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1701 – The foundations of Yale University are laid
In 1701, the Colony of Saybrook passed an act to establish a Collegiate School. Situated in modern-day Connecticutt, this school eventually evolved to become one of the leading university of the world today, namely Yale University. -
1702 – Queen Anne’s War begins
In 1700, the king of Spain Charles II died. He had no heirs, so there was a dispute over who should succeed him as king. This eventually led to a war in which the major European powers participated at one side or the other. Britain fought against France and Spain. The war spread to North America as well in 1702 where British and French fought against each other. -
1702 – New Jersey colonies are established
In 1702, the British Queen Anne established the royal colony of New Jersey by combining the American provinces of East Jersey and West Jersey. -
1713 – Queen Anne’s War ends
The British won the Queen Anne’s War and concluded it with a treaty in 1713. They also gained control of many new areas in North America including Acadia, Newfoundland, Hudson Bay and St. Kitts island. -
1715 – The Yamasee War takes place
By 1715, the British had established many colonies in North America. They also took over many of the lands of the Native Americans who resented them. This and many other factors led to the start of the Yamasee War. This war was fought between British colonists of South Carolina at one side and a number of Native American tribes at the other side led by the Yamasee tribe. The Native Americans destroyed a number of settlements and killed a large number of colonists. -
1717 – South Carolina wins the Yamasee War
At the start of the war, the British colonists in South Carolina suffered many setbacks. They lost many lives as well as settlements. But slowly, they turned the war against the Yamasee tribe. By 1717, the Yamasee were effectively defeated and the South Carolina colonists were victorious, bringing the war to an end. -
1722 – Dummer’s War begins
The Queen Anne’s War ended in 1713 with British victory. As part of the treaty, the French gave up several areas to the British. Some of these areas were originally occupied by Native American tribes, so they didn’t like the terms of the treaty. Also, the British colonists started settling on the land belonging to these tribes which further angered them. This eventually led to the start of a new war between British colonists and Native American tribes. This was known as the Dummer’s War. -
1725 – Battle of Pequawket takes place
Battle of Pequawket took place as a part of the Dummer’s War. In this battle, a small army of British colonists was ambushed by a group of Pequawket warriors. The battle took place in Maine. The British colonists suffered significant losses during this battle as 20 of the 46 soldiers died. On the other side, the Pequawkey tribe also suffered many losses including their leader, Chief Paugus. -
1729 – North and South Carolina become royal colonies
The North Carolina and South Carolina was originally established by independent British colonists. This meant that the government of the colonies was done by these independent colonists. But people didn’t like their government and by 1729, the British king purchased the colonies from the colonists. These colonies now became a possession of the crown and directly came under the British rule. -
1754 – French and Indian War
In 1754, the French and Indian War began. This war was fought between British colonies in North America and the French colonies as well as their allies. -
1763 – Pontiac’s War begins
Native American tribes in the Ohio River Valley didn’t appreciate British victory in the French and Indian War. They didn’t like the fact that the British colonists and soldiers stayed on in the Valley. This eventually led to a new war by a Native American chief named Pontiac. The war began in 1763 and continued until 1763. -
Royal Proclamation of 1763
After the French and Indian War had ended, the King George II of Britain issued a Royal Proclamation. This proclamation was aimed at protecting the rights of the Native Americans. -
1764 – British Parliament passes the Sugar Act
British Parliament passed the Sugar Act. Back in 1733, the parliament had passed the Molasses Act. This act imposed new taxes on molasses but the act was never strictly enforced. In the Sugar Act, the parliament reduced the taxes of the Molasses Act but said that the tax will now be strictly enforced. This took place at a time when the economic conditions of North American colonies were not good. So the colonists were angry about this Act. -
1765 – British Parliament passes the Stamp Act
British parliament wanted to collect this money from the colonists. So it imposed a new tax through the Stamp Act. The Act said that if anyone wanted to print any material in North American colonies, they should do so on the embossed papers imported from London.
