Road to Revolution

  • Sugar Act

    Sugar Act
    Duties on molasses and sugar
  • Stamp Act

    Stamp Act
    Tax on all paper products
  • Quatering Act

    Quatering Act
    When soldiers come into your house and sleep in your bed
  • Declaratory Act

    Declaratory Act
    Parliament declares it has power to make laws for colonies "in all cases whatsoever"
    Parliament passes this to save face
  • Townshend Act

    Townshend Act
    • Taxes on glass, lead, paints, paper, and tea
    • Searched for smuggled goods
    • Sons of Liberty start to do violent acts British Soldiers arrive to protect tax collectors
  • Boston Massacre

    Boston Massacre
    The crowd gathers and hassles soldiers, throwing snowballs and shouting insults.
    More troops arrive, the colonists get more and more angry.
    "Fire if you dare!"
  • Tea Act

    Tea Act
    Passed in 1773 and allowed British East India Company to sell directly to colonists
  • Boston Tea Party

    Boston Tea Party
    Members of Sons of Liberty dumped over 340 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor
  • Intolerable Acts

    Intolerable Acts
    Passed to punish Boston for Tea Party
  • Continental Congress meets

    Continental Congress meets
    • All colonies but Georgia have representatives
    • voted to send a "statement of grievances"
    • Voted to Boycott all British Trade
    • Patrick Henry - VA rep. urged colonists to unite against Britain
  • 1,000's of Redcoats in Boston

    1,000's of Redcoats in Boston
    General Gage brings thousands of Britain soldiers to Boston with more on the way
  • Midnight ride of Paul Revere

    Midnight ride of Paul Revere
    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

    Battle of Lexington & Concord
    • Battle of Lexington
    • 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
  • Capture of Fort Ticonderoga

    Capture of Fort Ticonderoga
    Benedict Arnold & Ethan Allen capture the fort
    Get all supplies in the fort including cannons
    AMERICA victory
  • Second Continental Congress

    Second Continental Congress
    Print $$$
    Set up post office Created Continental Congress Army led by George Washington
    Sent Olive Branch asking King to protect their rights
    King hires 30,000 Hessians Soldiers in response
  • Battle of Bunker Hill

    Battle of Bunker Hill
    Fought on Breed's Hill
    Don't Fire until you see the white in their eyes
    BRITISH victory ( Americans ran out of ammunition) British learn defeating Americans would NOT be easy
  • Washington arrives at Boston with Continental Troops

    Washington arrives at Boston with Continental Troops
    Realizes men are disorganized & need discipline
    Need Weapons
  • Common Sense

    Common Sense
    Pamphlet inspires more colonists to become patriots
    “Everything 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

    British Surrender Boston
    Washington believes his army is ready & weapons arrive
    Washington puts cannons on Dorchester Heights overlooking Boston
    BRITISH retreat - AMERICAN Victory
  • 2nd Continental Congress

    2nd Continental Congress
    Debate on declaring independence
    Thomas Jefferson is the primary author of the document
  • Votes for Independence

    Votes for Independence
    The Second Continental Congress, assembled in Philadelphia, formally adopts Richard Henry Lee's resolution for independence from Great Britain
  • Declaration of Independence signed.

    Declaration of Independence signed.
    There 56 signers on the Declaration of Independence