-
The Seven Years war ends.
The Seven Years war, also known as the French and Indian war, ends. This puts Britain in an immense amount of debt, leading them to tax colonists. -
Stamp Act passed
Britain passes the Stamp Act, putting taxes on all official uses of paper, including envelopes. This inspired Patrick Henry to write the Virginia Resolves. -
Townshend Acts passed by British
Parliament passes the Townshend Acts, enforcing taxes on many goods, including glass, paper, tea, and lead. This angers the colonists, creating phrases like "No taxation without representation." -
British troops occupy Boston
British troops enter and occupy Boston in order to enforce the Townshend Acts. This leads to the Boston Massacre, or the incident on King Street as the British call it. -
Boston Massacre
Colonists protesting taxes and the British occupation formed a mob, and in turn 5 of them were shot and killed, with more injured. The British shot without being given the command, further increasing the severity of the event. -
The Boston Tea party
To protest the British tax on tea, the Sons of Liberty, organized by Samuel Adams, threw crates of tea into the Boston Harbor, reportedly turning the water brown for a little bit. This led to the Intolerable acts being passed, and a ban on unloading cargo at Boston Harbor. -
Intolerable Acts (Coercive Acts)
These 4 acts were enacted by Britain to punish the colonists for the Boston Tea Party. They included the quartering act, the closing of the Boston Port, Impartial Administration of Justice, and the Massachusetts Government act. -
The First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress happened in Philadelphia, where delegates from 12 of the colonies(excluding Georgia) met. During this meeting, delegates discussed a boycott of British services. -
The Battle of Lexington and Concord, the beginning of the war
In Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts, the first shots of the revolutionary war were fired. This inspired colonists all over the states, who banded together and began fighting back. These men were known as Minute Men. -
The Battle of Bunker Hill
The colonial soldiers held off British forces for 2 hours at reeds hill, and in the process were forced to retreat and lose Bunker Hill as well. They managed to kill or injure around half of the British forces, showing they can hold their own. -
The Declaration of Independence is written
The Declaration of Independence is enacted, establishing the colonies as their own country. Britain, unwilling to give up the colonies, will continue to fight to keep them. -
France enters war
France, as a result of diplomacy, joins the colonies in fighting the British. Their resources provide great aid to the colonies, contributing to their later victory. -
The British take Charleston
The British army took Charleston, which dealt the patriots one of the worst defeats in the war. This was in attempt to keep the southern colonies, as defeat was on the horizon in the northern colonies. -
The Battle of Yorktown
In Yorktown, the French and the American armies trapped the British army on the peninsula, which forced General Cornwallis to surrender. This marked a turning point in the war, showing that the British were running out of troops. -
The Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris officially made the 16 colonies independent, and pushed out the British once and for all. The British retained Canada, while the United States kept their land and grew into the country it is today.