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Stamp Act -
Wanting to get more money from the colonists, Britain passed the Stamp Acts, which directly taxed all legal documents the colonists sent/received. Outraged, the colonists started protesting, and the Stamp Acts were eventually removed. -
Boston Massacre
As tensions grew between colonists and british troops, a fight broke out at the British customs building in Boston. After shots were fired and 3 colonists killed, Samuel Adams called it the “Boston Massacre” to inspire hatred towards the British. -
Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a political protest that occurred on December 16, 1773, at Griffin's Wharf in Boston, Massachusetts. American colonists, frustrated and angry at Britain for imposing “taxation without representation,” dumped 342 chests of tea, imported by the British East India Company into the harbor. Patriots participated in the protest, wanting to be free. Loyalists despised patriots, because they wanted to remain loyal to Britain. The King, outraged, then put Boston under martial law -
Creation of the First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress, which was comprised of delegates from the colonies, met in 1774 in reaction to the Coercive Acts, a series of measures imposed by the British government on the colonies in response to their resistance to new taxes. -
Creation of the Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress acted as the government of the 13 colonies during the Revolutionary War. -
Lexington and Concord
As rumors of colonial caches of weapons grew, British troops grew nervous. In the cold spring of 1775, General Gage of the British Navy marched his troops to Concord by way of Lexington Road. This was to seize resistance stockpiles and capture Samuel Adams and John Hancock. Physician Joseph Warren sent Paul Revere to warn the leaders, and started warning the minutemen. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
The British took possession of both Breed's Hill and Bunker Hill. They had won the battle, but at a terrible cost: out of 2,200 troops, 268 British soldiers and officers had been killed; another 828 were wounded. The Americans also suffered heavy casualties with 115 killed and 305 wounded. -
Olive Branch Petition
The last attempt by colonists for peace with Britain. This document tried to assert colonist’s rights as british citizens. Unfortunately, the King refused to read the petition, and it was voided. -
Writing and distribution of Common Sense
Common Sense was a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine advocating independence from Great Britain to people in the Thirteen Colonies. In proportion to the population of the colonies at that time (2.5 million), it had the largest sale and circulation of any book published in American history. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence is one of the most important documents in the history of the United States. It was an official act taken by all 13 American colonies in declaring independence from British rule. It was originally drafted by Thomas Jefferson.
