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Treaty of Paris of 1763
This is the treaty that ended the French and Indian War. It was signed on February 10, 1763 by representatives from Great Britain, France, and Spain. This event was significant because France gave all North American territory to Great Britain. -
Proclamation Line of 1763
On October 7th, 1763, King George the 3rd issued The Proclamation of 1763 which stated that no British colonist would pass the Appalachian mountains due to the Native Americans in the region. This is the first of many things done by England that upset the colonies. -
Committees of Correspondence
These lasted from 1764 to September of 1776. They were originally created to figure out new ways to challenge British laws. They were also provisional governments for each colony and were used for communication between colonies. The Committees of Correspondence are the first time a group of colonists have officially challenged England. -
Sugar Act
The Sugar Act was passed on April 5, 1764. The act placed a tax on imported sugar and molasses. This was the first tax placed on the colonies without their permission and it really started to make them angry. -
Stamp Act
This act was passed on March 22, 1765. It was a tax on all paper products. This really was making the colonists mad because there is pretty much no way around using any paper products so it was almost impossible to boycott. -
Declaratory Act
This was an act passed by King George the 3rd on March 18, 1766. It stated that England had complete law-making authority over the colonies. This made the colonists angry that the King tried to scare them by telling them that he had complete control over them. -
Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts were passed from June 15, 1767 to July 2, 1767. They were a series of acts and taxes that made the colonists very angry and put them on the verge of revolt. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre occurred on March 5, 1770. It was a violent fight between some British soldiers and innocent colonists. It was the first main physical confrontation between the colonists and British soldiers. -
Tea Act
The Tea Act is passed on May 10, 1773. It was a tax on tea which was the most popular drink of the time. This made the colonists angry enough to make them turn violent. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party occurred on December 16, 1773. A group of colonists snuck aboard a British tea ship and dumped over 342 chests of tea into the Boston harbor. This is the first significant financial loss for Britain that was caused by the colonies on purpose. -
Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts were passed March 31, 1774 to May 20, 1774. They were made to punish the colonists because of the huge financial loss of the Boston Tea Party. This made the colonists very angry, especially the ones that did not participate in the Boston Tea Party. -
Quartering Act
This act was passed on June 2, 1774. It said that a British soldier could just enter a house and the residents of the house had to give him food and shelter. -
1st Continental Congress
The 1st Continental Congress lasted from September 5, 1774 to October 26, 1774. It was created to figure out how to respond to the Intolerable acts and the closing of Boston harbor. 12 delegates from 12 out of the 13 colonies showed up. They decided on an economic boycott of all British goods. The significance of this event was that this was the first government of all of the colonies together. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
The Battle of Lexington and Concord happened on April 19, 1775. The British were given orders to head to Lexington where there was a stash of colonial guns and supplies. The colonists heard about this very early and moved the guns and supplies. When the British troops first met the colonial troops, somebody fired and no one knows who. This was the first ever military engagement between the two sides. -
2nd Continental Congress
The 2nd Continental Congress started on May 10, 1775 and continued as the provisional government for the colonies. It told the colonial militias to start collecting supplies and preparing for war. It also sent the Olive Branch Petition to King George the 3rd asking him for peace. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill occurred on June 17, 1775. It was a tragic victory for the British which means that they won just with very high casualties. This was an important moral booster for the Patriots. -
Thomas Paine's, Common Sense
This pamphlet was published on January 10, 1776. It's main goal was to convince people to join the patriot cause. It was written in plain language and helped to gather people together for the Patriots. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was passed on July 4, 1776 by the 2nd Continental Congress. It declared America's independence from England and it stated why the American's decided to declare independence. -
Battle of Trenton
The Battle of Trenton occurred on December 26, 1776. After George Washington and his troops crossed the Delaware river, they surrounded the completely unprepared Hessians, German soldiers for hire, and attacked them resulting in a Patriot victory. This was a very important morale booster for the American army. -
Battle of Saratoga
The Battle of Saratoga occurred from September 19, 1777 to October 17, 1777. This was a Patriot victory because of lack of communication between British troops. It was a very important Patriot victory because it gained them the foreign assistance needed to win the war. -
Battle of Yorktown
The Battle of Yorktown happened from September 28, 1781 to October 19, 1781. The French navy, French troops, and Patriot troops surround the largest group of British troops in North America. The ships and troops bombard the British for almost a month until Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis surrendered his entire army to George Washington. This was the final battle of the Revolutionary War because after this, England decided that continuing fighting would be too costly. -
Treaty of Paris of 1783
The Treaty of Paris of 1783 was signed on September 3, 1783. It was the treaty that ended the Revolutionary War. America is officially recognized by Britain as an independent country.
