-
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris ended the French and Indian War in North America, granting the Britain control of all land to the east of the Mississippi River. -
Pontiac's War Begins
An Indian leader, Pontiac, led Ottawa Indians in attacks against British forts near the Great Lakes. Nevertheless, the British ultimately prevailed, and the Indians were forced to make peace. -
The Proclamation of 1763 is signed by King George III
The document made it so all land transactions made west of the Appalachian crest would be ruled by the British Government, not the colonists. -
The Sugar Act is Passed
Under the Sugar Act colonial merchants had been required to pay a tax of six pence per gallon on the importation of foreign molasses. -
The Stamp Act is Passed
The Stamp Act required all colonists to purchase watermarked, taxed paper for use in newspapers and legal documents. -
The Quartering Act is Passed
The Quartering Act forced many citizens to share their homes with the soldiers. This caused outrage for the colonists. -
Burgesses of the Virginia House passes the Virginia Resolves
The Virginia Resolves denied Parliament's right to tax the colonies under the Stamp Act, igniting opposition to the act in other colonial assemblies. -
The Stamp Act is Repealed
In response to colonial resistance, Parliament repealed the Stamp Act, and passed the Declaratory Act on March 18, which states that Parliament may legislate for the colonies in all cases. -
The Townshend Duties are in Effect
The Townshend Act taxed glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea entering the colonies. The duties were clearly passed in an effort to raise revenue for the British treasury rather than to regulate trade. -
Troops Enter Boston
In response to growing political unrest in Massachusetts, Britain sent troops to occupy the city in the final months of 1768. Tensions mounted between the troops and the civilians. -
The Boston Massacre
Troops in Boston squared off with a crowd of sailors led by Crispus Attucks. When the crowd knocked one soldier to the ground, the soldiers fired and killed 5 men. -
The Townshend Duties are Repealed
Under financial pressure from the colonists' non-importation policy, Parliament repealed all of the Townshend duties except for the tax on tea. -
The Gaspee is burned down
In an act of open defiance against British rule, more than one hundred Rhode Island colonists burn the corrupt customs ship Gaspee to the waterline after it runs aground near Providence. -
The Tea Act is Passed
In an effort to support the ailing East India Company, Parliament exempted its tea from import duties and allowed the Company to sell its tea directly to the colonies. -
Boston Tea Party
Angered by the Tea Acts, American patriots disguised as Mohawk Indians dump £9,000 of East India Company tea into the Boston harbor. -
Period: to
The Intolerable Acts take effect
Four measures which stripped Massachusetts of self-government and judicial independence following the Boston Tea Party. Colonists boycotted British products due to this. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
First engagements of the Revolutionary War between British troops and the Minutemen, who had been warned of the attack by Paul Revere. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
The British defeated the Americans at the Battle of Bunker Hill in Massachusetts. Despite their loss, the inexperienced colonial forces inflicted significant casualties against the enemy, and the battle provided them with an important confidence boost. -
Olive-Branch Petition
Congress endorses a proposal asking for recognition of American rights, the ending of the Intolerable Acts in exchange for a cease fire. George III rejected the proposal and on 23 August 1775 declared the colonies to be in open rebellion. -
Common Sense
Common Sense is a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine advocating independence from Great Britain to people in the Thirteen Colonies.
