American Revolutionary War Timeline Project

  • The Sugar Act

    The Sugar Act
    • British taxed the colonists on many goods coming into the colonies from other places.
    • The most important of these was the Sugar Act of 1764.
    • Colonial merchants released that enforcement of this act would wipe out profits of the trade with the Spanish and French West Indies
  • The Stamp Act

    The Stamp Act
    • In 1765, British imposed taxes upon all paper products and stamped the item once the item once the tax had been played.
    • The tax was paid directly to the government - direct tax
    • Products affected ranged from documents and wills to playing cards and newspapers.
  • The Townshend Act

    The Townshend Act
    • This act placed duties on tea paper, glass, and paint.
    • The British repealed this tax in 1770.
    • Except for the tax on tea
  • The Boston Massacre

    The Boston Massacre
    • After Parliament repealed the Townshend duties, the first clash between British and Americans took place.
    • On the night of March 5, 1770 a crowd of 50 or 60 men and boys gathered to taunt British soldiers outside the Boston customs house.
    • When the crowd went as far to throw sticks and snowballs at the redcoats the soldiers panicked and opened fire, killing 5 men.
  • The Boston Tea Party

    The Boston Tea Party
    • In 1773 the British East India Company facing bankruptcy, appealed to Parliament for assistance.
    • Parliament quickly voted to give them a monopoly for the trade of tea in America.
    • Colonists on a signal from Sam Adams disguised themselves as Mohawks, boarded the ship and heaved 342 chests of tea into the harbor.
  • The Intolerable Acts (Coercive Acts)

    The Intolerable Acts (Coercive Acts)
    • The Boston Port Act - closed the port of Boston to trade.
    • The Quartering Act - required the colonists to provide billets for British soldiers.
    • The Impartial Administration of Justice Act -removed British officials from the jurisdiction of Massachusetts courts.
    • The Massachusetts Government Act - revoked the colony's charter and forbade town meetings.
  • First Continental Congress

    First Continental Congress
    • 56 delegates from 12 colonies attended the first Continental Congress in Philadelphia in September, 1774.
    • The Congress petitioned the King for relief from the Intolerable Acts and vowed to stop trade with Britain until the acts were repealed.
  • Lexington and Concord

    Lexington and Concord
    • When the British soldiers reached Lexington, Captain Jonas Parker and 75 armed Minutemen were there to meet them.
    • The Minutemen were greatly outnumbered. The British soldiers fired, killing 8 Minutemen and injuring 10 others.
    • While the British soldiers continued on their way to Concord, the men and women of Concord were busy moving the arms and ammunition to new hiding places in surrounding towns.
  • Period: to

    Second Continental Congress

    • The Second Continental Congress was a body of representatives appointed by the legislatures of of several British North American colonies which met from May 10, 1775 to March 1, 1781 -By the time the Second Continental Congress met, the American Revolutionary War had already started with the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775.
    • Thus, the Second Continental Congress found itself in the unenviable position of being the decision- making body of a military alliance at war.
  • Declaration of Independence

    Declaration of Independence
    • Official Declaration of Independence was agreed upon July 4, 1776.
    • It's purpose was to justify the Revolution.
    • States that that colonies were independence and to express the nation's principles.