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Treaty of Paris
Britain and France make peace. France loses their land. British take control of Ohio River Valley. -
Proclamation of 1763
British government declares that the colonists cannot settle the land past the Appalachian Mountains in an attempt to keep peace with the Natives -
Sugar Act Passed
Prime Minister George Grenville convinced Parliament to pass the Sugar Act. It raised taxes for colonists buying imported sugar from the West Indies. -
Stamp Act Passed
Act passed in Britain by George Grenville and Parliament. It required all legal documents and most printed materials to be printed on paper produced in London, with an official stamp on it. -
Quartering Act Passed
Act required colonists to house British soldiers in their public housing, private homes, shops, and stables if needed. -
Declaratory Act Passed
Repealed the Stamp Act, but proclaimed Britain’s right to legislate and tax American colonists. -
Townshend Acts Passed
A series of 5 acts passed by Charles Townshend between June 5 and July 6 of 1767. These acts put a tax on glass, white lead, paper, paint, and tea. -
Boston Massacre
British soldiers shot into a crowd of protesters, killing or wounding 11 colonists. -
Boston Tea Party
Massachusetts colonists wore Native regalia and face paint, snuck aboard British ships and dumped 342 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor. -
Boston Port Act Passed
Britain passed an act stating that the Boston Port was closed to all ships until Boston had payed for the destroyed tea. -
Massachusetts Government Act Passed
Britain passed this act to take away Massachusetts’ charter, making them a royal colony that was directly under the king’s control. -
Administration of Justice Act Passed
Act passed that stated that royal officials in America who were accused of a crime were to be sent back to Britain for trial, on the claim that they would not get a fair trial in Boston -
Quebec Act Passed
The act gave land and religious freedom to residents of the Province of Quebec, as well as set up a basis for governance. -
First Continental Congress Held In Philadelphia
Delegates from 12 of the colonies (Georgia did not participate), a total of 55 men, met in Philadelphia to consider ways of redressing colonial grievances. The delegates convened for 54 days (~7 weeks) -
Declaration of Rights is Written
The First Continental Congress wrote this document as a collection of colonial grievances, and made a rudimentary list of rights they believed they should have. It also included their plan to boycott British trade until their grievances were addressed by the King and by Parliament. If their grievances were not addressed, the Congress would meet again in May of 1775. -
The Battles and Lexington and Concord
700 British soldiers were commanded to raid American militia storage buildings to steal supplies and capture Samuel Adams and John Hancock. At Lexington, the British had an easy fight. The Minute Men fought back, but retreated with 8 dead and many more wounded. The British soldiers moved on to Concord, expecting the same to happen again. The Minute Men at Concord, however, hid behind stone walls and returned fire. The British soldiers retreated with 70 dead and some 300 wounded. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
US - 226 killed. GB - 115 killed. British Victory. This is the battle where the famous quote “Don’t fire ‘til you see the whites of their eyes’ comes from. -
Olive Branch Petition Signed
Document created and signed by the Second Continental Congress in a last ditch effort to make peace with Britain. The king refused to even read it before declaring the colonists traitors. -
“Common Sense” Published
Thomas Paine, an American revolutionary, wrote and published a work titled “Common Sense”. It was a 50 page pamphlet that called for the separation of Britain and America. It called for a new kind of government, one where the power came from the people? It sold 120,000 copies in only a few months and sparked a fire in colonists to leave Britain behind and become their own country. -
Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge
US - 1 killed. GB - 50 killed, 850 captured. American victory. -
Lee Submits Motion For Separation
At the Philadelphia Congress, Richard Henry Lee moved to officially separate from Britain to become an individual entity. -
Independence is Declared
After nearly a month of debate, the Philadelphia Congress accepted Lee’s motion to separate, and officially declared independence. -
“Declaration of Independence” Approved by Congress
Thomas Jefferson’s document titled “Declaration of Independence” explained the separation, the reasons, and what it meant for them all now. -
Statue of King George Toppled
Statue of King George III is pulled down to be melted into bullets, used by American soldiers against British troops. -
Battle of Long Island
US - 300 killed, 1000 captured. GB - 60 killed. British victory -
George Washington Crosses the Delaware
George Washington crosses the Delaware to attack an encampment of Hessians (German assassins hired by Britain) in Trenton, New Jersey. -
France Joins the War
In February of 1778, France declared war on Britain as an ally of the American colonies. -
Spain Joins the War
In June of 1779, Spain declares war on Britain as an ally of the American colonies and France. -
The Siege of Charleston
US - 89 killed, 5400 captured. GB - 76 killed. British victory. -
Raid of Richmond
In a raid, Benedict Arnold’s soldiers burn down Richmond, Virginia -
George Washington Creates the Merit Badge
George Washington created the Badge of Military Merit, later renamed the Purple Heart by FDR -
Treaty of Paris Signed
Treaty signed to end the Revolutionary War, drawing boundary lines between the British land in Canada and the United States of America.
