The American

Revolution
A timeline towards the major
events of the American Revolution.
Explorations
England and France both sent troops
over to start new colonies from the
15,000 - 17,000.There plan was to
find new land and they both ended up
stumbling upon North America.
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War started
after a dispute. The British and
France wanted to expand their land
in North America. The war lasted
from 1754 - 1763. The French and
Indian war is also referred to as
“The Seven Year War”.
The Stamp Act
After the French and Indian war ended,
England needed money to help there army
(1765). They wanted to tax American
Colonists to help gain money, so they decided
to create the Stamp Act. They would tax all
printed matter. Playing cards, marriage
licenses, newspapers. Many Colonists did not
like the Stamp Act. A group called the Sons of
Liberty attacked and destroyed the records.
After a while the British repealed the act.
(People burning papers)
The Boston Massacre
Many British soldiers had occupied Boston. The
Colonists were not happy with the British tax laws.
On February 22, a group of Colonists attacked a
British owned store. Someone tried breaking up the
fight by firing a gun. It ended up hitting an 11 year
old boy named Christopher Seider, enraging the
British even more. On March 5th, 1770 the Kings
money was being guarded by one person. Angry
Colonist showed up and started rebelling, throwing
rocks and snowballs. The violence escalated.
Reinforcements were called in. The British were
poking the Colonists with sticks and clubs. Then all
of a sudden shots were fired. Five Colonists were
killed.
Tea Tax
In the seventeen hundreds Colonists went
through about 1,2 million pounds of tea each
year, because of this the British decided to
put a tax on tea. In 1773 The East India Tea
Company was having financial problems so
the British said they didn't have to pay tax,
but everyone else still had to.
The Boston Tea Party
The Colonists were very unhappy with the British
government. Around 1000 people gathered in
Boston to protest. In 1773 the East India Tea
Company loaded its ships with tea and set out to
the colonies. When they arrived the tea was
going to be sold by merchants. British law said
that the cargo had to be unloaded within 20 days.
On December 16th The Sons of Liberty wanted
to protest so they wrapped themselves in
blankets, they dressed in costumes trying to look
like Mohawk Indians. Then they slipped onto the
ships. They used axes to smash open 342 tea
chests. They dumped the tea in the ocean while
everyone watched.
Coercive Acts (1774)
The Coercive Acts - Known as the Intolerable Acts by the Colonists.

The Boston Port Act - The Boston Harbour was closed until the town paid for the
tea.

The Massachusetts Government Act - Great Britain had to approve town

meetings, British government would appoint officials instead of Colonists electing
them.

The Administration of Justice Act - British officials charged with crimes could be
tried in Great Britain Instead of facing a jury in Massachusetts. People doing trials
overseas were not paid for time off work.

The Quartering Act - This act applied to all the colonies. The act forced them to
supply housing, food, and other things to soldiers.
 Congress Appeals to King George lll
Colonists felt like the British Acts had taken away their
rights. They decided to protest the acts. The First
Continental Congress met in Philadelphia on September
5th, 1774. Colonies sent men to represent them. At the
First Congress no one knew each other so they had a
hard time trusting each other. October 20th is the day
delegates adopted the Articles of Association. The articles
stated the colonies would boycott the British goods if the
Intolerable acts were not cancelled by December 1st.
They sent a letter to King George lll saying they wanted
Intolerable Acts repealed. They also wanted self
government. The waited for a response but did not
receive one. The Colonists started to prepare for a
possible battle with Great Britain
Paul Revere Warned of British Approach
The Colonists were stockpiling weapons. The British found
out and made plans to destroy the weapons. Colonist found
out and made a warning system. They would hang one
lantern in the Old North Church of Boston if the British came
on land . They would hang two if they came on water. Paul
Revere and William Dawes waited for the signal on April 18th
1775. They belonged to The Sons of Liberty and often were
message carriers. The saw the flash of two lanterns and set
out on horseback to warn villagers in Lexington and Concord.
They both were unable to make it to Lexington, but they ran
into Samuel Prescott who was headed there and told him the
news. He was able to escape the British and share the news.
Shot Heard Around the World
The Lexington Colonists knew the British were coming. They
decided to call themselves the Minutemen, as they were
ready for battle any minute. The British arrived, the
Minutemen tried to stop them. One single bullet was fired. No
one no who fired it but it caused a war. Everyone else started
to shoot. Eight colonists died, ten were wounded, and only
one British soldier was hurt. After the battle the British moved
to Concord. As they were headed they were stopped by 500
Minutemen. The Minutemen were outnumbered as there
were 700 British soldier, but as soon as they met the British
retreated. The Colonists proved they could stand up to the
British. The American Revolution was born.
Battle of Bunker Hill
After the battle the British planned to take control of the
hills overlooking Boston. On June 16th 1775, 1200 of
the Massachusetts militia prepared for the British
attack. They were supposed to defend Bunker Hill in
Charleston. Instead the general disobeyed orders. He
led the men to to Breed's Hill instead. Overnight, they
built a 6 foot fictile wall to protect themselves. In the
morning the British attempted to shoot the Colonists.
The British could not get their shots over the wall so
they attempted to go from different directions. The
Colonists held there own until they ran out of
ammunition. Great Britain ended up winning and took
over the hill, but they lost many soldiers.
Declaration of Independence

