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Pre-Revolutionary Timeline
Great Britain became the
most powerful nation in the
world.
Pontiac forced to sign peace
treaty with British in 1766.
King George III forbade
colonists from moving into
the Ohio Valley to keep the
peace between colonists and
Native Americans.
In an effort to stop smuggling
the British allowed the use of
open warrants and relocated
trials for smuggling to military
courts.
The British lowered the tax
on sugar, hoping it would
stop smuggling. Also allowed
British officers to seize goods
from suspected smugglers
without going to court.
1763
Treaty of Paris
France lost the all land in
North America.
1763
Pontiac’s Rebellion
Chief Pontiac’s War in the
Ohio Valley killed settlers
and took British forts.
1763
Proclamation
of 1763
1763-67
Writs of Assistance
1764
Sugar Act
Rebel colonists opposed the
Proclamation because they
saw an opportunity for cheap
land and some speculators
had already bought land to
resell. Loyalists believed that
after so many years of war
the Proclamation would
provide an opportunity for
peace in North America
The rebels considered the
use of these writs an
invasion of privacy. Loyalists
believed they were
necessary to end smuggling.
The rebels believed that that
the enforcement parts of the
law violated their rights as
Englishmen including
privacy, jury trials, and the
presumption of innocence,
and representation.
With a huge debt left over
from the French & Indian
War, England imposed taxes
on virtually all printed
materials including
newspapers, pamphlets,
wills, playing cards, etc.
England repealed the Stamp
Act due to the loss of
business by the English
merchants, but passed the
Declaratory Act in order to
inform the colonists that
Parliament and the King had
authority over them in all
matters.
The British avoided the direct
tax route by passing an
import tax on key items the
colonists had to import, like
glass, tea, paper, and lead.
By taxing these items at the
port, before made available
to colonist in stores, they
believed they could avoid the
protests caused by the
Stamp Act
1765
The Stamp Act
1766
Declaratory Act
1767
Townshend Acts
Rebels were opposed to
the law on the grounds
that this direct tax was
illegal since the colonists
were not represented in
Parliament and England
had not consulted colonial
legislatures. Loyalists
argued that the colonies
had benefited from the
defeat of the French and
should pay for some of the
costs.
Rebels opposed any law
passed without their
representation. Loyalists
argued that only
Parliament and the King
could determine the needs
of the entire empire and,
therefore, had to have the
necessary authority.
By now the rebels were
opposed to any taxes.
They organized boycotts,
including women who now
organized the Daughters
of Liberty. Loyalists
believed that this import
tariff was a reasonable
alternative to the direct
taxes imposed under the
Stamp Act.
John Hancock’s ship, the
Liberty, was seized by British
customs officials and he was
accused of smuggling wine.
He was put on trial in the
vice-admiralty court, a
military court. All charges
were later dropped, although
the British kept the ship and
its cargo.
Beginning in 1768 England
sent two regiments, 4,000
men, to Boston equaling a ¼
of the civilian population, to
maintain order. About 60
protestors began harassing
the soldiers. Someone rang
a church bell, usually a signal
of a fire, bringing hundreds
more colonists to King Street.
Five civilians were killed
leading to nine soldiers plus
their commander, Capt.
Thomas Preston, being put
on trial.
For the next two years things
calmed down and the British
began to feel that maybe
they were past the crisis
caused by the Boston
Massacre.
1768
The Liberty Affair
March 5, 1770
The Boston
Massacre
1772
Committees of
Correspondence
Boston’s rebel colonists
protested against the
charges. John Adams
defended Hancock
successfully despite
believing that his client
was guilty. Loyalists
believed that Hancock
should have been found
guilty.
Rebel leaders Sam
Adams and Paul Revere
use propaganda to rally
colonists against the
presence of British troops
in Boston. Loyalists
argued that the soldiers’
lives were in imminent
danger and had no choice
but to defend themselves.
Sam Adams, rebel leader
of the Sons of Liberty,
started the Committees in
Boston to spread the word
around the colonies of
colonial grievances
against England. Soon
there were committees
throughout the colonies.
Loyalists believed that
Adams was trying to make
trouble when there was no
cause or need.
The British passed this law in
an attempt to save the British
East India Company (BEIC)
from bankruptcy and reduce
smuggling. They removed
most of the taxes and
allowed the BEIC sell directly
to shop keepers, making the
British tea much cheaper
than tea imported by colonial
smugglers.
The bold actions by the rebel
colonists surprised the British
authorities. They
immediately wanted to arrest
those responsible so they
could punish them and force
them to pay for the damages.
When word got back to
England about the dumping
of all the tea, they saw this
action as much more than
protest. They saw it as an
active of defiance that had to
be punished. King George III
said, “We must master them
or totally leave them alone.”
