-
Stamp Act
This new tax was imposed on all American colonists and required them to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper they used. This was viewed as a direct attempt by England to raise money in the colonies without the approval of the colonial legislatures. -
Protest of stamp act
American colonists, having recently fought in support of Britain, rose up in protest against the tax before it went into effect. The protests began with petitions, led to refusals to pay the tax, and eventually to property damage and harassment of officials. -
Gaspee Affair
The British had sent the Gaspee into Narragansett Bay to enforce trade laws on the colonies. This caused much anger among the colonists so they retalliated by attacking the ship when it came near. They shot and wounded its commanding officer, captured the crew, and burned the ship. -
Committees of Correspondants Established
Thomas Jefferson suggested that each colony create a committee of correspondence to communicate with the other colonies about British activities. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party took place when a group of Patriots, protesting the monopoly on American tea imports recently granted by Parliament, took chests of tea in a raid on three tea ships and threw them into the harbor. -
Coercive Acts
The Coercive, or Intolerable Acts were a retaliation by the British after the Boston Tea Party. These acts included the Quartering Act, Boston Port Bill, Administration of Justice Act, Massachusetts Government Act, and the Quebec Act. The goal of establishing these acts in the colonies was to reinforce British power over the colonies. -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was held because the colonists were very upset about the Intolerable Acts and the taxes. The Intolerable Acts were punishments that King George III put on the colonies. The First Continental Congress agreed to boycott British goods. -
Quebec Act
Following the British victory over France in the Seven Years' War, the territories known as Canada, were granted to Britain in the Treaty of Paris. The British Parliament passed the Quebec Act in an effort to satisfy the people of Quebec and to prevent them from joining the growing dissent and disaffection fomenting in the American colonies. -
Paul Revere’s Ride
Paul Revere was instructed to ride to Lexington, Massachusetts, to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock that British troops were marching to arrest them. On the way to Lexington, Revere stopped at each house, and arrived in Lexington at midnight. Revere was arrested, held for some time, and then freed. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
After many years of tension between the American colonists and British authorities, fighting broke out when hundreds of British troops marched from Boston to Concord. The two sides met at Lexington where the intense battle began. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress established the militia as the Continental Army to represent the thirteen states. They also elected George Washington as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. -
George Washington Appointed General
The Continental Congress gave the approval to make George Washington the Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. Washington was selected over other candidates such as John Hancock because he had previous military experience and they hoped that a leader from Virginia could help unite the colonies. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
After the Battle of Lexington and Concord, the patriots heard through their spies that the British were planning to attack Bunker Hill. 2600 British soldiers were led up Breed's Hill. The Americans held off two British charges, but were finally forced to retreat. The british gained controll of Breed's Hill. -
Olive Branch Petition
The Olive Branch Petition was a letter to King George III, from members of the Second Continental Congress, which was the last attempt by the moderate party in North America to avoid a war of independence against Britain. It was a protest against the imposition of new, harsher taxes. -
Proclamation for Suppressing Rebellion and Sedition
After the battles of Lexington and Concord, King George III of England made this proclamation. It said that the colonies stood in open rebellion to his authority and were to recieve penalty, as was any British person who did not share the knowledge of rebellion. -
British Pulled out of Virginia
Patriot troops attacked and defeated Virginian troops near Norfolk, Virginia. British then pulled their soldiers out of Virginia leaving the Patriots in control. -
Common Sense Published
Common Sense challenged the authority of the British government and the royal monarchy. The plain language that Paine used spoke to the common people of America and was the first work to openly ask for independence from Great Britain. -
British Evacuate Boston
Following the Battle of Lexington and Concord, the patriots had the British blocked off in Boston. Although the British defeated the Americans in the Battle of Bunker Hill, major losses left the British in need of reinforcements from England. Cannons were positioned on top of Dorchester Heights aimed at the British ships in Boston Harbor. The next morning when British General Howe saw the cannons aimed at him, he loaded his men and supplies onto their ships and left the Boston Harbor. -
Writing of Declaration of Independence
The Continental Congress met in Philadelphia with the intention of voting for independence from England. In anticipation of this vote, the Congress selected a committee to draft a declaration of independence. The committee, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman, elected Thomas Jefferson to write the declaration. -
The Declaration Of Independence
This was a very important event in history because it was when the United States of America gained its independence from England.
