Timeline of the Revolutionary War

By Lilyolg

  • The French and Indian War

    It started 1756 and ended 1763. "massive conflict involving Austria, England, France, Great Britain, Prussia, and Sweden called the Seven Years War."

  • The American Revenue Act

    It was in 1764."On April 5, 1764, Parliament passed a modified version of the Sugar and Molasses Act (1733), which was about to expire. Under the Molasses Act colonial merchants had been required to pay a tax of six pence per gallon on the importation of foreign molasses. But because of corruption, they mostly evaded the taxes and undercut the intention of the tax — that the English product would be cheaper than that from the French West Indies."

  • The Albany Congress

    It was in June of 1754. "The purposes of the Albany Congress were twofold; to try to secure the support and cooperation of the Iroquois in fighting the French, and to form a colonial alliance based on a design by Benjamin Franklin."

  • Proclamation of 1763

    It was in 1763. "The end of the French and Indian War in 1763 was a cause for great celebration in the colonies, for it removed several ominous barriers and opened up a host of new opportunities for the colonists. The French had effectively hemmed in the British settlers and had, from the perspective of the settlers, played the "Indians" against them."

  • The Currency Act

    It was in 1764. "The colonies suffered a constant shortage of currency with which to conduct trade. There were no gold or silver mines and currency could only be obtained through trade as regulated by Great Britain."

  • The Stamp Act

    "On February 6th, 1765 George Grenville rose in Parliament to offer the fifty-five resolutions of his Stamp Bill."

  • The Virginia Stamp Act Resolutions

    It was in 1765. "Patrick Henry, who was a new member to the House of Burgesses undertook a radical move against the authority of Parliament."

  • Stamp Act Congress

    It was in 1765. "The members of this Congress, sincerely devoted, with the warmest sentiments of affection and duty to His Majesty's Person and Government, inviolably attached to the present happy establishment of the Protestant succession, and with minds deeply impressed by a sense of the present and impending misfortunes of the British colonies on this continent;"

  • Head of Elk, Maryland

    It was in 1777. "In late July 1777, a 265-ship armada under General Howe's command finally arrived at the Head of Maryland's Elk River. 17,000 soldiers aboard the ships had endured a debilitating six week journey originating at Sandy Hook, New Jersey, across from Staten Island, New York."

  • Brandywine Battle

    "The Battle of Brandywine brings to life the largest engagement of the Revolutionary War, fought on September 11, 1777, between the Continental Army led by General George Washington and the British forces headed by General William Howe."

  • Battle of the Clouds

    "After being defeated at the Battle of Brandywine, Washington and the Americans needed to regroup. First, he moved his army away from the British. Then he placed his troops in such a way that they could protect both Philadelphia and Reading, an important supply city."

  • The Siege of Fort Mifflin

    "the Delaware River which flowed past Philadelphia, was controlled by George Washington and the Continental Army. Howe desperately needed to find a way to bring food and supplies into the city. To do so, he chose to attack American-held forts along the Delaware."

  • Paoli Battlefield - Paoli Massacre

  • The British in Philadelphia

    "On September 26, the British proudly marched into Philadelphia."

  • The Battle of Germantown

    "The morning started well for the Americans who had the British retreating. But Washington's plan went astray when one of his four columns lost its bearings in a dense fog and thick smoke. Others columns failed to coordinate effectively." It was in October 1777.

  • Whitemarsh

    "Early in December, General Howe tried to launch a surprise attack on the American position. But the British plan had been ferreted out by spies, and the Americans were well prepared for their expedition." It was in 1777.

  • The Quartering Act of 1765

    It was on March 24, 1765. "WHEREAS ... [by the Mutiny Act of 1765] ... several regulations are made and enacted for the better government of the army, and their observing strict discipline, and for providing quarters for the army, and carriages on marches and other necessary occasions, and inflicting penalties on offenders against the same act, and for many other good purposes therein mentioned;"

  • Patrick Henry Virginia House of Burgesses

    "In 1764 he moved to Louisa county, Virginia, where, as a lawyer, he argued in defense of broad voting rights (suffrage) before the House of Burgesses." "Elected to Virginia House of Burgesses, 1765; Admitted to the Bar of the General Court in Virginia, 1769; Elected to the Continental Congress, 1774; Virginia Militia Leader, 1775; Governor of Virginia, 1776-1778, 1784."

  • French Alliance Brings Joy to Washington at Valley Forge

    "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."

  • Valley Forge

    "Philadelphia was a difficult place for the British to defend. Now that France was in the war, the city was also vulnerable to attack or blockade from the sea. It was decided to abandon the Quaker City and move British forces back to their base in New York City."