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The Albany Plan of Union
The first Formal attempt to unite the colonies. This shows that even before the British started taxing them, the colonies were already trying to unite. -
Fort Duquesne
George Washington attacked Fort Duquesne and lost, which was the beginning of the French and Indian War. This is where George Washington started to gain his renown, and the war was important in starting the revolution. -
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The French and Indian War
The first war that started in the colonies and spread to Europe. Britain when broke trying to protect the colonies in this war, which is why they need money later. -
Treaty of Paris 1763
Ended the seven-year war, giving England all the French territory east of Mississippi as well as the Spanish territory of Florida. Now that the fighting has stopped, England now needs a way to gain it's money back -
Proclamation of 1763
King George III made it illegal for settlers to live west of the Appalachian mountains, angering settlers who already bought the land. This was the start of colonists' anger towards England and their king. -
The Sugar Act
Lowered taxes on molasses, and hoped to minimize smuggling, but the colonists believed the Sugar Act violated their legal rights as British citizens by denying them the right to trial. Started the outcry of taxation without representation. -
The Stamp Act
Any printed paper goods would be taxed. England wasn't listening to what the colonists wanted, leading to the colonists being angered more. -
The Townshend Acts
Acts that taxed imports such as tea. Britain tried again to tax the colonists without thier input, angering them again -
The Boston Massacre
A minor dispute turned into a mob in which a few soldiers ended up killing five Boston Citizens. This enraged colonists and made the British look even worse than they did before from just the taxes. -
The Boston Tea Party
Upset that tea was taxed and only the British East Compay could sell it, the Sons of Liberty disguised themselves as Native Americans and dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. This event led to the British deciding to finally crack down on the colonists, giving them the Intorlerable Acts soon after. -
The Intolerable Acts
As punishment for the Boston Tea Party, King George III pasted seven absurd acts that enraged the colonists. The rage gained from these acts are what encouraged the colonists that they needed to rebel agaisnt Great Britain. -
The First Continental Congress
The colonies sent representatives to Philadelphia to figure out how to respond to the intolerable acts. This was where the colonies decided how they would respond to the Intolerable Acts, and they decided to basically to disobey them and to raise a militia. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
After Revere warned the Minutemen, there were 70 men prepared to face the 700 Redcoats that came, starting the first battle of the Revolution. This was the first of many battles, and even though they lost, it convinced many colonists to join the war. -
The Second Continental Congress
The 13 colonial leaders met up to serve as an impromptu governing body and formed the Continental Army with George Washington as its commander. This meeting led to the formation of the Continental Army, which is important for future battles, as minutemen weren't going to win the war by themself. -
The Battle of Bunker Hill
Colonel William Prescott set up militias on Bunker Hill and Breed’s Hill, managing to defend the hill for a decent amount of time, despite having little ammo, before being forced back. Even though they lost the battle, they put up enough of a fight to make it seem like they had a chance, plus they got rid of many redcoats. -
The Olive Branch Petition
The Second Continental Congress sent King George III the Olive Branch Petition, basically stating that they would stay a part of England if the King would protect their rights. This is important as it gave Britain a chance to end the fighting, but as they disagreed, it meant they only had themselves to blame for the outcome. -
Taking Back Boston
The British retreated after the Continental Army brought weapons and heavy cannons from Fort Ticonderoga in the middle of winter, which was over 300 miles by foot. Boston was an important place for the colonies as it was the first place to get taken over by the British due to the intolerable acts. -
The Declaration of Independence
The delegates adopted and signed the Declaration of Independence and the United States of America was born. While it wouldn't be put into action until they won the war, this was the beginning of the new independent nation, the United States of America. -
The Battle of Saratoga
The British captured Philadelphia and made their way up to Saratoga, New York, not knowing their backup had been defeated, leading them to get trapped and deafeated by American forces. This win increased the American army's morale and convinced the French to give aid to the army, which helped the US win the war. -
Winter at Valley Forge
The Continental Army suffered through a harsh winter with little supplies, spending the entire winter training under Prussian Officer Baron van Stevben. This turned the army into less like militia and more like an army, making them much stronger and able to defeat the British. -
The Battle of Yorktown
After Washington learned that Cornwallis moved into Yorktown, he started a fast and top-secret march south and surronded Yorktown, and with French ships blocking Chesapeake Bay, the British had no way to escape. This was the last battle of the war, and was what decided that the Americans had won the war.