In 1763, the French and the British ended the 7 year war. They split America along the Mississippi River. Britain, France, Spain and Portugal all signed the treaty of Paris, splitting the lands. This is how Britain got the land in North America in the first place.
The Stamp Act
In 1765, the British passed the Stamp Act. The British were in debt form the previous 7 year war, and needed money to pay it back. To fix this, they placed many taxes on the people. The Stamp Act made it where every paper published had to have a stamp, which costed money. The Americans, who used paper frequently, were greatly affected by this tax.
In 1766, the Stamp Act was repealed. All of the people in America were so upset by the Stamp Act, that the higher ranked citizens made the British repeal the act. The wealthy people were the most affected by the stamp act, which is why they were the ones that took action.
The Townshend Act
Once the Stamp Act failed, the British still needed a way to get money; so they passed the Townshend Act in 1767. They started taxing food, water, and other necessities. This decreased the people's freedom in America. Like the stamp act, the people of America were angered by this.
The Boston Massacre
In 1770, the Boston Massacre took place. Because of all the boycotts and protests happening from the Americans, the British eventually fought back. During a boycott, the British fought back and in the end there were only 4 deaths. It was a small 'battle', but it was a big step leading up to the revolution.
The Boston Tea Party
After the Boston Massacre, the Americans started taking more action. One example of this is the Boston Tea Party, which took place in 1773. Americans in Massachusetts dressed up as Native Americans and protested against the Tea Act by dumping crates of tea into the Boston Harbor. The tea was the only product left that was taxed, so this costed the British millions of dollars in modern day money.
1st Continental Congress
In 1774, the first Continental Congress was formed. It was made up of 12 British-American states. They would come together and talk about how unfair the taxes were and what they could do to solve the problem.
In 1775, the battles of Lexington and Concord took place. This was truly the beginning of the American Revolution. The British were trying to get supplies from Massachusetts, but before they could get them, they were spotted and taken down by the Americans.
Bunker Hill
In 1775, the battle of Bunker Hill was fought. This was one of the most important, and deadliest, battles during the American Revolution. It showed the British that they cannot beat the Americans in a direct assault. However, the British were the official winner, but were severely weakend.
The Declaration of Independence
In 1776, July 4th, the Declaration Independence was ratified. Written by Thomas Jefferson and ratified by the second Continental Congress. This ended their ties with Britain and officially formed the United States of America.
