from Boston to nearby Concord, Massachusetts in order to seize an arms cache. Paul Revere and other riders sounded the alarm, and colonial militiamen began to intercept the Redcoats. Local militiamen clashed with British soldiers in the Battles of Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts, marking the “shot heard round the world” that signified the start of the Revolutionary War. This happened in 1775. -
Common Sense was a pamphlet written by American political activist Thomas Paine. While many colonists were still hoping to return to salutary neglect, he outlined easy-to-understand reasons why it was common sense that the colonists should not remain a colony and declare independence from England. Common Sense was widely circulated and read among the colonists. This happened in 1776. -
Forced to leave New York City and driven across New Jersey by the British, George Washington and his Army strike back on Christmas night by secretly crossing the icy Delaware River. They surprise the Hessian fort at Trenton, New Jersey, at dawn and take about 900 prisoners. This happened in 1776 -
The British defeated the Continental Army and gained access to the strategically important Port of New York. They held it for the rest of the war. It was the first major battle to take place after the United States declared its independence. This happened in 1776 -
This happened in 1776. The Declaration of Independence was signed by the Continental Congress. Drafted primarily by Thomas Jefferson, it officially announced the colonists’ break from Great Britain. The Declaration cited numerous violations of colonists’ freedoms by King George III of England. -
The Battle of Saratoga was a turning point in the Revolutionary War. The American defeat of the superior British army lifted them up, furthered the hope for independence, and helped to secure the foreign support needed to win the war. General John Burgoyne was forced to surrender his army in the battle. This happened in 1777. -
Following several losses, Washington and his army camp for the winter at Valley Forge. It is located northwest of British-occupied Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Their time there is marked by widespread disease, hunger, and bitter cold, but they emerge in the spring as a stronger force. This happened in 1778 -
After a 40-hour halt at Monmouth Court House, the army moved out, leaving a small covering force. During the fighting, Lee made tactical mistakes that allowed Cornwallis to gain the advantage. However, General George Washington arrived and rallied the Americans. Washington gained the advantage by placing artillery under the command of Major General Nathanael Greene on a hill. This happened in 1778. -
British General Charles Cornwallis joins other British forces in Virginia, setting up base at Yorktown. Washington joins forces with the Comte de Rochambeau, and their combined troops attack Yorktown. Cornwallis surrenders his army of more than 7,000 men in 1781. -
The Treaty of Paris was signed by U.S. and British Representatives in 1783. This ended the war of the American Revolution. Based on a 1782 preliminary treaty, the agreement recognized U.S. independence and granted the U.S. significant western territory. This was a major part in the American Revolution.