| 1754 | French & Indian War began in North America |
| 1756 | Seven Years War began in Europe |
| 1763 | Peace of Paris ended the Great War for Empire |
| Proclamation of 1763 stopped settlement west of tops of Appalachian Mountains | |
| 1764 | Sugar Act |
| Halved previous tax on sugar in belief that colonists would consent to pay a lower tax rather than evade it. Levied on foreign textiles, wines, coffee, indigo, and sugar. Expected to raise 45,000 pounds sterling annually to defray expense of defending colonies. | |
| 1765 | Stamp Act |
| Taxed all printed materail and documents including dice and playing cards. Would not go into effect until November 1, 1765, which gave colonists half a year to prepare for its implementation. Was intended to help support 10,000 British troops in America. | |
| Quartering Act | |
| Required colonies to provide provisions and barracks for British troops. If colonies did not provide barracks, authorized royal government to confiscate inns and vacant buildings for use by the army. Mainly affected NY, since it was the headquarters for the British Army in the American colonies. | |
| Stamp Act Congress held in NYC. | |
| 1766 | Declaratory Act |
| Repealed Stamp Act but declared Parliament still retained right to tax colonies. Reduced tax on sugar, but did not affect Quartering Act. | |
| 1767 | Dickinson's Letter from a Pennsylvania Farmer |
| Townshend Acts | |
| 1.) Revenue Act of 1767 imposed duties on colonial imports of glass,
lead, paints, paper, and tea to be used to pay salaries of royal officials in the colonies. 2.) Vetoed all NY legislation until NY assembly obeyed Quartering Act. 3.) Created Board of Customs Commissioners in Boston (which was the center of colonial smuggling operations.) 4.) Organized four vice-admiralty courts: in Halifax, Boston, Philadelphia, and Charleston. | |
| 1768 | Hancock's ship Liberty confiscated in Boston Harbor on a technicality. |
| 1770 | Boston Massacre |
| Four Americans killed by British soldier in a riot over jobs. John Adams and other lawyers of Boston's political elite defend the soldiers in court. Only two get convicted of manslaughter, and were punished by having their thumbs branded. The British Army removed to Halifax in the colony of Nova Scotia to ease tensions. | |
| Townshend Duties repealed, except for a symbolic tax on tea. | |
| 1771 | NC & SC Regulators |
| 1772 | Gaspee affair in Rhode Island. |
| Massachusetts informed that salaries of Governor and of all judges will now be paid directly from customs revenues. | |
| Boston established Committee of Correspondence. | |
| 1773 | Boston Tea Party |
| King gave special monopoly to East India Tea Company which eliminated local middle men in selling tea in American colonies. Most ports either confiscate tea or turn back ships carrying tea. Boston's protestors destroyed tea valued at 15,000 pounds sterling. Although costumes were minimal, none of the protestors were identified by local authorities for prosecution by the Crown. | |
| 1774 | Coercive Acts (called the Intolerable Acts by colonists.) |
| 1.) Boston Port Act closed the port of Boston until tea was paid
for. 2.) Act for Impartial Administration of Justice allowed Crown officials to send indicted colonials to England for trial. 3.) New Quartering Act allowed for quartering soldiers in private homes if colonial legislatures failed to provide adequate quarters. 4.) Massachusetts Government Act made all law enforcement officials appointive by the Crown. Relieved present Royal Governor of his office and appointed General Gage as Governor, which effectively put Massachusetts under military rule. | |
| Quebec Act | |
| 1.) Gave Ohio Valley to the colony of Quebec. 2.) Organized colonial government of Quebec without making provision for a colonial assembly. 3.) Recognized Catholic Church preeminence in French Canada. | |
| First Continental Congress | |
| Met in Philadelphia and represented all the British colonies of mainland North America, except for Georgia, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and the Floridas. Sent petition to King asking for relief from Parliament's intervention in the affairs of the King's overseas possessions. | |
| 1775 | Battles of Lexington & Concord in April |
| British attack after night march into Massachusetts countryside to confiscate a cache of armaments stockpiled by extralegal militia opposed to British rule. British won the two battles, but Americans attacked from ambush during the return march to Boston. 93 Americans killed and 250 British soldiers killed. After the battles, the militia units from all over Massachusetts (more than 10,000 men) converged on Boston and put the town under seige. | |
| Vermont militias captured British forts in upstate NY in May. | |
| Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia in
May 1.) Named Washington Commander in Chief of its army in June. 2.) Offered Olive Branch Petition in early July, begging an end to hostilities and reconciliation. 3.) King declared colonies to be in a state of rebellion in August, before he received Olive Branch Petition from Americans. | |
| Battle of Bunker Hill in June. | |
| Capture of Quebec city by Continentals, who held it from September to December. | |
| 1776 | Common Sense published in Philadelphia in January |
| Continental Navy raided British colonies in the Bahamas. | |
| British Army decided its tactical position was untenable and evacuated Boston on March 17. | |
| Independence declared after a month of debate by the Second Continental Congress on July 4th. |
| © Michael Gagnon |