American Revolution Timeline

  • French and Indian War

    French and Indian War
    The war between French and Britian for control of the Ohio River. The French had an alliance with the native Americans which had gave them the advantage through the war. After Britian gained an allience with a group of Native Americans, they had a balance in size. The war ended in 1763 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris.
  • Proclamation of 1763

    Proclamation of 1763
    The proclamation creates a border between the Native Americans and the Colonists. The line is located at near the Appalachian Mountains.
  • The Sugar Act

    The Sugar Act
    The Sugar Act created taxes for the colonists to pay their homeland. The tax applied to foreign made molasses. This made importing goods that were never taxed before difficult.
  • Stamp Act

    Stamp Act
    English Parliament passed the stamp act. This added taxes on documents and other printed items. This only affected the colonists directly.
  • Sons of Liberty formed

    Sons of Liberty formed
    A group of merchants in New York, Boston, and Philidelphia boycot goods until the Stamp Act was repealed.
  • Stamp Act repealed in the Colonies

  • Townsend Acts passed by Parliment

    Townsend Acts passed by Parliment
    A tax named after Charles Townsend, this tax affected goods that were imported from Britian to the Colonies. This included tea, which was the most popular drink in the colonies.
  • Boston Massacre

    Boston Massacre
    A mob gathered in front of the Boston Customs house and taunted British soldiers gaurding there. Five colonists were killed as a result.
  • Tea Act passed

    Tea Act passed
    Britan gives special concessions of the East India Company and shuts down the colonial tea merchants.
  • Boston Tea Party

    Boston Tea Party
    A group of Boston rebels disguised as Native Americans dump 18,000 pounds of tea into Boston harbor.
  • Intolerable Acts

    Intolerable Acts
    King George II had tighter control of Massachusetts by closing Boston Harbor and quartering troops inside private homes and other buildings. He placed Boston under contol with the use of military forces.
  • First meeting of the Contentinental Congress

    First meeting of the Contentinental Congress
    Fifty-six delegates meet in Philidelphia and created a declaration of colonial rights. They defended the colonies' right to run their own buisness and stated that if the British use force against the colonies, they would fight back.
  • Battles of Lexington and Concord

    Battles of Lexington and Concord
    The first official battle of the Revolutionary war was the battke if Lexington. Five miles away from Concord, 70 colonial minutemen opened fire on British troops. As a result, eight minutemen were killed and ten were wounded, while only one British Soldier was injured.
    As The British marched to Concord, between 3,000 and 4,000 minutemen assembled and fired on the marching troops from behind. After over a dozen British soldiers killed, they retreated back to Boston humiliated.
  • Second meeting of Continental Congress

    Second meeting of Continental Congress
    Colonial leaders met again in Philidelphia to debate their next plan. Loyalties had divided the congress as some wanted independence while others wanted to stay with Britian. In the End, the congress agreed to form a colonial army and appointed George Washington as the commander of the army.
  • Battle of Bunker Hill

    Battle of Bunker Hill
    British general Thomas Gage sends 2,400 militiamen up Bunker Hill. The first shot was not fired until the last minute and mowed down the advancing redcoats. After the British retreated, there were over 1000 British casualties and only 450 colonial casualties.
  • Olive Branch petition

    Olive Branch petition
    The Olive Branch petition was created to show their loyalty with King George III and felt that they should be in harmony with Britian. The petition, however was rejected
  • Publication of comon sense

    Publication of comon sense
    A pamphlet writen by Thomas Paine that attacked King George and the monarchy.
  • Declaration of Independence

    Declaration of Independence
    The continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence to announce their independence from Britian.
  • Early British Victories

    Early British Victories
    British Victories took place between1776 and 1777. They first attacked New York with 32,000 soldiers.The Contental Army was unable to defend the city and retreated. The British were able to gain victory because of their experience in combat and the avaliability of German mercenaries, known as Hessians.
  • Early Colonial Victories

    Early Colonial Victories
    Early Colonial Victories occured in 1777. Colonial troops were able to be successful because of their knowlege of the wilderness. They were able to travel through the wilderness. Their success was shown in Saratoga where they sourounded the British army.
  • Battle of Saratoga

    Battle of Saratoga
    This is the most importiant battle in the war. The Continental Army ambused the British army while on their way to Albany.
  • Valley Forge

    Valley Forge
    Washington's army camps and loses soldiers due to being low on food and supplies. A total of 2000 soldiers died, but none of the survivors left camp.
  • Friedrich von Steuben and Marquis de Lafayette

    Friedrich von Steuben and Marquis de Lafayette
    Two foreign military leaders from Europe help train the Continental army . This helped the army to become a stronger fighting force.
  • British southern victories

    British southern victories
    The British Army traveled south to Savanah, Georgia. Their generals Henry Clinton and Charles Cornwallis were able to capture Charles town, South Carolina. They were successful because of the joining of forces of Cornwallis and Clinton.
  • British surrender at Yorktown

    British surrender at Yorktown
    The British surrender on October 19, 1781. As a result, the British began to leave the colonies and left to France for more negotiations.
  • Treaty of Paris

    Treaty of Paris
    John Adams, John Lay, and Benjamin Franklin arrve in Paris to set the bounderies of the new nation. In september 1783, the delegates signed the Treaty of Paris, which confirmed them as independent.