The Stamp Act (March 22, 1765) - Britain imposed a new and major policy in the colonies. They started taxing for all printed resources the colonies were buying from them. Furthermore, all colonists had to have a stamp on every taxed item they bought to prove they had paid the tax. This law is known as The Stamp Act.
The Boston Massacre (March 5, 1770 ) - In 1765 an association of protesters came together in Boston called the Sons of Liberty, and they eventually spread to all of the colonies. In 1770, a large protest between the colonists and British soldiers got out of hand and five colonists were shot by the British. Today it is called the Boston Massacre.
The Boston Tea Party (Dec. 16, 1773) - Several colonists, in further revolt to the taxes, dressed as Native Americans, boarded three trade ships in Boston Harbor full of taxed tea and threw all the contents into the ocean. Today this instance is known as the Boston Tea Party.
The First Continental Congress (Sept. 1774) - A delegate from every colony except Georgia met in Philadelphia and wrote a civilized letter to King George III explaining their problem with Britain’s controlling ways, insisting the King stop the intolerable acts. They threatened to resume their boycott of taxed products again and planned to meet again a year later if Britain did not grant their wishes.
The Second Continental Congress (1775) - The King intentionally did not respond to their letter, so the Second Continental Congress (lead by John Hancock) started meeting in 1775 as planned. They continued to meet until 1781 when the Articles of the Confederation were agreed upon. Some other things they accomplished during those years were assembling an army to fight the war Britain declared (The Continental Army), sending The Olive Branch Petition to the King (an attempt to avoid war), they created the Declaration Of Independence (declaring the colonies’ independence from Britain), chose a national flag and created a government.
Paul Revere's Ride (April 18, 1775) - At this time the British were in Boston, so many thought that they were going to attack the colonies. Paul Revere and several other riders were to be ready to ride back and warn the town of Lexington if the British advanced. On the 17th/18th the British advanced towards Lexington and Revere was the first to make it back. Legends say he called out the famous line “The British Are Coming!”, but in reality he was trying to be as quiet as possible.
The Declaration of Independence is Adopted (July 4, 1776) - The Continental Congress chose five people to write a document explaining why they were declaring their independence. They called themselves the Committee Of Five. (Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Robert Livingston, Roger Sherman, and Thomas Jefferson). Thomas Jefferson wrote the document, and after some revisions it was voted on, approved, and sent to the King of England.
Battle of Yorktown (Oct. 19, 1781) - The American troops had surrounded and outnumbered the British troops. They fought for eleven days straight before Britain surrendered. The British leader had had many requests for his retreat that George Washington (The American Leader) did not agree with, so eventually when the American troops began preparing for their next battle the British leader finally agreed with Washington.
Treaty of Paris (Sept. 3, 1783) - The Treaty Of Paris was the document that officially ended the revolution, and although it was signed on September 3, 1783, the King of England did not approve it until April 9th, 1784. The treaty was debated in Paris, which is where it’s name comes from. Three Americans (John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay) and one British (David Hartley) debated the treaty.