The British Parliament imposed the Stamp Act on the American colonies, requiring them to pay a tax on printed materials. This act sparked widespread protests and contributed to the growing dissent against British rule.

British soldiers fired into a crowd of colonists in Boston, killing five people. This event intensified anti-British sentiments and was widely publicized by American Patriots.

American colonists, protesting the Tea Act, dumped 342 chests of British tea into Boston Harbor. This act of defiance led to harsh punitive measures from the British government, known as the Coercive Acts.

The first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War occurred at Lexington and Concord. These battles marked the outbreak of armed conflict between Great Britain and the American colonies.

On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, declaring the American colonies free and independent states. This document, primarily authored by Thomas Jefferson, articulated the colonies' reasons for seeking independence from British rule.