The Road to Independence 1765-1776

By Randino74

  • The Stamp Act

    Britian passes a tax law requiring colonist to purchase stamps to prove payment of tax.

  • Townshed Acts

    Britian taxes colonial imports and places soldiers in colonial ports to protect custom officers.

  • The Boston Massacre

    British troops fire into mobs protesting British actions, killing five colonist

  • Boston Tea Act

    East India Companyis given special concessions, by the British and takes over tea manufacturing, causing colonial merchants to go out of business.

  • Boston Tea Party

    Colonist in Boston dump 18,000 plds of tea into Boston Harbor in response to the Tea Act.

  • Intolerable Acts

    King George III closes Boston Harbor and stations troops in Boston.

  • First Continental Congress

    Colonist agree to step up military preperations. Minutemen, civilian soldiers, begin to stockpile weapons.

  • First Continental Congress

    A declaration of colonial rights is drafted.

  • Lexington and Concord

    British General Gage orders troops to march to Concord and Lexington and sieze colonial weapons.

  • Second Continental Congress

    George Washington, a veteran of the French and Indian War, is appointed commander of the colonial troops.

  • Battle of Bunker Hill

    The British overcome colonial Minutemen after three trys at Breed's Hill, only after the Minutemen ran out of ammunition.

  • Olive Branch Petition

    The Second Continental Congress sent the king a petition urging a return to "the former harmony" between Britian and the colonies. King George rejects the petition.

  • Declaration of Independence

    On July 2 1776 the delegates to the Continential Congress voted unanimouslly that the American colonies would be independent of Britian.