Road to Revolution Timeline

By 16kbickford

  • French and Indian War (1754-1763) PART 1

    • War of the British fighting the French
    • Causes of war: land competition, control of northern trade routes, and European wars
    • French allied with multiple native tribes
    • British allied with the Cherokee Nation and later on, the Iroquois Confederation
    • Benjamin Franklin proposes Albany Plan of Union in 1754 that will unite the two countries under a single government
    • The new goverment will levy taxes, create treaties with the Natives, settle new forts
    • Albany Plan of Union rejected

  • French and Indian War (1754-1763) PART 2

    • British takes over forts, increases war funds, invades Canada, and becomes allies with Iroquois
    • British win the Seizure of Fort Detroit (1761) and French surrenders shortly after
    • Treaty of Paris is created and the French's land is divided up between the British and the Spanish
    • Tension created between colonists and Britain
    • Britain blames the colonists for the war and enforces taxes for the colonists to pay back war debts

  • Strict Enforcement by Great Britain (1763)

    • Great Britain began enforcing laws in order to retrieve the money they lost when they gave it to the colonists for war funds
    • Taxes were increased, troops were sent over to watch cities and live with families
    • Tension was created between the colonists and Great Britain
    • The colonists disliked having to house strangers and pay extra money for goods

  • The Stamp Act (1765)

    • Act that had colonists pay a tax on all printed goods
    • Colonists hated this act and boycotted it, refusing to buy goods
    • Colonists also smuggled goods in and out so that they wouldn't have to pay extra money on certain goods
    • Caused both sides to struggle and fight
    • Other acts during this time included the Sugar Act, the Townshend Acts (remake of the stamp act), and the Quartering Act
    • The Sons of Liberty formed after this act was created

  • Boston Massacre (1770)

    • A streetfight in Boston that consisted of colonists rioting against the British soldiers
    • The colonists threw snowballs, sticks, and stones at the soliders
    • Soldiers shot back and many colonists were injured, and five were killed
    • The soldiers were put to trial and most colonists wanted the soldiers to be killed
    • This event caused the leaders of the colonies to work together to strive for independence

  • The Tax Act and Boston Tea Party (1773)

    • Due to the British East India Co. almost going bankrupt, Britain put a tax on tea to get more money
    • This angered the colonists even more and a group of them dressed themselves as Mohawk Indians and dumped anywhere from 1 to 3 million dollars worth of tea into the Boston Harbor
    • King George is angry and sends troops over to Boston
    • He creates the intolerable acts to isolate Boston

  • 1st Continental Congress (1774)

    • The 1st Contintental Congress formed in response to the intolerable/coercive Acts(the acts that isolated Boston and forced them to follow strict rules)
    • Delegates from the thirteen colonies worked together to discuss the issues of America
    • This congress was the first type of "government" that worked together to benefit America

  • Lexington and Concord/Shot Heard 'Round the World (1775)

    • Britain's plan to attack Boston
    • The British hid in Lexington preparing to attack, but Paul Revere and William Dawes alerted the town that the British were here
    • The two sides fought and the colonists ended up winning the battle
    • More British casualties than American casualties
    • This event led to the 2nd Continental Congress and enforced the tension between the two groups

  • 2nd Continental Congress (1775-1776)

    • Formed after Lexington and Concord
    • Fight in the group about whether they should fight for independence or create a petition for the king
    • John Dickinson urged for a petition, while John Adams urged for independence
    • They end up creating a petition called the Olive Branch Petition that called for: 1.) Cease fire in Boston 2.) George III repeal acts 3.) George III to define colonial rights
    • King sees the petition as a joke
    • King refuses demands

  • Move Towards Independence/John Adam's Plan (1776)

    • After the king ignores the Olive Branch Petition and declares the colonies in a state of rebellion, John Adams begins to form a plan
    • His plan: 1.) Organize colonial governments 2.) Define congress 3.) Gain foreign recognition 4.) Push for independence 5.) "Join or step aside"
    • This allowed the colonies to bond and work together, creating what would be in a few years, one nation united together

  • Declaration of Independence

    • The document that Thomas Jefferson wrote that expressed the American and mind their desire for freedom
    • It passed on July 4th, 1776
    • This document gave our country freedom and the independence to function by itself, not under the control of another country
    • It also was the spark that ignited the Revolutionary War