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End of the Seven Years War
The Treaty of Paris ends the Seven Years' War (French and Indian War). France gave all of its North American possessions east of the Mississippi to Great Britain. This ended a source of insecurity for British settlers along the Atlantic coast. The costs of war and maintaining an army led the British government to impose new taxes on its colonists, with results that shook the world. -
Passage of the Stamp Act
Britain passed the Stamp Act, which imposed taxes on legal documents, newspapers and even playing cards. It was the first direct tax on the American colonists and was met with fierce resistance. A successful campaign to repeal the law in the United States will convince Americans that they can continue to avoid taxes. -
British Troops Occupy Boston
British troops landed in Boston to enforce the Townshend duties (taxes on paint, paper, tea, etc., passed in June 1767) and clamp down on local radicals. The troops' presence doesn't sit well with locals and leads to street fights. One clash between soldiers and a mob in March 1770 will leave five dead. Radicals will call it the Boston Massacre, while the British will call it the incident on King Street. -
Committees of Correspondence Established
Committees of Correspondence were established in all colonies to coordinate U.S. responses to British colonial policies. This is an important step forward for Americans to cooperate, act together, and develop a national identity. -
Britain Tries to Intimidate Massachusetts
The British Parliament passed the Coercive Acts, often called the Intolerable Acts in America. Among other actions, Britain closed the port of Boston and required British troops to be housed in taverns and vacant buildings. The acts generated considerable sympathy for Massachusetts among other colonies. -
Britain Forms an Alliance with Patriot Slaves
The British governor of Virginia, Lord Dunmore, issued a proclamation offering freedom to any slaves of rebellious Americans who were able to enter British lines. Throughout the course of the war, tens of thousands of African Americans sought their freedom by supporting the British. A smaller number will fight on the patriot (pro-independence) side, despite policies that discourage their enlistment -
War Breaks Out
The first shots of the Revolutionary War were fired at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts. The news of the bloodshed rockets along the eastern seaboard, and thousands of volunteers converge—called "Minute Men"—on Cambridge, Mass. These are the beginnings of the Continental Army. -
Battle of Bunker Hill: Americans Hold Their Own
In the first major action of the war, inexperienced colonial soldiers held off hardened British veterans for more than two hours at Breed's Hill. Although eventually forced to abandon their position, including the high ground of Bunker Hill overlooking Boston, the patriots show that they are not intimidated by the long lines of red-coated infantrymen. Of the 2,200 British seeing action, more than 1,000 end up dead or wounded. -
America Declares Its Independence
The Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Second Continental Congress. Following a decade of agitation over taxes and a year of war, representatives made the break with Britain. King George III wasn't willing to let his subjects go without a fight, and loyalist sentiment remains strong in many areas. Americans' primary allegiance is to their states; nationalism will grow slowly. -
George Washington Crosses the Delaware River
In a bold move, Washington moved his troops into New Jersey on Christmas night. The patriots then surprised a force of German troops fighting for Britain at Trenton on December 26. They achieved a similar victory over British troops at Princeton on January 3, reviving hopes that the war just might be winnable. The army then encamps for the winter at Morristown, New Jersey. -
Moores Creek: Loyalists Defeated
A force of loyalists (Americans who want to remain British subjects), most of them of Scots descent, is defeated by a patriot army at the Battle of Moores Creek Bridge. This setback will largely quiet loyalist activity in the Carolinas for three years. -
South Carolinians Repel British Attempt to Take Charleston
A British invasion force mounts an all-day attack on a patriot force on Sullivan’s Island. The invaders are unable to land their troops on the island, and the tricky waters of Charleston Harbor frustrate the British navy. The fleet retires in defeat, and South Carolina will remain untouched by the enemy for three more years. -
Winter of Change for the Continental Army
With the British occupying Philadelphia just 20 miles away, the Continental Army entered winter quarters at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. During the winter, supply arrangements will be improved and the Continental troops will be drilled and emerge as a more disciplined, unified fighting force. -
Campaign of 1777 & Battle of Saratoga: Britsh Setback
American Fort Schuyler (Stanwix) survives a three-week-long siege forcing allied British forces under Barry St. Leger to retreat. Their goal of securing the Mohawk Valley for General Burgoyne fails. American Colonel Peter Gansevoort and the fort's garrison are commended by the Continental Congress for their efforts. -
France Enters the War Against Britain
As a result of the patriot victory at Saratoga and American diplomatic efforts, France allied itself with the new American government. French financial and military aid will prove critical in winning the war. The Continental Army will learn of the French Alliance in May. -
George Rogers Clark Attacks the British in Ohio Country
With barely 150 men, Virginian George Rogers Clark captures several British posts in the Ohio Territory (present-day Illinois and Indiana) and convinces French-speaking inhabitants of Kaskaskia and Cahokia to support the patriot side. Although Indians continued to oppose white settlement for three decades, Clark's exploits paved the way for the expansion of the U.S. north of the Ohio River. -
Charleston Falls to the British
The British take Charleston, S.C., capture a large patriot army and deal the rebels one of their worst defeats of the war. The Charleston move is part of a broader British strategy to hang on to the southern colonies, at least, now that the war is stalemated in Pennsylvania and New York. -
Kings Mountain Victory Revives Patriot Hopes
Patriot militia from the Carolinas, Virginia, and present-day Tennessee surround and defeat a force of loyalists under Major Patrick Ferguson at Kings Mountain, S.C. Indicating the deep divisions within America, Ferguson is the only British soldier on the field Mountain is truly a battle among Americans about their future. -
Battle of Cowpens: American Tide Continues
Continental soldiers and patriot militia under General Daniel Morgan defeated a British force under Banastre Tarleton at Cowpens. Coming on the heels of the victory at Kings Mountain, Cowpens helps convince worried patriots that the British southern strategy can be countered. -
Guilford Courthouse: Costly British Victory
British troops win a costly victory over Continentals and militia at Guilford Courthouse, N.C. The battle is part of General Nathanael Greene's strategy of engaging the British on ground of his choosing. Without winning a single clear-cut victory, he will succeed in wearing down the British army through hit-and-run tactics and set-piece battles.