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George III Becomes King England
He became heir to the throne on the death of his father in 1751, succeeding his grandfather, George II, in 1760. He was the third Hanoverian monarch -
The Stamp Act
the first direct tax on the American colonies, to offset the high costs of the British military organization in America. -
Stamp Act Congress meets in New York City
by representatives of nine of the American colonies to frame resolutions of “rights and grievances” and to petition the king of England and the British Parliament for repeal of the Stamp Act. -
Parliament Passes the Townshend Acts
To help pay the expenses involved in governing the American colonies, Parliament passed the Townshend Acts, which initiated taxes on glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea. -
The Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was a confrontation in Boston on March 5, 1770, in which nine British soldiers shot several of a crowd of three or four hundred who were harassing them verbally and throwing various projectiles. -
The Boston Tea Party
To protest the British Parliament's tax on tea. "No taxation without representation." The demonstrators boarded the ships and threw the chests of tea into the Boston Harbor. The British government considered the protest an act of treason and responded harshly. -
The Coercive Acts AKA - Intolerable Acts
The Coercive Acts of 1774, known as the Intolerable Acts in the American colonies, were a series of four laws passed by the British Parliament to punish the colony of Massachusetts Bay for the Boston Tea Party. -
First Shots of the American Revolution
This volley is considered “the shot heard round the world” and sends the British troops retreating to town. Smith and Pitcairn order a return to Boston, which devolves into a rout as the British are attacked from all sides by swarms of angry Minute Men along what is now known as Battle Road. -
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Second Continental Congress Meets in Philadelphia
John Hancock was elected president of Congress. George Washington is named commander-in-chief. On June 10, John Adams proposed that Congress consider the forces in Boston a Continental army, and suggested the need for a general. -
The Olive Branch Petition
The Olive Branch Petition was adopted by Congress on July 5, 1775, to be sent to the King as a last attempt to prevent formal war from being declared. The Petition emphasized their loyalty to the British crown and emphasized their rights as British citizens. -
First Continental Congress Meets in Philadelphia
In response to local pressure, colonial legislatures empowered delegates to attend a Continental Congress to set terms for a boycott. The Congress met in Philadelphia on September 5, 1774, with delegates from 12 of the 13 colonies, except Georgia. -
The Adoption of the Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence states the principles on which our government, and our identity as Americans, are based. Unlike the other founding documents, the Declaration of Independence is not legally binding but powerful. -
The Adoption of the Articles of Confederation
Adopted by the Continental Congress on November 15, 1777, and ratified by the states in 1781, the Articles of Confederation created a weak central government a “league of friendship” that largely preserved state power (and independence). -
Treaty of Paris Signed – Officially Ending the Revolution
This treaty, signed on September 3, 1783, between the American colonies and Great Britain, ended the American Revolution and formally recognized the United States as an independent nation.