These papers were expensive, so colonists had to pay more money. This angered them and they started protesting against the parliament.This Act became one of the main causes of the American Revolution. -
1767 – Townshend Acts lead to riots and protests
As part of its efforts to impose taxes and raise more money from the colonies, the British government imposed a number of new taxes in 1767. These were collectively known as the Townshend Acts. -
1770 – Boston Massacre takes place
1768, British government ordered that British soldiers should be stationed in Boston. This was because most of the protests against new taxes imposed by the British government took place in Boston. In 1770, a group of protestors gathered around 8 British soldiers. They hurled abuse at the soldiers and threatened them with clubs and stones. The soldiers opened fire and killed three people, with another two later dying of wounds. -
1773 – British Parliament passes the Tea Act
More than 80% of the tea consumed in American colonies was smuggled, to avoid the high amount of import duties. The Tea Act aimed to end this and help out the East India Company at the same time which was in debt. -
1773 – Boston Tea Party takes place
After the British Parliament passed the Tea Act in 1773, the Sons of Liberty strongly protested against the Act. As part of their protests, they boarded British ships carrying tea in December 1773 and destroyed the shipment by throwing the tea chests into the harbor. This became known as the Boston Tea Party. -
1774 – First Continental Congress convenes
1774, the First Continental Congress took place. This was a meeting of the delegates from the Thirteen Colonies. The meeting was convened to discuss the Intolerable Acts passed by the British Parliament. -
1775 – Battles of Lexington and Concord are fought
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first armed engagement between British forces and the American revolutionaries. In 1774, British government had dissolved the Massachusetts colonial government but the colonial government continued to operate on a provisional basis. It also overlooked the creation and training of a militia force. -
1775 – Battle of Bunker Hill results in a costly British victory
The Battle of Bunker Hill took place as part of the Siege of Boston during the American Revolutionary War. The British decided to occupy the hills surrounding the city of Boston. -
1775 – Second Continental Congress convenes
The Second Continental Congress took place in 1775. In this congress, the delegates from 13 colonies discussed the ongoing American Revolution. The Congress effectively became the de facto government of the colonies at war. It determined the strategy of the war as well as the issue of raising and paying armies, and establishing treaties with others on behalf of the colonies. -
1776 – Declaration of Independence is adopted by the Second Continental Congress
The Declaration of Independence was a very important declaration adopted by the Second Continental Congress in 1776. This declaration said that the 13 American colonies were no longer under British rule and considered themselves as independent entities. -
1777 – Winter at Valley Forge shape up the Continental Army
In 1777, General George Washington and the Continental Army camped at Valley Forge during the winters. They didn’t have enough provisions and supplies. Nearly 2500 men died due to the poor conditions. -
1777 – Battles of Saratoga lead to major American victory
In 1777, two battles were fought between the American and British forces in Saratoga County, New York. These were known as the First Battle of Saratoga and the Second Battle of Saratoga. In the first battle, British were victorious but they couldn’t break through American lines to achieve their actual objective. -
1781 – Siege of Yorktown results in decisive British surrender
During 1781, a number of battles were fought between American and British forces in Virginia. In many of these battles, French troops fought alongside American armies.Ultimately, the British army was forced to surrender and nearly 7500 British troops were captured. This effectively marked the end of the Revolutionary War as the Surrender at Yorktown became the last major engagement of the War. -
1783 – Treaty of Paris ends the American War of Independence
With the Surrender at Yorktown, the British realized that they could no longer win the war. So they decided to sue for peace. These efforts led to the Treaty of Paris signed in 1783. -
1787 – Constitution of the United States is composed at the Constitutional Convention
The Constitutional Convention took place from May to September, 1787. This was an event where delegates from all the Thirteen Colonies participated. They came together to discuss what sort of government they should create now that they were free from the British rule. They also discussed how the states will exist under this government and how independent will be the states. -
1791 – Bill of Rights
Some of the states didn’t like the new constitution. They wanted to change it and agreed to vote in its favor only if the constitution would be amended soon after. These amendments took place in 1791. They were collectively known as the Bill of Rights and comprised of a total of 10 amendments. The amendments were approved in 1789 by the Congress. But it needed to be approved by at least 10 states in order to become a part of the U.S. Constitution.