Timeline of the Revolution

Lead-in To War: 1763 to 1774

End of the Seven Years War

February 10, 1763
The Treaty of Paris ends the Seven Years War (French and Indian War). France surrenders all of its North
American possessions east of the Mississippi to Britain. This ends a source of insecurity for the British
colonists along the Atlantic Coast. The costs of the war and maintaining an army will lead the British
government to impose new taxes on its colonists, with world-shaking results.

Passage of the Stamp Act

March 22, 1765
Britain passes the Stamp Act, imposing a tax on legal documents, newspapers, even playing cards. This
is the first direct tax on the American colonists and is hotly resisted. A successful American campaign to
have the act repealed will give Americans confidence that they can avoid future taxes as well.

British Troops Occupy Boston

October 1768
British troops land in Boston to enforce the Townshend duties (taxes on paint, paper, tea, etc., passed in
June 1767) and clamp down on local radicals. The troops' presence doesn't sit well with locals and leads
to street fights. One clash between soldiers and a mob in March 1770 will leave five dead. Radicals will
call it the Boston Massacre, while the British will call it the incident on King Street.

Committees of Correspondence Established

Spring 1772
Committees of Correspondence are established throughout the colonies to coordinate American response
to British colonial policy. This represents an important move toward cooperation, mutual action, and the
development of a national identity among Americans.

Britain Tries to Intimidate Massachusetts

March to June, 1774
The British Parliament passes the Coercive Acts, often called the Intolerable Acts in America. Among
other actions, Britain closes the port of Boston and requires British troops to be housed in taverns and
vacant buildings. The acts generate considerable sympathy for Massachusetts among other colonies.
Independence Declared: 1775 to 1777

War Breaks Out

April 19, 1775
The first shots of the Revolutionary War are fired at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts. The news
of the bloodshed rockets along the eastern seaboard, and thousands of volunteers converge—called
"Minute Men"—on Cambridge, Mass. These are the beginnings of the Continental Army.
Britain Forms an Alliance with Patriot Slaves
November 1775
The British governor of Virginia, Lord Dunmore, issues a proclamation offering freedom to any slaves of
rebellious Americans who are able to enter British lines. Throughout the course of the war, tens of
thousands of African Americans will seek their freedom by supporting the British. A smaller number will
fight on the patriot (pro-independence) side, despite policies that discourage their enlistment

Battle of Bunker Hill: Americans Hold Their Own

June 17, 1775
In the first major action of the war, inexperienced colonial soldiers hold off hardened British veterans for
more than two hours at Breed's Hill. Although eventually forced to abandon their position, including the
high ground of Bunker Hill overlooking Boston, the patriots show that they are not intimidated by the long
lines of red-coated infantrymen. Of the 2,200 British seeing action, more than 1,000 end up dead or
wounded.

Moores Creek: Loyalists Defeated

February 27, 1776
A force of loyalists (Americans who want to remain British subjects), most of them of Scots descent, is
defeated by a patriot army at the Battle of Moores Creek Bridge. This setback will largely quiet loyalist
activity in the Carolinas for three years.

South Carolinians Repel British Attempt to Take Charleston

June 28, 1776
A British invasion force mounts an all-day attack on a patriot force on Sullivan’s Island. The invaders are
unable to land their troops on the island, and the tricky waters of Charleston Harbor frustrate the British
navy. The fleet retires in defeat, and South Carolina will remain untouched by the enemy for three more
years.

America Declares Its Independence

July 1776
The Declaration of Independence is adopted by the Second Continental Congress. Following a decade of
agitation over taxes and a year of war, representatives make the break with Britain. King George III isn't
willing to let his subjects go without a fight, and loyalist sentiment remains strong in many areas.
Americans' primary allegiance is to their states; nationalism will grow slowly.

George Washington Crosses the Delaware River

December 1776 to January 1777
In a bold move, Washington moves his troops into New Jersey on Christmas night. The patriots then
surprise a force of German troops fighting for Britain at Trenton on December 26. They achieve a similar
victory over British troops at Princeton on January 3, reviving hopes that the war just might be winnable.
The army then encamps for the winter at Morristown, New Jersey.

War in the North: 1777 to 1778

Campaign of 1777 & Battle of Saratoga: Britsh Setback
August 1777
American Fort Schuyler (Stanwix) survives a three week long siege forcing allied British forces under
Barry St. Leger to retreat. Their goal of securing the Mohawk Valley for General Burgoyne fails. American
Colonel Peter Gansevoort and the fort's garrison are commended by the Continental Congress for their
efforts.

