road to revolution

Sugar Act of 1764

1764

-indirect tax ( out of sight = out of mind)
-Duties on molasses and sugar

Stamp act

1765

• tax on all paper products
• official stamp/seal on all paper iteams ( proof tax was paid)

Townshend Act

1767

Taxes on glass, lead, paints, paper, and tea
Searched for smuggled goods

Boston Massacre

Mar 5, 1770

Fights between troops and Bostonians were common March 5, 1770: soldier strikes colonist
Crowd gathers and hassles soldier, throwing snowballs and shouting insults.
More troops arrive, colonists get more and more angry
“Fire if you dare!”
This became known as the Boston Massacre

Tea Act

1773

Passed in 1773 and allowed British East India Company (BEIC) to sell tea directly to colonists
Lower Prices than colonist merchant prices
Tax Tea cheaper than smuggled tea
Less smuggling = more tax money

Boston Tea Party

Dec 16, 1773

-members of sons of liberty dumb over 340 chests of tea into boston harbor
- caoused problems for loyalists/tories
-loyalists/troy= a person in the colony who remains "loyal" to the king and great britian

Quatrtering Act

1774

Quartering Act required colonists to house soldiers
“If a soldier comes knocking at the door….
you’re sleeping on the floor”

Intolerable Act

1774

Passed to punish Boston for Tea Party
Boston Harbor Closed until tea paid for
Massachusetts Charter cancelled

First continental congress meets

Sep 5, 1774

• all colonies but Georgia have representatives
• voted to send a " statement of grievance"
• voted to boycott all british trade -patrick henry- VA rep. urged colonists to unite against britain

1,000's of Redcoats in Boston

Apr 1, 1775

• General Gage brings thousands of British soldiers to bostons with more on the way.

Midnight ride of Paul Pevere

Apr 18, 1775

Paul Revere rides to warn the Sons of Liberty in Lexington and Concord that the "British are coming… The British are coming.."

Battle of Lexington & Concord

Apr 19, 1775

1st battle of American Revolutionary War
“shot heard round the world” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
BRITISH Victory
Battle of Concord -
Americans Stop British and force them to retreat back to Boston
AMERICAN Victory

Capture of fort ticonderoga

May 10, 1775

• Benedict Arnold & Ethan Allen capture the fort -get all supplise in the fort including cannons -AMERICAN Victory -

Second Continental Congress meet

May 10, 1775

• print $$ -set up post office -creatrd continental army led by george washington
• sent olive branch asking king to protect their rights
• king hires 30,00 hessians soldiers in response

Battle of Bunker Hill

Jun 16, 1775

-fought on breed's hill map
-"Don't Fire until you see the whites of their eyes"- William Perscott
-BRITISH Victory (Americans ran out of ammunition) British learn defeating Americans would NOT be easy.

Washington arrives on outskirts of boston with continental troops

Jul 15, 1775

-realizes men are disorganized & need discipline - need weapons

Declaratory Act

1776

Parliament declares it has power to make laws for the colonies “in all cases whatsoever”
Parliament passes this to save face

"Common Sense" published by Thomas Paine

Jan 10, 1776

pamphlet inspires more colonists to become patriots
“Every thing that is right or reasonable pleads for separation. The blood of the slain, the weeping voice of nature cries, ‘TIS TIME TO PART” -Thomas Paine, Common Sense

british surrender boston

Mar 17, 1776

-washington believes his army is ready & wespons arrive
-washingtn puts cannons on dorchester height overlooking boston
-BRITISH retreat -AMERICANS victory

second continental congress meet again

Jun 15, 1776

-bebate on declaring independence
-thomase jefferson is the primary author of the document

second continetal congress votes for indepentance

Jul 2, 1776

• all 13 colonies vote YES on declaring independence

the declarations of independence is signed

Jul 4, 1776