Interactive Timeline: The Road to Independence

The Mayflower Compact

After landing at Provincetown harbor along the Atlantic Coast of North America, a shipload of English settlers drew up an agreement that became known as the Mayflower Compact. The document would serve as the framework for the government of the new colony they planned to establish. Forty-one men aboard the Mayflower signed the agreement, which established a government based on the rule of law and the consent of the governed.

The Boston Massacre

The Boston Massacre reflected growing tensions between the colonists and the British troops that were stationed there to keep order. As a large mob of Bostonians taunted the soldiers, their captain ordered them not to fire. It is believed that the soldiers did not hear the order due to the noise and confusion. Instead, they fired into the crowd, killing five men. The soldiers and their captain were arrested and tried for murder. Today, the site is marked by a circle of cobblestones in front of the Old State House in Boston.

The Declaration of Independence

Even though armed conflict began in 1775, it was not until 1776 that the Declaration of Independence officially cut all ties between the colonies and Great Britain. After its adoption on July 4th, the nation was still far from free of British rule. Five long years of war would follow. Patriot John Adams predicted the high cost of independence in a letter to his wife Abigail on July 3, 1776: “I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration.”

The Stamp Act

The Stamp Act angered colonists, who felt they were being taxed without any say in the matter. In response, nine colonies organized a Stamp Act Congress and sent a Declaration of Rights and Grievances to King George III. In the document, the colonists asserted that recent laws passed by Parliament were “unjust, and cruel, as well as unconstitutional, and most dangerous and destructive of American rights.” This action paved the way for later meetings of all 13 colonies to plan their opposition to British policies.

John Locke

In his Second Treatise of Government, John Locke stated that men by nature are free, equal, and independent, and no one should “be subjected to the political power of another without his own consent.” These ideas later influenced the Declaration of Independence.