-
Period: to
Timespan
-
Protest of the Stamp Act
In March of 1765 the Colonists protested against the stamp act taxes before they went into effect. It began with protests and petitions, then led to refusals to pay the taxes, and eventually harassment of British soldiers and officials. This reaction by the colonists began a pattern of action against the British officers. -
Stamp Act
The tax was imposed on all colonists and had them pay a tax on every piece of printed paper they used. Ship's papers, legal documents, licenses, newspapers, other publications, and even playing cards were taxed. The money collected by the Stamp Act was to be used to help pay the costs of maintaining the land near the Appalachian Mountains -
Gaspee Affair
The Gaspee washed up at a place now known as Gaspee Point. News of the ship reached Providence and fifty-five men, led by a man named John Brown, planned an attack on the ship. The following evening they attacked the Gaspee, capturing the entire crew. All werebrogut to shore and abandoned, to watch as the Gaspee was looted and then burned. -
Boston Tea Party
hree tea ships arrived and remained unloaded but Gov. Thomas Hutchinson refused to let the ships leave without first paying the duties. A group of indignant colonists, led by Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, and others, disguised themselves as Native Americans, boarded the ships on the night of Dec. 16, 1773, and threw the tea into the harbor. In reply Parliament passed the Boston Port Bill -
Coercive Acts
The Coercive Acts were a series of four acts established by the British government. The aim of the legislation was to restore order in Massachusetts and punish Bostonians for their Tea Party, in which members of the revolutionary-minded Sons of Liberty boarded three British tea ships in Boston Harbor and dumped 342 crates of tea—nearly $1 million worth in today's money—into the water to protest the Tea Act. -
Quebec Act
It gave the French Canadians complete religious freedom and restored the French form of civil law. The Thirteen Colonies considered this law one of the Intolerable Acts, for it nullified many of the Western claims of the coast colonies by extending the boundaries of the province of Quebec to the Ohio River on the south and to the Mississippi River on the west. -
First Continental Congress
The first Continental Congress met in Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia, from September 5, to October 26, 1774. All of the colonies except Georgia sent delegates.The goals of the group were not clear but, with leadership that was found there, a set of tasks were carried out. It was agreed upon that the King must understand the grievances of the colonies and that the groups must do everything possible to communicate the same to the population of America, and to the rest of the world. -
Committies of Correspondence Established
The Committees of Correspondence used the British postal service as the means of communication. For the most part, the pen was their weapon of choice, but revolutionary sentiment did at times take other forms. -
Paul Reveres Ride
On the evening of April 18, 1775, Paul Revere was sent for by Joseph Warren rode to Lexington, Massachusetts, to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock that British troops were marching to arrest them. While in Charlestown, he verified that the local "Sons of Liberty" committee had seen his pre-arranged signals. (Two lanterns by sea, one lantern by land.) He then said the regulars are coming not the British are coming and alerted the people. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord, kicked off the American Revolutionary War. Tensions had been building for many years between residents of the 13 American colonies and the British authorities, particularly in Massachusetts. One night, hundreds of British troops marched from Boston to nearby Concord in order to seize an arms cache. Paul Revere and other riders sounded the alarm, and colonial militiamen began mobilizing to intercept the redcoats.This started the revolution! -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress meeting started with the battle of Lexington and Concord fresh in their memories. The New England militia were still encamped outside of Boston trying to drive the British out of Boston. The Second Continental Congress established the militia as the Continental Army to represent the thirteen states. They also elected George Washington as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on June 17, 1775, only days after George Washington was elected Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. Despite the name, the battle was actually fought on Breed's Hill. -
George Washington Appointed General
The Continental Congress commissioned George Washington as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army on June 19, 1775. Washington was selected over other candidates such as John Hancock based on his previous military experience and the hope that a leader from Virginia could help unite the colonies. -
Olive Branch Petition
ohn Dickinson drafted the Olive Branch Petition, which was adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 5 and submitted to King George on July 8, 1775. It was an attempt to assert the rights of the colonists while maintaining their loyalty to King George refused to read the petition and on August 23 proclaimed that the colonists had "proceeded to open and avowed rebellion." -
Proclamation for Suppressing Rebellion and Sedition
Following the outbreak of armed conflict at Lexington and Concord in the spring of 1775, King George III of England issued this statement on August 23, 1775. It stated that the colonies stood in open rebellion to his power and were subject to severe penalty, as was any British subject who failed to report the rebellion or conspiracy. This document literally transformed loyal subjects into traitorous rebels. -
British Pulled Out of Virginia
Patriot troops attacked and defeated Virginian governor Dunmore's troops near Norfolk, Virginia. British then pulled their soldiers out of Virginia leaving the Patriots in control. -
Common Sense Published
Thomas Paine wrote this because he wanted to get his voice heard in British parlament and have the king hear what he had to say. This gave the colonists the confidence to protest and write documents stating what they thought of the British high archey. -
British Evacuate Boston
On March 17, 1776 the British evacuation of Boston happened because of a bloodless liberation of Boston by the Patriots causing British troops and Royalists to leave Boston by ship and sail to Nova Scotia. -
Writing of Declaration of Independence
It was written by Thomas Jefferson. It was also written with almost every famous delgate at the time there. There were 56 men who signed it. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was written on July 4th 1776. It stated what the colonists were going to have as their laws in their new nation. The United States of America. Its signers are most famously known by John Hancock writing his name extra big so the King could read it without his spectacles.
