Events Leading to the Revolutionary War

Proclamation of 1763

Oct 7, 1763

in 1763, near the end of the french and Indian war, British put out a proclamation. The proclamation was to stop the Indians looking up on encroachments on the individuals of the British land. King George III expressed all land west of the Appalachian Divide off-limits to colonial settlers.

sugar act

Apr 5, 1764

split the tax on foreign-made sugar in the hopes colonists would stop smuggling. merchants had been required to pay a tax of six pence per gallon. smugglers still smuggled foreign made sugar into the colonists.

stamp act

Oct 7, 1765

the stamp act required colonists to buy special stamped paper for every legal document, license, newspaper, pamphlet, and almanac. the sons of liberty were founded by samuel adams. stamp act congress issues a declaration of rights and grievances. that stated that parliament lacked the power to impose taxes on the colonies because the colonists were not represented in parliament.

repeal of stamp act

Mar 18, 1766

march 1766, parliament repealed the widespread boycott. parliament issued the declaratory act. Parliament passed the Declaratory Acts, asserting that the British government had free and total legislative power over the colonies.

boston massacre

Mar 5, 1770

the reason why this happened was because a fist fight broke out over jobs. the mob was being taunting the guards a little after the fight. samuel adams and other colonists activists labeled this confrontation the boston massacre. presenting it as a british attack on defenseless citizens.

boston tea party

Dec 16, 1773

parliament passed the tea act, which was created to help struggling English tea companies. the indians dumped 18,000 pounds of the east india company's tea into the waters of boston harbor.

intolerable acts

Mar 31, 1774

intolerable acts shut down boston harbor. the quatering act authorized britain to house soldiers in vacant private homes. general thomas gage was appointed the new governor of massachusetts.

Lexington and Concord

Apr 19, 1775

British troops had moved from Boston toward Lexington and Concord to take hold of the colonists military supplies. British General Thomas Gage sent over 700 British troops to Boston. Paul Revere, on his famous ride, had first alerted the Americans to the British movement.

declaration of independence

Jul 4, 1776

Declaration of Independence is the statement adopted by the Second Continental Congress. the 13 American colonies severed their political connections to Great Britain. thomas jefferson is the one who wrote the declaration of independence.

valley forge

Dec 19, 1777

great trial for the American army, and of the 11,000 soldiers stationed at Valley Forge, hundreds died from disease. troops were held together by loyalty to the Patriot cause and to General Washington.

Battle of Yorktown

Oct 19, 1781

general george washington, commanding a force of 17,000 French and continental troops, begins the siege known as the battle of yorktown. they fought against British general lord charles Cornwallis and a contingent of 9,000 British troops at yorktown.