The Road to Independence

  • George III Becomes King England

  • The Stamp Act

    To help pay for British troops stationed in the colonies during the Seven Years' War.
  • Stamp Act Congress meets in New York City

    (Beginning)
  • Stamp Act Congress meets in New York City

    (End)
  • Parliament Passes the Townshend Acts

    To help pay the expenses involved in governing the American colonies, Parliament passed this. Initiated taxes on glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea. In response to new taxes, the colonies again decided to discourage the purchase of British imports.
    (March-June 1767)
  • The Boston Massacre

    British sentries guarding the Boston Customs House shot into a crowd of civilians, killing three men and injuring eight, two of them mortally.
  • The Boston Tea Party

    Incident in which 342 chests of tea belonging to the British East India Company were thrown from ships into Boston Harbor by America patriots disguised as Mohawk Indians.
  • The Coercive Acts (The Intolerable Acts)

    A series of four laws passed by the British Parliament to punish the colony of Massachusetts Bay for the Boston Tea Party.
    (March 1774)
  • First Continental Congress Meets in Philadelphia

    (Beginning)
  • First Continental Congress Meets in Philadelphia

    (End)
  • The Olive Branch Petition

    Emphasized Congress' loyalty to the British crown and emphasized their rights as British citizens.
    (July 1775)
  • Second Continental Congress Meets in Philadelphia

    (Beginning)
  • First Shots of the American Revolution

    (Lexington and Concord)
  • The Adoption of the Declaration of Independence

    States the principles on which our government, and our identity as Americans, are based. It is not legally binding like the other founding documents, but it is powerful.
  • Second Continental Congress Meets in Philadelphia

    Congress under the articles of confederation*
    (End)
  • British Surrender @ Yorktown, VA

  • Treaty of Paris Signed

    Official ending of the American Revolution