October 17, 1777

General John Burgoyne's attempt to separate the rebellious New England colonies from those farther
south ends in a spectacular failure. The surrender of 6,000 British regulars at Saratoga will shock London
and help induce France to enter the war on the American side.

Winter of Change for the Continental Army

December 1777
With the British occupying Philadelphia just 20 miles away, the Continental Army enters winter quarters at
Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. During the winter, supply arrangements will be improved and the Continental
troops will be drilled and emerge as a more disciplined, unified fighting force.

France Enters the War Against Britain

February 1778
As a result of the patriot victory at Saratoga and American diplomatic efforts, France allies itself with the
new American government. French financial and military aid will prove critical in winning the war. The
Continental Army will learn of the French Alliance in May.

George Rogers Clark Attacks the British in Ohio Country

May to December, 1778
With barely 150 men, Virginian George Rogers Clark captures several British posts in the Ohio Territory
(present-day Illinois and Indiana) and convinces French-speaking inhabitants of Kaskaskia and Cahokia
to support the patriot side. Although Indians will continue to oppose white settlement for three decades,
Clark's exploits pave the way for the expansion of the U.S. north of the Ohio River.

Southern Campaigns: 1779 to 1781

Charleston Falls to the British

May 12, 1780
The British take Charleston, S.C., capture a large patriot army, and deal the rebels one of their worst
defeats of the war. The Charleston move is part of a broader British strategy to hang on to the southern
colonies, at least, now that the war is stalemated in Pennsylvania and New York.

Kings Mountain Victory Revives Patriot Hopes

October 7, 1780
Patriot militia from the Carolinas, Virginia, and present-day Tennessee surround and defeat a force of
loyalists under Major Patrick Ferguson at Kings Mountain, S.C. Indicating the deep divisions within
America, Ferguson is the only British soldier on the field-Kings Mountain is truly a battle among
Americans about their future.

Battle of Cowpens: American Tide Continues

January 17, 1781
Continental soldiers and patriot militia under General Daniel Morgan defeat a British force under Banastre
Tarleton at Cowpens. Coming on the heels of the victory at Kings Mountain, Cowpens helps convince
worried patriots that the British southern strategy can be countered.

Guilford Courthouse: Costly British Victory

March 15, 1781
British troops win a costly victory over Continentals and militia at Guilford Courthouse, N.C. The battle is
part of General Nathanael Greene's strategy of engaging the British on ground of his choosing. Without
winning a single clear-cut victory, he will succeed in wearing down the British army through hit-and-run
tactics and set-piece battles.

Ninety-Six: Longest Siege of the War

May to June, 1781
The isolated British garrison at Ninety Six is laid siege to by patriot forces under Gen. Nathanael Greene.
The approach of a British relief column leads Greene to make a final, unsuccessful assault on the fort on
June 18. The events at Ninety Six underline the fact that Britain has too few troops to hold the southern
hinterlands.

Yorktown: Large British Army Surrenders

September to October, 1781
A joint French and American force traps a large British army on Virginia's Yorktown peninsula. Unable to
evacuate or receive reinforcements because a French fleet has driven off a British fleet, General
Cornwallis is forced to surrender. Although New York City and Charleston, S.C., will remain in British
hands until a peace treaty is signed two years later, the war for American independence is essentially
over.

Aftermath: 1782 to 1787

Loyalists Leave America

January 1782
The evacuation of loyalists begins. Largely unwelcome in the new United States, about 100,000
Americans who remained loyal to the crown find new lives in Britain, Canada, and British colonies in the
West Indies. Among them are about 15,000 African Americans, some of whom end up helping to found
the country of Sierra Leone in Africa. The loyalist experience will have a profound effect on the
development of Canada's national identity.

Treaty of Paris Officially Ends the War

September 3, 1783
The Treaty of Paris ratifies the independence of the 13 North American states. Canada remains a British
province, beginning its separate development as a U.S. neighbor. Another war with England (1812 -
1815) will be necessary to truly secure the American nation.

American Victory Pushes Indians Farther West

October 1784
The Treaty of Fort Stanwix imposes a peace on those members of the Iroquois Confederacy that sided
with the British in the Revolution. The war's aftermath will prove devastating to Native Americans. With no
European allies to rely upon, Indian tribes will be under increasing pressure from settlers moving west out
of the original 13 states.

U.S. Constitution Replaces Articles of Confederation

1787
A convention of states in Philadelphia proposes the Constitution to replace the much looser central
government operating under the Articles of Confederation (adopted in 1777). With amendments, the
Constitution remains the framework of government in the U.S.

https://www.nps.gov/subjects/americanrevolution/timeline.htm