Road to Revolution Timeline
1763
1773
1774
1767
1775
1774
1773
1770
1765
1754-1763
The Proclamation of 1763
The Tea Act of 1773
The Intolerable Acts
Townshend Acts
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The First Continental Congress
The Boston Tea Party
Boston Massacre
The Stamp Act
French and Indian War
French and Indian War
1754-1763
The French and Indian War, also known as the Seven Years War, was a North American conflict between France and Britain. It began when France expanded into the Ohio River valley and impeded on British colonies. In 1756, the British officially declared war, and numerous battles ensued between the two groups. Eventually, the conflict ended in February of 1763 with the Treaty of Paris, which allowed the British to receive Canada from France and Florida from Spain, but let France keep the West Indian sugar islands. Left with substantial debt after the war, King George II argued that the colonists must pay the war debt. This led to the Stamp Act, the Townshend Acts, and the Tea Act, which all imposed a tax on colonists. Britain’s strict measures and demands following the war led to substantial colonial unrest and eventually the American Revolution.
The Proclamation of 1763
1763
Issued by Britain at the end of the French and Indian War, the Proclamation of 1763 set boundaries on the lands that European colonists could settle on. It was meant to appease Native Americans and set a line which Europeans couldn’t cross and impede on Native land. This closed down any expansion west of Appalachia and applied to all thirteen colonies. This decree sparked discontent in the colonies. Many colonists viewed these restrictions as infringements on their rights and many began to harbor resentment toward British control. This heavily contributed to the growing desire for independence as many people felt their autonomy was being threatened.
The Stamp Act
1765
The Stamp Act, passed in 1765, was the first internal tax imposed on American colonists by Britain. This act, which imposed a tax on all paper documents, was a result of the debt from the French and Indian War, which the empire was looking for a way to pay off. The colonists argued that the tax was unconstitutional, and many of them resorted to violence to force tax collectors to resign. It was soon repealed in 1766, but the issue of taxation, started by the Stamp Act, left discontent among the colonists. This frustration was ultimately a significant factor in the Revolutionary War for independence.
Townshend Acts
1767
The Townshend Acts were multiple decrees passed by the British Parliament in 1767 that taxed products imported to the colonies. These acts were imposed with the same goal as the Stamp Act, which was to pay off the debt from the French and Indian War. However, the American colonists argued that since they had no representation in parliament, these acts were unconstitutional. Furthermore, the British, in an effort to enforce these acts, sent troops to the colonies, which further antagonized the colonists. The colonists' lasting resentment of the British Crown for these acts ultimately culminated in the American Revolution.
Boston Massacre
1770
The Boston Massacre was a violent confrontation on March 5, 1770 between American colonists and British Soldiers. It began with a street fight between colonists and a single British soldier, but quickly escalated in magnitude. Eventually, the soldiers opened fire on the colonists, resulting in many fatalities. Tensions in Boston were already high as a result of the tax laws imposed by soldiers. Fights between colonists and soldiers as well as protests against taxation became increasingly common. This incredibly bloody conflict further fueled hate toward Britain and sparked their fight for independence later on. Furthermore, key colonists leaders such as Paul Revere, who etched a famous engraving of the massacre, used the event as propaganda to incite anti-British attitudes.
The Tea Act of 1773
1773
The Tea Act of 1773 was yet another measure forced on the colonists by the British Government in order to protect their own interests. The Act’s primary purpose was to protect the East India Company, and it did so by essentially granting it a monopoly on the importation and sale of tea in the colonies. The colonists had always opposed taxation on tea, and this act further fueled colonists’ frustration because they viewed it as a ploy to convince them that parliament has the right to impose taxes on them. This event directly led to the Boston Tea Party in December of 1773, and the Revolutionary War started shortly after as colonial resistance continued to intensify.
