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Sugar Act & colonists response
The Sugar Act halved the duty on foreign-made molasses, hoping that colonists would pay a lower tax than risk arrest by smuggling. It placed duties on certain imports that had not been taxed before. It also provided that the colonists accused of violating the act would be tried in a vice-admiralty court rather than a colonial court. Merchants and traders claimed that Parliament had no right to tax the colonists without any representation. -
Sons of Liberty is formed & Samuel Adams
Defying the stamp act, colonists united to organize a secret resistance group called the Sons of Liberty to protest the law. It was composed of Boston shopkeepers, artisans, and laborers. -
Declaratory Act
The act asserted Parliament's full right "to bind the colonies and people of America in all cases whatsoever." -
Townshend Acts & colonists response
Taxed goods that were imported into the colony from Britain like lead, glass, paint, and paper. The Acts imposed a tax on tea, the most popular drink in the colonies. This caused an increase in hostility between the colonists and the British. Soon after this act was passed, bloody clashes and tax protests occurred. Lord Frederick North later repealed all acts except the tea act after he realized they costed more to enforce than the money brought in. -
Boston Massacre
A mob gathered in front of the Boston customs house and taunted the British soldiers on guard there. Five colonists were shot during the confrontation including Crispus Attucks. -
Tea Act
Lord North invented the Tea Act to save the nearly bankrupt British East India Company. The act granted the selling of tea to the colonists without tax that colonial tea sellers had to pay. This would have cut off colonial merchants out of the tea trade by enabling the East India Company to sell its tea directly to consumers for less. American colonists protested against this act. -
Boston Tea Party
Boston rebels disguised as Native Americans to take action against the British for the continuation of the Tea Act. They took action against British ships anchored in the harbor. The "Indians" dumped 18,000 pounds of East India Company's tea into the waters of Boston Harbor. -
Intolerable Acts
In response to the Boston Tea Party, King George III pressed Parliament to pass the Intolerable Acts. One law shut down the Boston harbor. The Quartering Act authorized British commanders to house soldiers in vacant houses and buildings. General Thomas Gage was appointed the new mayor or Massachusetts, the commander-in-chief of British forces in America. Gage placed Boston under martial law. The colonists responded by creating the First Continental Congress. -
First Continental Congress meets
In response to the Intolerable Acts, colonists formed the First Continental Congress. 56 delegates created a declaration of colonial rights in Philadelphia, defending their rights to run their own affairs. It was also stated that if the British used force against the colonies, the colonies should fight back. This congress helped pave the way to the Road to Revolution. -
Second Continental Congress
Colonial leaders called the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia to decide on their next move. Endless debates occurred as some called for Independence, and others argued for reconciliation with Britain. Congress agreed to recognize the colonial militia as the continental army and appointed George Washington as its commander. -
Continental Army
Colonial militia who fought during the Revolution. They were soldiers from all 13 colonies. -
Minutemen
Civilian colonists, called Minutemen, intercepted the British and engaged in battle. They first fought in Lexington, and then at Concord. Colonists became enemies of Britain due to these encounters, holding Boston and its British troops under siege. -
Olive Branch Petition
The Second Continental Congress still wished for peace. Congress sent King George III the Olive Branch petition, a petition urging the return to the former peace between Britain and the colonies. The King rejected the petition and issued a proclamation stating that the colonies were in rebellion. He also urged Parliament to order a naval blockade to isolate a line of ships meant for the American coast. Public opinion shifted following this event. -
Publication of Common Sense
Thomas Paine published a pamphlet attacking King George III and the monarchy. He argued that the British were responsible for their own tyranny. He wrote that independence would allow free trade, the chance to create a better society for themselves; one with equal social and economic opportunity for all people. About 500,000 copies of "Common Sense" were sold, swaying many colonists' opinions. -
Declaration of Independence
Congress appointed a formal committee to create the Declaration of Independence, with Thomas Jefferson chosen to create the final draft. He declared the rights of, "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" as "unalienable" rights. Government power was to come from the consent of the governed. It states that "all men are created equal." On July 4, 1776, they adopted the Declaration of Independence. This document declared the colonists' freedom from Britain. -
French-American Alliance
After the Americans’ victory at Saratoga, France decided to ally with and fight alongside the Americans. -
Treaty of Paris
The treaty confirmed the independence of the U.S. as well as set the boundaries for the country. The Treaty of Paris ended the Revolutionary War.
