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The French and Indian War
In 1754 the French united with the Wyandot (Native Americans) to fight the British. The war didn’t officially begin until 1756. A British leader William Pitt spend money in the war and they captured Fort Duquesne and renamed it Fort Pitt. Great Britain claimed all of France’s colonies in North America. France and Great Britain signed the 1763's Treaty of Paris to end the French and Indian war in February 10, 1763. -
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The Fight for Independence
This timeline is about the history of how the 13 Colonies got their independence. We will see twelve important events from 1754 to 1783 that lead to the Independence of the United States of America. Now, let's see who wins: the British or the Patriots? Hope you like it! -
Britain Passes the Stamp Act
British placed taxes to the colonists to pay war debts after the French and Indian war. Colonists had to buy stamps and place them on documents, letters, wills, newspapers and even playing cards. A lot of colonists said that they could not tax without their agreement and started a fight. The colonists boycotted and refused to use stamps. Colonists boycotted any newly taxed items and British leaders thought boycott could lead to violence. -
The Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre happened in Boston, Massachusetts which was a British colony at that time. The event started by colonists throwing snowballs at night at the Boston Custom House. As the mob got larger and larger the scene became more and more crazy. Suddenly British soldiers fired into the crowd. Three men died, two men died wounded and six men got injured by British soldiers. -
The Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a political protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston. Some of them dressed as Native American Indians. The Sons of Liberty boarded the ships and threw tea chests into the Boston Harbor, ruining the tea. The British government responded adding more taxes. The Tea Party became an iconic event of American history because the event led into the American Revolution. -
The Battle of Lexington and Concord are fought
This was the first military engagement of the American Revolutionary War. They fought on April 19, 1775, in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord, Lincoln, Menotomy (present-day Arlington), and Cambridge, near Boston. The battles marked the outbreak of open armed conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and its thirteen colonies in the mainland of British North America. -
George Washington is elected leader of the Continental Army
On June 1775, the Congress elected George Washington as Comander-in-Chief of the American Army. He did not have experience with management of an army but he learned with each battle. His strong spirit and strategic thinking helped him win a battle against an enemy that was bigger and better prepared. It took him 8 years to return to his home. -
The Battle of Bunker Hill
On June 17, 1775 the Battle of Bunker Hill took place. It is one of the most important colonial victories in the U.S. War for Independence. Fought during the Siege of Boston, it lent considerable encouragement to the revolutionary cause. -
Thomas Paine publishes Common Sense
Comon Sense was plublished anonymously by Thomas Paine. Common Sense was an instant best seller, both in the Colonies and in Europe. It place the blame for the suffering of Colonies on King George III, rising the revolutionary spirit. Common Sense advocated for an immediate declaration of independence, postulating a special moral obligation of America to the world. -
The Declaration of Independence is signed
The Congress of the 13 colonies decided to write a Declaration of Independence, a document where they claimed their independence from Great Britain. Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft. After a few changes, the final version of the Declaration of Independence was released on July 4, 1776. John Hancock, as president of the committee assigned to write the Declaration of Independence was the first one to sign its final version. Americans still celebrate this day as “Independence Day.” -
The Battle of Saratoga
At the beginning of the Independence War, the Americans were losing to the British because the British army had more soldiers, was trained and had more equipment. A turning point, in the war occurred in a battle held on October 17, 1777, in Saratoga, New York. The Patriots defeated the British. The battle of Saratoga was important because it convinced France and other Europeans that the Americans could win the war. As a result, they decided to join and help the Americans. -
The Battle of Yorktown
By 1781, both British and Americans armies needed a victory to win the war. The British soldiers stationed in Yorktown to wait for supplies from New York. A spy in the British army, passed this information to the commander of the Patriots, Marquis de Lafayette, who sent the information to the French navy. The French navy blocked the British ships and their supplies. The Patriots and French army surrounded the British troops and after a few weeks of battle the British surrendered. -
The Treaty of Paris ends the War
Soon after the battle of Yorktown, peace talks began between the British government, France, Spain and the Americans in Paris, France. They reached an agreement in 1783. The Treaty of Paris 1783 ended the American Revolution. Under this agreement, Great Britain recognized American Independence and the Mississippi River became the new nation’s western border. The treaty also allowed ships from Spain, France and Britain to cross the Mississippi River. Slavery continued in the new nation.