The Boston Tea Party
1773
The Boston Tea Party was a protest by American colonists against the taxes enforced by Britain. It happened on December 16, 1773, in Boston, Massachusetts. The colonists, many of them members of Sons of Liberty, dumped 342 chests of tea, imported by the British East India Company, into the harbor in an act of defiance. This event marked the first major rebellion against British rule and it showed Great Britain that the colonists were capable of fighting back. This event brought together Americans across the 13 colonies in the fight for independence. In response, the British Parliament passed the Intolerable Acts in an effort to squash rebellion. However, the opposite effect occurred and these acts further incentivized colonists to fight for independence.
The Intolerable Acts
1774
The Intolerable Acts, also known as the Coercive Acts, were passed in 1994 as a punishment for the Boston Tea Party. This measure included 4 acts which were aimed to squash rebellion in the colonies. Although these acts targeted Boston most directly, their impacts were experienced by all the colonies. The acts closed the Boston port down and restricted its local government. Other colonies began to worry that the British Parliament would impose these measures on them as well and so they began to unite behind Boston. Ultimately, these measures backfired on Britain and only further convinced colonists of the need for independence.
The First Continental Congress
1774
The First Continental Congress was a meeting between delegates from the colonies in 1774. The first meeting was in response to the Intolerable Acts. They met in Philadelphia to organize resistance to the Acts. After discussions, they issued a Declaration of Rights, which reinforced their loyalty to Britain, but argued that taxation without representation shouldn’t be allowed. The Congress also passed the Articles of Association, which said the colonies would stop importing goods from the British Isles if the Intolerable Acts were not repealed. The First Continental Congress was followed by a second meeting in 1775. This governing body was instrumental in the coordinate of the colonial resistance to British rule. It unified the colonies and provided a force of leadership during the revolution. When the US constitution went into effect in 1789, the Continental Congress ended and was replaced by the US Congress.
Battles of Lexington and Concord
1775
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were fought in April of 1775 marked the beginning of the American Revolutionary War. The tensions of the best decades culminated to start this conflict between the colonists and the British authorities. It began when Paul Revere and other riders sounded the alarm about a column of British troops attempting to take an arms cache. Colonial men intercepted the column and soon this escalated into multiple battles. The Americans took the victory in this battle and suffered far less casualties. In the aftermath of this battle, a large militia of men from New England gathered in Boston to fight for their freedom. This force formed part of the Continental Army. After numerous more battles, the colonists officially won their independence in 1783.
Information Sources
https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/french-and-indian-war https://history.state.gov/milestones/1750-1775/french-indian-war https://www.history.com/news/remembering-the-proclamation-of-1763 https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/stamp-act https://www.masshist.org/revolution/stamp.php https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/townshend-acts https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/boston-massacre https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/boston-massacre.htm https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/tea-act https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/boston-tea-party https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/boston-tea-party https://www.history.com/news/intolerable-coercive-acts-american-revolution https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/intolerable-acts https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/the-continental-congress https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/adams-continental-congresses/#:~:text=Lastly%20the%20Continental%20Congress%20issued,Parliament's%20power%20over%20the%20colonies. https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/battles-of-lexington-and-concord https://www.battlefields.org/learn/revolutionary-war/battles/lexington-and-concord#:~:text=Massachusetts%20%7C%20Apr%2019%2C%201775,war%20to%20earn%20their%20independence.&text=American%20victory.
Image Sources
https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/french-and-indian-war-1754-1763-causes-and-outbreak https://www.jyfmuseums.org/learn/research-and-collections/essays/what-was-the-proclamation-of-1763 https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/stamp-act https://www.bostonteapartyship.com/the-townshend-acts https://www.loc.gov/resource/ppmsca.01657/ https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/tea-act https://www.npr.org/2010/04/14/125917175/tea-party-finds-inspiration-in-boston-history https://www.statutesandstories.com/blog_html/boston-habor-act-of-1774/ https://www.bostonteapartyship.com/continental-congress https://www.britannica.com/event/Battles-of-Lexington-and-Concord