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Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was passed by the British Parliament on March 22, 1765. The new tax was directed to all American colonists which forced them to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper they used, (such as: ship's papers, legal documents, licenses, newspapers, other publications, and even cards). The money collected by the Stamp Act was to be used to help pay the costs of defending and protecting the American frontier near the Appalachian Mountains (10,000 troops were to be stationed on the Americ -
Protest of Stamp Act
The Massachusetts Assembly made a letter for other colonies to discuss taxes.They protested and eventually the Stamp Act was repealed. -
Gaspee Affair
The Gaspee Affair was a significant event which lead up to the American Revolution. The British sent a ship (Gaspee) to a bay in Rhode Island to enforce trade laws. Rhode Islanders smuggled their shipped goods in and out of local ports. Citizens shot and hurt the commanding officer, and captured the crew then burned the ship. King George was furious and tried getting people to turn in others but no one knew anything when they were called to testify. -
Boston Tea Party
Americans disguised themselves as Mohawk Indians and threw crates of tea belonging to the British into the harbor. The Americans did this because they strongly believed in "no taxation without representation". -
Coercive Acts
After the Boston Tea Party, Parliament passed a series of acts which closed the port of Boston but they didn't stop at just that, they also added the Administration of Justice Act and the Quebec Act. -
Quebec Act
The Powers and Authorities given to the Governor and other Civil Officers of Quebec, are "inapplicable to the State and Circumstances of the said Province" -
First Continental Congress
The first Continental Congress met in Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia, from September 5, to October 26, 1774. The colonies presented there were determined to show authority to Great Britain. Pennsylvania and New York sent delegates with firm instructions to seek a resolution with England. -
Paul Revere's Ride
Paul Revere confronted 2 British regulars manning a roadblock as he headed north across Charlestown. He went to Lexington, to the home of Jonas Clarke where Sam Adams and John Hancock were staying. There, his mission was fulfilled when he notified Adams and Hancock that "The Regulars [British] are coming out!" Revere then headed for Concord and decided to warn every house along the way that “The British are coming”. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord both began April 18, 1775. British troops were sent to Concord to capture John Hancock and Sam Adams but they had both been warned about the attack. When the British came to attack, the Minutemen and other people prepared to fight all waited in Lexington. After the fight, the British found out that Hancock and Adams escaped so they went to Concord to look for ammunition but got attacked by Minutemen. Many people died over the battles. -
Second Continental Congress
After the Battle at Lexington and Concord, the American colonists had to figure out what to do to defend themselves from the threat of the British. It was aggreed then that a Continental Army would be created. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
Despite the name, most of the Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on Breed's Hill. The British won but they many people got killed. -
George Washington appointed General
The Continental Army voted that George Washington should be the general based on his previous military experience and the hope that a leader from Virginia could help unite the colonies. -
Olive Branch Petition
The Olive Branch Petition was adopted by the Second Continental Congress and submitted to King George. It was an attempt to assert the rights of the colonists while staying loyal to Britain. King George refused to read the petition. -
Proclamation for Suppressing Rebellion and Sedition
By the spring of 1775, peaceful protests eventually turned into armed conflicts at Lexington and Concord. Ignoring one last, warning in the Olive Branch Petition, the King stated in this document that the colonies stood in open rebellion to his authority and were subject to severe penalty, if they failed to report the knowledge of rebellion. -
Committees of Correspondence Established
The Continental Congress established the Committee of Secret Correspondence to communicate with sympathetic Britons and Americans in the American Revolution. The committee eventually came to similar beliefs for Continental Congress and served as the place for communicating and public relations. -
British pulled out of Virginia
The Battle of Great Bridge was the final thing which pushed the British out of Virginia. -
Common Sense Published
Thomas Paine wrote Common Sense in 1776. He said that he held up publication until he could judge the reaction of the Declaration of Independence. -
British Evacuate Boston
The British cannon they had captured and taken had been hauled overland during the winter by Colonel Henry Knox and his men. The cannon had reached the rebel army outside Boston in March. Washington set up the fortification of Dorchester Heights overlooking the city with the heavy guns aimed at the British fleet anchored below. The British left Boston. -
Writing of the Declaration of Independence
Jefferson’s first draft of the Declaration of Independence was on June 11. Jefferson submitted the final draft to the Continental Congress on June 28. The Continental Congress voted for independence and refined it on July 2. The Declaration of Independence was released to the public on July 4th 1776. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence announced the freedom of the thirteen colonies from the British. The thirteen colonies became independent and no longer a part of Britain.
