The Causes of the American Revolution

The French and Indian War Ends

Jan 1, 1763

Picture SourceThe French Indian War was one of a series of wars between the British and French starting as early as the 1600s. The French Indian War took place from 1754 to 1763.

The Sugar Act

Apr 5, 1764

Picture SourceThe Sugar Act was the first tax on the American colonies imposed by the British Parliament. Its purpose was to raise revenue through the colonial customs service and control the trade of the colonists. That the Act came from an external body rather than a colonial legislature alarmed a handful of colonial leaders in Boston who held that the Act violated their “British privileges”. The British argued that the colonists had virtual representation, but the colonists did not completely agree.

Patrick Henry's "If This Be Treason" speech

May 29, 1765

Picture SourcePatrick Henry was an outspoken critic of the Stamp Act and introduced seven resolutions against it to the Virginia House of Burgesses. His famous quote, “give me liberty, or give me death!” concluded his “If This Be Treason” speech and help stir up the passions of the colonists.

The Stamp Act

Oct 19, 1765

Picture SourceThe Stamp Act 1765 was a direct tax imposed by the British Parliament specifically on the colonies of British America. The act required that many printed materials in the colonies be produced on stamped paper produced in London, carrying an embossed revenue stamp. These printed materials were legal documents, magazines, newspapers and many other types of paper used throughout the colonies.

Townshend Acts

Jun 29, 1767

picture sourceThe Townshend Acts were a series of laws named after Charles Townshend, British Chancellor of the Exchequer (Treasurer). These laws placed new taxes on glass, lead, paints, paper, and tea. Colonial reaction to these taxes was the same as to the Sugar Act and Stamp Act.

The Boston Massacre

Mar 5, 1770

picture sourceThe Boston Massacre was the killing of five colonists by British regulars on March 5, 1770. It was the culmination of tensions in the American colonies that had been growing since Royal troops first appeared in Massachusetts in October 1768 to enforce the heavy tax burden imposed by the Townshend Acts.

Boston Tea Party

Dec 16, 1773

picture sourceThe Boston Tea Party was a direct action by colonists in Boston, a town in the British colony of Massachusetts, against the British government and the monopolistic East India Company that controlled all the tea imported into the colonies. The colonists were opposed to the Mercantilism of the British trying to use them for profit. After officials in Boston refused to return three shiploads of taxed tea to Britain, a group of colonists boarded the ships and destroyed the tea by throwing it into Bo

The First Continental Congress

Sep 1, 1774

picture sourceThe First Continental Congress was a group of 56 delegates from 12 colonies (all except Georgia) who met in Philadelphia in September of 1774. They came together to act together in response to the Intolerable Acts. They met in secret because they didn't want Great Britain to know that they were united. This was also an example of Salutary Neglect because they were starting to govern themselves.

The ride of Paul Revere

Apr 18, 1775

picture sourcePaul Revere warned Sam Adams and John Hancock that the British soldiers were coming to arrest them, if he had not the revolutionary war might have been stalled.

The Battle of Bunker Hill

Jun 17, 1775

picture sourceDuring the Battle of Bunker Hill the British won but sustained heavy casualties. It was a big morale boost for the Americans, it convinced us that we actually had a chance against the Brits.
The battle is named after the adjacent Bunker Hill, which was peripherally involved in the battle and was the original objective of both colonial and British troops, and is occasionally referred to as the "Battle of Breed's Hill."

Common Sense is published

Jan 10, 1776

picture sourceCommon Sense was a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine. It was first published anonymously, during the American Revolution. Common Sense, signed "Written by an Englishman", became an immediate success. In relation to the population of the Colonies at that time, it had the largest sale and circulation of any book in American history. Common Sense presented the American colonists with an argument for freedom from British rule at a time when the question of independence was still undecided.

Declaration of Independence is published

Jul 4, 1776

picture sourceThe Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire.