Timeline of the American Revolution

1763
February 10 The French and Indian War ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. Great
Britain defeated the French and their North American Indian allies, gaining control
of French Canada east of the Mississippi and Spanish Florida.

October 7 King George III issued the Proclamation of 1763, reserving lands west of the
Appalachian Mountains for Indian tribes and prohibiting colonists from settling
there.

1764
April 5 The Sugar Act tax was imposed by Britain as a means to generate revenue to pay for
the defense and protection of the American colonies.

1765
March 22 British Parliament passed the Stamp Act, which imposed a tax on legal papers and
other printed goods as a means to pay for British troops in America. American
colonists expressed dissatisfaction with this first direct tax on the colonies: the Sons
of Liberty was formed to protest this legislation, and colonists created a Stamp Act
Congress that prepared a resolution that King George III rescind the Stamp Act.

March 24 The Quartering Act was issued, requiring colonists to provide food and housing
to British troops. This act quickly led to tension between the colonists and British
troops.

1766
March 18 Parliament repealed the Stamp Act.

1767
June 29 The Townshend Acts imposed new duties on certain imported goods to the
American colonies. These acts were met with resistance from the colonists and led to
British occupation of Boston in 1768.

1768
October Boston reinstated a boycott of British goods, which had been established earlier and
relaxed with Parliament’s tax repeals. Over the ensuing years many other colonies
joined the boycott by passing non-importation resolutions.

1770
March 5 Five colonists were killed by British troops during a street fight between a mob of
Boston citizens and British soldiers who were occupying the city. This event became
known as the Boston Massacre.

April 12 Parliament repealed the Townshend Acts, except the duty on tea, and allowed the
Quartering Act to expire.

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1773
May 10 The Tea Act was imposed to collect an import tax on tea. This legislation gave the
British East India Company a monopoly, as American merchants were bypassed and
undersold.

December 16 The Boston Tea Party – protesters against the tea tax, some of them disguised as
Mohawk Indians, boarded ships and dumped all of the cargos of tea into the harbor.

1774
March 31 The Intolerable Acts were issued to punish the Massachusetts colonists for the
Boston Tea Party and to restore British authority and government in the colonies.
Colonists viewed these acts a violation of their liberty, leading to further hostility
between Britain and her American colonies.

September 5 - The First Continental Congress was called in response to the Intolerable Acts. The
October 26 first order of business was for all of the colonies to unify. A statement of American
grievances was composed and sent to King George III. Representatives agreed to
a resolution to boycott British goods beginning on December 1, 1774. A second
meeting was to be scheduled in the spring if the King and Parliament did not
respond favorably to the grievances.

1775
April 18 Paul Revere, an express rider in Boston, was dispatched to carry a message to Patriot
leaders in Lexington, Massachusetts that the British were coming to arrest them.
On his way there, Revere stopped at every house, informing the countryside that
the British were on their way. William Dawes, another rider, was sent with the same
warning that night but traveled a different route to Lexington. Both men, along
with a third rider, Dr. Samuel Prescott, were arrested on their way to Concord,
Massachusetts, later that same night.

April 19 Conflict turned to violence as battles broke out between Massachusetts militiamen
and British army regulars, at sunrise in Lexington and later in Concord, over hidden
military supplies. The Battles of Lexington and Concord began open warfare
between the thirteen colonies and Great Britain.

May 10 Delegates of the Second Continental Congress began meeting in Philadelphia,

Pennsylvania, to govern the thirteen colonies. Important results over the following
year were the creation of the Continental army, the election of George Washington
as the army’s commander-in-chief, authorization to print money, the initiation of
foreign diplomacy and finally, following the failure of an olive branch petition to the
king, a declaration of independence.

Mid-June George Washington was commissioned as commander-in-chief of the Continental

Army by the Second Continental Congress.

June 17 Colonial troops caused significant losses for the British army at the Battle of Bunker
Hill, proving that inexperienced and untried soldiers could inflict significant
damage on the enemy. It took the British regulars three attacks to remove the
Continentals from Bunker Hill and claim victory.

July 3 Washington assumed command of the Continental Army.

1776
January “Common Sense” by Thomas Paine was published. Paine used simple,
straightforward language in his publication to challenge the authority of Britain and
push for independence.

June 12 The Virginia Declaration of Rights, drafted by George Mason, was adopted by the
Fifth Virginia Convention in Williamsburg, Virginia. This important document
assured protection of individual rights and freedoms. Other monumental
documents, such as the Bill of Rights, were influenced by this document.

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 June 29 Virginia became the first state to adopt its own constitution. The document declared
independence from British rule and set the framework for a separation of power
between the legislative side, the Virginia General Assembly and the executive side,
the governor.

July 4 The Declaration of Independence, drafted by Thomas Jefferson, was adopted by the
Continental Congress. The Declaration listed American grievances against King
George III and announced independence from British rule.

August 27 The British were victorious in the Battle of Long Island, one of the largest
engagements of the American Revolution. Outflanked by the British and realizing
the cause was lost, Washington evacuated his entire army and was forced to retreat
across New Jersey.

November 20 Fort Lee in New Jersey was captured by Cornwallis with no opposition from
Continental forces. Evacuated in a hurry by American troops, a good store of
cannon, ammunition and supplies were left to the British.

December 26 Following his famous Christmas day crossing of the icy Delaware River, Washington
caught the enemy off guard and led the Continental Army to victory over Hessian
troops stationed at Trenton, New Jersey.

1777
January 3 George Washington’s army defeated Cornwallis’ troops at the Battle of Princeton.
Victory at Trenton and Princeton greatly increased the morale of the Continental
Army.

September 11 The defeat of American troops at the Battle of Brandywine left Philadelphia
vulnerable to British occupation. By the end of the month, the British captured the
city.

October 4 With the conquest of Philadelphia, British troops split between occupation of the city
and nearby Germantown. Washington attempted, but failed to dislodge the British at
the Battle of Germantown.

October 17 The Americans were victorious at Saratoga, New York. After being driven from his
position, British General Burgoyne is surrounded and forced to surrender his army.
The victory at Saratoga was a turning point in the war, as the Continental Army
proved that they were capable of success in the war and led the French to join the
war as an American ally.

November 15 The Articles of Confederation were adopted by the Continental Congress,

establishing the United States of America as a confederation of self-governing states.
The Articles established only a federal legislative body, Congress, and gave it very
little power to finance or enforce its resolves.

December 19 Washington withdrew his army to a highly defensible position at Valley Forge,
Pennsylvania, for the winter. Damp conditions and inadequate supplies caused
illness and disease to run rampant through the camp. Baron Friedrich von Steuben,
a Prussian, arrived that winter and began rigorous training of the troops.

1778
February 6 France declared war on Great Britain in a treaty signed with America. This treaty
recognized the United States of America as an independent country. France sent
naval support, troops and badly needed supplies to aid the Americans.

March 7 British General William Howe was replaced by General Henry Clinton as
commander-in-chief of the British army in North America.

1779
June 21 Spain, an ally of France, declared war on Great Britain. With increasing threat of
attack by French and Spanish armies, King George III was forced to defend British
territory at home and abroad.
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1780
May 12 After a month-long siege, the city of Charleston, South Carolina, was forced to
surrender to British General Clinton. This was a devastating defeat for the American
force, with thousands of soldiers taken prisoner after the engagement.

August 16 The British, led by General Charles Cornwallis, soundly defeated the Americans
in the Battle of Camden. General Horatio Gates, who had led American troops to
victory at Saratoga, lost over 2,000 men, several cannon and supplies. Gates retreated
to Charlotte, North Carolina, and was soon replaced as the commander of the
southern army. This victory served to strengthen the British hold on South Carolina.

October 7 Patriot militiamen defeated the Loyalist militia by surrounding and trapping them
at the crest of King’s Mountain, North Carolina. The Battle of King’s Mountain
was decided after about an hour of fighting, when the Loyalist commander, Patrick
Ferguson, was shot and killed. Loyalist troops soon surrendered. This victory served
to improve Patriot morale, which was low following earlier defeats in Charleston
and Camden. Following the Loyalist defeat at King’s Mountain, British General
Cornwallis retreated back to South Carolina.

December 22 After being placed in charge by Washington, Nathanael Greene assumed command
of the army in the south.

1781
January 17 American forces under Daniel Morgan defeated British troops at Cowpens, South
Carolina. Morgan’s efficient use of militia along with Continental soldiers worked
exactly as planned, drawing Lieutenant Banastre Tarleton head-on into the strongest
forces. This British defeat set in motion a chain of events that would lead to loss of
the war.

March 15 The British defeated the Continental Army at Guilford Courthouse in North
Carolina. However, with the victory came significant casualties. General Cornwallis
left North Carolina and marched north to await reinforcements. Nathanael Greene’s
army, on the other hand, was left mostly intact and traveled south to attack British
positions in South Carolina.

September 5-8 The French and British navies engaged in the Battle of the Capes near the mouth of
the Chesapeake Bay. Eventually, the British navy left the area, heading to New York
to repair and regroup. This left the French fleet in control of the Chesapeake Bay
with no entry for British reinforcements.

October 19 Cornwallis, surrounded by American and French troops at Yorktown, Virginia, and
with no reinforcements in sight, surrendered.

1782
March 20 Lord North resigned as Britain’s Prime Minister. Lord North’s government led
Britain’s responses to growing tensions in the American colonies and the subsequent
war.

November 30 Britain and America signed the Articles of Peace. This preliminary treaty ended
the American Revolution and granted the United States of America land east of the
Mississippi River.

1783
September 3 The Treaty of Paris was signed, officially ending the war between Britain and the
Americans and their allies. Britain signed separate treaties with France and Spain.

December 23 Washington resigned as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army.

1787
September 17 The U.S. Constitution was approved by the majority of delegates to the
Constitutional Convention. Meant to replace the Articles of Confederation, it was
forwarded to the states for ratification.
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1789
February 6 First meeting of the United States Congress.

April 30 George Washington was inaugurated as the first president of the United States.

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June 2014

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