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The Stamp Act
Enacted in March 1765, Parliament issued a tax on documents, licenses, newspapers, pamphlets, and almanacs that were sold in the colonies. This was not accepted by many of the colonists and was one of the earliest leading factors to the American Revolution. -
The Boston Massacre
On March 5, 1770, five colonists died and six more were wounded when their seemingly peaceful riot became dangerous and they were shot at by British soldiers. -
The Boston Tea Party
Boston colonists dressed as Native Americans and snuck onto a ship on the Boston harbor, where they dumped tea into the sea as a protest against the British East India Tea Company. The plan was organized in part by Sam Adams, who helped begin the colonies’ fight for independence. England did not respond to the act well, and they put Boston under martial law. -
The Creation of the First Continental Congress
The committees of correspondence put together 54 delegates to meet about their colonial rights. Many of the figures became Founding Fathers and had very important roles in the creation of the United States. -
The Battles of Lexington and Concord
General Gage began to send an army to find all of the hidden weapons that the Minutemen of the colonies had hidden. This was considered to be the kickoff to the rest of the Revolutionary War, and began the night before, when Paul Revere rode through the town to war the colonists of the incoming storm of British troops in his famous Night Ride. -
The Creation of the Second Continental Congress
A meeting on May 10, 1775, shortly after the beginning of the American Revolution, which consisted of many of the same people as the First Continental Congress, including the Founding Fathers. Benjamin Franklin was key during the meeting, for he was a very prominent personality in the war efforts. -
The Olive Branch Petition
On July 5, 1776, the loyalists in the colonies created the Olive Branch Petition in hopes of keeping themselves from going to war with England. The final copy was created by John Dickinson and stated of the colonists’ loyalty to their mother country. -
The Battle of Bunker Hill
1,000 patriots met up on June 17, 1775 as a militia to fight the incoming English troops after hearing their plan to seize the hills surrounding Boston. It ended in many casualties and was a very important beginning battle for the long, difficult war. -
The Writing and Distribution of Common Sense
Written in 1775 by Thomas Paine, Common Sense became a very influential pamphlet for the beginning of the quest for American independence. It sold over 500,000 copies after it was released on January 9, 1776. -
The Declaration of Independence
Although not the delegates first choice, Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence in the Summer of 1776. It stated the colonies’ wish to separate from Britain and become its own country. The Declaration was presented as finished to Congress on July 5.
