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End of the Seven Years War

The Treaty of Paris ends the Seven Years War (French and Indian War). France surrenders all of its North American possessions east of the Mississippi to Britain. This ends a source of insecurity for the British colonists along the Atlantic Coast. The costs of the war and maintaining an army will lead the British government to impose new taxes on its colonists, with world-shaking results.

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Sugar Act

In U.S. colonial history, British legislation aimed at ending the smuggling trade in sugar and molasses from the French and Dutch West Indies and at providing increased revenues to fund enlarged British Empire responsibilities following the French and Indian War.

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Passage of the Stamp Act

Britain passes the Stamp Act, imposing a tax on legal documents, newspapers, even playing cards. This is the first direct tax on the American colonists and is hotly resisted. A successful American campaign to have the act repealed will give Americans confidence that they can avoid future taxes as well.

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Declaratory Act

Declaration by the British Parliament that accompanied the repeal of the Stamp Act. It stated that the British Parliament’s taxing authority was the same in America as in Great Britain.

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Townshend Acts

The Townshend Acts were a series of measures, passed by the British Parliament in 1767, that taxed goods imported to the American colonies. But American colonists, who had no representation in Parliament, saw the Acts as an abuse of power. The British sent troops to America to enforce the unpopular new laws, further heightening tensions between Great Britain and the American colonies in the run-up to the American Revolutionary War.

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British Troops Occupy Boston

British troops land in Boston to enforce the Townshend duties (taxes on paint, paper, tea, etc., passed in June 1767) and clamp down on local radicals. The troops' presence doesn't sit well with locals and leads to street fights. One clash between soldiers and a mob in March 1770 will leave five dead. Radicals will call it the Boston Massacre, while the British will call it the incident on King Street.

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Sent 1000 troops to the U.S. that the colonists had to pay. Tensions were rising, and this caused a clash between the British and the civilians. Slurs were said to the soldiers and stones were thrown at the British. This caused them to panic and open fire. Boston Massacre claimed the lives of 5 civilians.

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Sons of Liberty went on a British boat and tossed 10,000 tons of tea overboard. Sent 3000 troops, dismantled the General assembly, and revoked the charter. Representatives from other colonies were sent to meet in Philadelphia to discuss what would happen. Minutemen were set across the colonies to notify the inevitable war that is about to happen.

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War Breaks Out

The first shots of the Revolutionary War are fired at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts. The news of the bloodshed rockets along the eastern seaboard, and thousands of volunteers converge—called "Minute Men"—on Cambridge, Mass. These are the beginnings of the Continental Army.

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Battle of Bunker Hill

In the first major action of the war, inexperienced colonial soldiers held off tenacious British veterans at Breed's Hill for more than two hours. Although they were eventually forced to abandon their positions, the colonists lost just over 500 soldiers, while the British lost about 1,000.

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America Declares Its Independence

The Declaration of Independence is adopted by the Second Continental Congress. Following a decade of agitation over taxes and a year of war, representatives make the break with Britain. King George III isn't willing to let his subjects go without a fight, and loyalist sentiment remains strong in many areas. Americans' primary allegiance is to their states; nationalism will grow slowly.