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The Build Up and Climax of the American Revolution
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The Molasses Act
On this date the King of England employed the first of many acts that would tax goods, effecting the the British colonies. -
The Treaty of Paris (1763)
With the end of the French & Indian War, or Seven Years War, as its known to Europeans, the beligerents made a treaty. The treaty was known as the Treaty of Paris. The treaty gave all land between the Mississippi River and the Appalachian Mountains to the British. However, the British made this Indian territiory and did not allow colonists to inhabit the area. This angered the colonists because they had thought they were fighting for that very land all along -
The Sugar Act
After implementing a failing Molasses Act in 1733, the British government created a Sugar Act. The Sugar Act of 1764 placed a tax on sugar, but in addition to the tax more tax collectors were sent to the colonies just so the tax would actually be collected as opposed to before. -
The Stamp Act
Once again, the British King beigns taxing goods for the colonists. This time he taxes stamps. This act, the Stamp Act, places a tax on each stamp a colonist buys. This, like every other tax act, infuriates colonists. -
The Townshend Acts
In 1767 the King of England issued another series of acts, the Townshend Acts, that increased the revenue in hopes of reinforcing compliance between the American elected officials and the King. -
The Boston Massacre
After being harrassed, threatened, and ultimately provoked by angry colonists, a squad of British soldiers shoots into the crowd of protesters. The event can be seen in a view of either a cold blooded massacre, or just the results of scaring some people with guns ... However, the colonists viewed this shooting to be a murderous onslaught and it became a huge subject used for propoganda during its time. -
The Tea Act
This taxed the all of the tea not sold by the E.I.T.Co. (East India Trading Company.) Then, the prices of the E.I.T.Co.'s tea was lowered and made the only tea offered to the British colonies in America. -
The Boston Tea Party
In response to the Tea Act, a group of colonists dressed as Native Americans, boarded an E.I.T.Co. ship, and dumped all of the tea aboard into the harbor. -
The Intolerable Acts
After the Boston Tea Party, the King and Parliament became outraged with Boston's colonists and once again made acts of Parliament to settle their behavior. These include the Quebec Act which greatly angered veterans of the French & Indian War. -
First Continental Congress
Now that Parliament was becoming to strict with its acts, colonists who were of high disregard to England's abuse of power met to discuss how to handle the ongoing disagreements with their mother country. -
The Battles of Lexington & Concord
In search of a Patriot weapons cache hidden in Concord, Massachusetts, a British regiment came across a group of Patriot 'minute men,' and a battle erupted. The battle ended a crushing British victory, however, Patriots who survived harassed the British soldiers using guerilla tactics greatly weakening the regiment's stregnth. -
The Olive Branch Petition
In their best efforts to remain loyal to Great Britain, the Congress had decided to create the Olive Branch Petition. The petition stated that the colonies would remain faithful to Britain, and requested that the King and Parliament be more lenient with their Acts of Parliament. -
Thomas Paine's Common Sense
With the beginnings of a war engulfing the colonies, Thomas Paine, a Philadelphia printer, wrote a panphlet, named Common Sense. The panphlet used eloquent speech to attempt to inspire those of the colonies to help the war effort and fight for their rights. -
The Patriots regain control of Boston
When news of the first battles occured, General George Washington, commander-in-chief of the Patriot forces, was quick to use captured British cannons to chase the British out of Boston. -
The Battle of New York
The battle for New York was a loss for General Washington, thus a win for the British General Sir William Howe. The British had control over New York for the rest of the war, and made it their base of operations. -
The Declaration of Independence
Once the war had begun, Congress had decided to announce their seperation from Great Britain. With this document, Congress stated why it was they felt they had the right to seceed from Britain and the terms of which they were doing so. -
The Battle of Trenton
On Christmas day, General Washington crossed the Deleware River, so as to be within attacking distance of the Hessian mercenary base stationed on the other side. The following day, Washington attacked the Hessians and captured the entire force within a matter of hours. -
The Battles of Saratoga
The battle for Saratoga, New York took place on two different days, the first on the 19th of September, which was a win for the British General John Burgoyne and loss for Patriot General Horatio Gates. The result of the second battle, eighteen days later on October 7th, was an American win, and is commonly considered the 'turning point' of the war. -
The Winter at Valley Forge
During the winter of 1777, General Washington decided to build camp outside of Iron Valley, Pennsylvania, some twenty miles northwest of Philadelphia. The winter was long and harsh, and many of Washington's men died due to exposure and starvation. Although, it was during this winter that the former Prussian soldier, Baron Friedrich von Steuben, trained Washington's men in the way of warfare. Creating a stronger army to utilize at the winter's end. -
The Siege of Charleston
Until May 29th of the same year, the fortified city of Charleston, North Carolina, was rained upon by British artillery, killing not only Patriot soldiers but also civillians within the city. Once the British forces came witihn feet of the city wall, the Patriot general, Benjamin Lincoln, surrendered to the British forces sieging the city. The surrender at Charleston was largest loss of soldiers made by the Continental Army for the entire war. -
The Battle of Yorktown
The last major battle of the American Revolution was the Battle of Yorktown, Virginia. The battle at Yorktown was a joint operation between the Patriot commander-in-chief, General George Washington, and the French Comte de Rochambeau. There was also assistance from the Frech Navy who blockaded the Yorktown harbor to prevent any help from the British Navy. The battle was a win for the Patriots, ending on October 19th and the loss that convinced Great Britain to surrender to the Americans. -
The Treaty of Paris (1783)
With the surrender of the British government, the Patriots and their allies made a treaty with Britain. The treaty stated that Great Britain would not bother the Americans, and that the two countries would get along wiht one another. It also stated the land boundaries for the States and the pretaining gains of America's ally countries.
