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Passage of the Stamp Act of 1765
First direct tax imposed on American's by the British -
Boston Massacre
Bristish soldiers shot into a crowd of unarmed colonists, deepening anti-British sentiment. -
The Tea Act
The Tea Act, passed by Parliament on May 10, 1773, would launch the final spark to the revolutionary movement in Boston -
Boston Tea Party
A group of about 70 colonists boarded a British ship and dumped tea into the harbor in protest of the Tea Act. -
Intolerbale Acts
The government spent immense sums of money on troops and equipment in an attempt to subjugate Massachusetts. -
First Continental Congress
delegates from 12 colonies met at the First Continental Congress to discuss how to react to the Intolerable Acts. -
Paul Revere's Ride
When the British suspended the Massachusetts legislature for refusing to retract its circular letter, Revere engraved the names of the 92 assemblymen who stood up to Parliament. His engravings were used by patriots as anti-British propaganda, particularly his famous engraving of the Boston Massacre. -
Lexington and Concord
the British governor of Massachusetts sent several hundred British troops to seize the colonists’ military stores at Concord. Local militiamen gathered at Lexington to intercept the British troops. First shots fired during the Revolution. -
2nd Continental Congress
It was agreed that a CONTINENTAL ARMY would be created. The Congress commissioned George Washington of Virginia to be the supreme commander, who chose to serve without pay. -
Thomas Paine's "Common Sense"
Published in 1776, Common Sense challenged the authority of the British government and the royal monarchy. -
Declaration of Independence
formally proclaimed the 13 colonies as independent. -
Battle of Saratoga
marked the turning point of the American Revolution and encouraged France to openly support the Americans against Britain. -
French Alliance
The Treaty of Alliance between France and the United States was concluded at Paris, February 6, 1778 and ratified by Congress May 4, 1778. The treaty provided for a defensive alliance to aid France should England attack, and that neither France nor the United States would make peace with England until the independence of the United States was recognized. The knowledge of the Alliance came to Washington on May Day, 1778. -
Yorktown
On October 19, 1781, Lord Cornwallis accepted the terms of surrender. Armed hostilities continued but with the Surrender of Yorktown, the American War of Independence was practically over. -
Treaty of Paris
The American War of Independence and with it, the American Revolution formally ended with the Treaty of Paris which was signed