In July 1775, the Congress asked the British for

their rights to be restored. The British never
responded so the Congress decided to move
ahead with the Declaration of Independence.
The Declaration of Independence was written to
separate the colonies from Great Britain. The
winter of 1775 - 1776 the document was written.
On July 4th 1776 the document was adopted
and a nation was born.
The Great Fire of New York
September 21st 1776 a major fire broke out on
the Western side of New York. 25% of the city
was burned down. The fire was presumably set
buy Americans to get control of the city. Despite
the conditions Britain still occupied the town until
the end of the war. (1783).
George Washington Heads the Continental
Army
Delegates at the Second Continental Congress chose
George Washington to lead their army. The army was
outnumbered and had little experience. On Christmas
night in 1776 he led the small army across the
Delaware River. They made a surprise attack on
Hessian mercenaries.( German soldiers hired by the
British). Over 1000 Hessian soldiers were captured.
Battle of Saratoga
The Battle of Saratoga was a big turning point in the
war. The United states beat the British at Saratoga,
New York on October 7th 1777. The British had
admitted defeat because they were surrounded by
17,000 soldiers when they only had 13,000. The
victory really impacted the US’s attitude and set them
on the right course. The Battle of Saratoga was the
first time foreign countries helped the US.
Continental Army Spends Winter at Valley
Forge
In the winter from 1777 - 1778 the Continental
army retreated to Valley Forge. The Valley was
practical because there was a creek and a river,
but it was very cold. None of the soldiers had any
warm clothes and there was no fresh food. They
built log cabins to sleep in but they still didn't do
much. They lived off of firecake whilst diseases
spread. France helped support them and by spring
they were ready to fight and left Valley Forge.
Treaty With France
In 1778 France and the United States formed an alliance. The treaty was signed
on February 6th. France provided them with supplies, troops, and military support.
They continued to be allies throughout the war. The treaty officially ended in 1800
but was actually ended in 1794.
British Surrender at Yorktown
By 1778 the British were upset with France for choosing sides with
the United States. The British were losing so they offered to agree
to many of the terms but the United states would only agree if
Britain removed its troops from the US. In late 1778, Washington
sent Nathanael Greene to lead the US troops against Britain's
General, Charles Cornwallis. They fought battles such as Kings
Mountains, Cowpens, Guilford courthouse. Britain was losing many
soldiers. In 1781 Cornwallis moved his troops near the village of
Yorktown to wait for supplies. 7000 French soldiers set out to join
Washington's army near Now York City. the troops set out on the
200 mile journey to Yorktown. On October 7th Cornwallis’s 9500
troops were surrounded by 20,000 US/France soldiers. Cornwallis
was facing defeat and signed the surrender papers October 19th
1781.
Treaty of Paris Brings End to War
Talks of ending the war started in 1782 of April.
The US and Britain signed the treaty of Paris on
September 3rd 1783. The Treaty of Paris stated
that the United States had independence from
Great Britain. The US also had expanded
borders. The Mississippi River was the western
boundary and the Great Lakes were the Northern
border. Both the countries finally approved the
document in 1784.
Colonies Unite Under the US Constitution
After the war the US wanted a better government. They
also wanted the independence of each state. All the
states sent delegates to Philadelphia for the
constitutional convention. They met during the summer
in 1787. The purpose was to create the US
Constitution. The document explained how the
government would work. All the states were required to
follow it. George Washington was elected president,
with John Adams as vice president. They worked on
the Bill of Rights, its made up of 10 amendments to the
constitution. After years of war the US was finally its
own independent country.
 The American
Revolution
This is the end of the American revolution. 20 key points for you to
remember.