Road to Revolution Timeline

By 22pledger
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    French and Indian War

    ~ Part of a larger imperial war known as the Seven Years' War
    ~ War was mainly between France and Great Britain over land claims in North America
    ~ War was fought in North America between colonists (British allies) and Native Americans (French allies)
    ~ Treaty of Paris (1763) ended the war and granted Great Britain land in Ohio River Valley
    Impacts
    ~ Great Britain gained control of all land east of Miss. River
    ~ Great Britain falls into extreme debt and demands the colonies pay back war debt

  • Proclamation Line

    ~ After the British win French & Indian War, they gain land east of Miss. River
    ~ Land is settled by Natives angered by the colonists' increasing encroachment onto their land
    ~ Britain prohibits colonists from settling land west of the Appalachian Mtns. (Proclamation Line) line will prevent another war between Natives and colonists
    Impacts
    ~ Colonists that fought in war expect access to land
    ~ Colonists believe their natural right to property is being violated and become angry with Britain

  • Stamp Act

    ~ Direct tax on all printed materials in colonies
    ~ Issued to help with funding Great Britain's war debt
    Impacts
    ~ Act is met with colonial resistance and boycotts
    ~ Almost all colonists are enraged by taxes because they all use printed goods daily
    ~ Colonists felt tax was a violation of rights because they had no representation in Parliament
    ~ Sons/Daughters of Liberty (American patriots) are created
    ~ Store owners refuse to buy and sell goods from England, leads to non-importation agreements

  • Townshend Acts

    ~ Repealed Stamp Act
    ~ Tax on imports like glass, paint, tea, etc.
    ~ Enforcement agents/tax collectors sent to America to enforce taxes and stop smuggling
    Impacts
    ~ Taxes met with resistance and hostility
    ~ Colonists use violence against tax collectors
    ~ British troops are sent to colonies to protect enforcement agents

  • Boston Massacre

    ~ Small group of British soldiers stationed in Boston open fire on a colonial crowd after being harassed and threatened by a mob of colonists
    ~ Five colonists die and more are injured
    Impacts
    ~ Colonists' distrust of British grows exponentially
    ~ Event is used by anti-British groups as propaganda to feed ideas of independence and patriot movements

  • Boston Tea Party

    ~ In protest of Tea Act (Monopoly on British East India Company, colonists are forced to buy tea from that one company), members from the Sons of Liberty disguise themselves as Mohawk Native Americans and dump hundreds of chests of tea into Boston Harbor
    Impacts
    ~ King of England sees protest as a direct threat
    ~ King wants to punish Massachusetts and make the colonies dependent on Great Britain
    ~ Intolerable Acts issued shortly after

  • Intolerable Acts

    ~ Series of acts that are meant to punish and Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party and isolate the colony from the others
    ~ Boston Harbor and Massachusetts government systems are shut down
    Impacts
    ~ Acts lead to the creation of the First Continental Congress (a group of delegates from each colony except Georgia that convene to talk about how to form a resistance against Britain's Intolerable Acts and their violations against colonial rights)

  • Lexington & Concord

    ~ Skirmishes between British troops and colonial militias
    ~ Militias were forming in Massachusetts in protest of British power, King of England found out and sent troops to seize militia leaders and take military supplies
    ~ Colonial spy networks allowed colonists' to get the upper hand on British and kill many soldiers
    Impact
    ~ British plan to take control of colonies uncovered
    ~ Many innocent colonists furious over the invasion
    ~ Moral boost for colonies

  • Olive Branch Petition

    ~ Last attempt by 2nd Continental Congress to negotiate and create peace with England
    ~ Document to King George III requesting cease-fire in Boston, repeal of Intolerable Acts, and a definition of colonial rights
    ~ King rejects Olive Branch Petition and declares all American colonies in a state of rebellion
    Impacts
    ~ Colonies begin to take steps towards independence and war
    ~ Those skeptical of gaining independence from Britain realize there is no other option

  • Declaration of Independence

    ~ Document written by Thomas Jefferson stating the rights of the colonists and the reasons for America's decision to break away from Great Britain
    ~ Creation of the United States of America and official American government
    Impacts
    ~ Once King reads the Declaration of Independence, the Revolutionary War will begin