These laws were to punish
Boston and Massachusetts
until those responsible were
arrested and made to pay for
the tea.
1773
The Tea Act
December 16, 1773
The Boston Tea
Party
1774
The Coercive Acts
The Patriots believed that
by giving the BEIC a
monopoly England was
denying colonists their
economic freedom.
Colonial sea captains,
sailors and merchants lost
their incomes due to the
law. Loyalists believed
that the Tea Act served
the majority of colonists by
legally providing cheaper
tea for everyone and that
that those opposed were
just being greedy.
The Sons of Liberty
dumped 432 chests of tea
from three British ships
into Boston Harbor. They
dressed as Mohawk
Indians and acted on a
prearranged signal from
Sam Adams at a town
meeting. Loyalists wanted
the guilty ones punished
for destroying so much
private property.
These laws were referred
to as the Intolerable Acts
by the Rebels because it
allowed British soldiers to
be quartered in their
houses. It closed the Port
of Boston and cut off its
citizens from making a
living. Loyalists argued
that if those responsible
would step forward those
restrictions would be lifted.
The British government was
not in any mood to consider
any concessions to the
colonists. It is said that King
George never even read the
petition. As far as England
was concerned the colonies
were already in rebellion and
the only answer to these acts
of treason was to send more
troops and forcibly end the
revolt. By April 1775 British
General Sir Thomas Gage
had several thousand troops
in Boston with thousands
more soon to arrive. Gage
was instructed to disarm the
rebel militias and arrest their
leaders.
Late on the night of April 18,
1775, 700 British soldiers
marched out of Boston
toward Lexington to arrest
Sam Adams and John
Hancock and to take
weapons away from Rebel
militiamen in Concord. Early
the next morning on
Lexington Green, they faced
70 minutemen, killing eight of
them. They proceeded to
Concord and were met at
North Bridge by militiamen
that forced them into 20-mile
retreat back to Boston.
Constantly harassed by the
militiamen, 73 British soldiers
were killed and another 174
were wounded on the return
route.
September 5, 1774
Continental
Congress
April 18-19, 1775
Battles of Lexington
& Concord
55 men from 12 colonies
met to challenge the
Coercive Acts. John
Gallaway, a loyalist,
introduced a “Plan of
Union” that would create a
colonial legislature to
approve laws passed by
Parliament. The Plan was
voted down. The rebels,
led by Patrick Henry, Sam
Adams and Paul Revere
got the Congress to
approve a boycott of
British goods and
permission for each
colony to form. The
Loyalists did succeed in
getting approval to send a
politely worded petition to
the King, the Declaration
of Rights and Grievances.
Rebel spies in Boston
looked for any signs of
British troop movement.
When British troops were
seen leaving the city, Dr
Joseph Warren got word
to Paul Revere and
William Dawes that “the
regulars are out.” Revere
and Dawes raced to
Lexington to warn Sam
Adams and John
Hancock. In this first
battle of the Revolutionary
War eight militiamen
(minutemen) were killed.
The British were defeated in
a surprise attack by Rebel
militias at Fort Ticonderoga
in northern New York next to
Lake Champlain. The
cannons captured by the
Rebels would be transported
to the hills outside of Boston
On June 16, 1775 the British
decided that it was time to
drive the rebels off the hills
overlooking Boston. The
British sent 2400 troops
against 1200 militiamen in
the Battle of Bunker Hill
(actually Breed’s Hill). It took
three charges up the hill to
finally drive the Rebels from
the heights that overlooked
Boston, but it cost almost
half, 1150, of their men,
either killed or wounded.
Having sustained such great
losses, the British decided to
later abandon the position.
King George III refused to
even acknowledge the arrival
of the “Olive Branch Petition”
from the Second Continental
Congress in Philadelphia.
Instead, he hired 30,000
German mercenaries to help
force the Rebels into
submission.
I maintain my allegiance to
the King. I am a Loyalist!!!
May 10, 1775
Battle of
Ticonderoga
June 16, 1775
Battle of Bunker Hill
May 10, 1775
The Second
Continental
Congress
June 7, 1776
Richard Henry Lee
introduces a
Resolution for
Independence
Captain Benedict Arnold
of Connecticut joined
forces with Ethan Allan’s
Green Mountain Boys of
Vermont and defeated the
British, gaining valuable
cannons and supplies.
The Rebel militia under
the command of William
Prescott, greatly
outnumbered and with
little ammunition, awaited
the British. Prescott
ordered his troops, “Don’t
fire until you see the
whites of their eyes.”
In the end the Americans
had to withdraw from
Breed’s Hill leaving the
British with a very
expensive victory.
Americans suffered 450
casualties.
As planned,
representatives of the
colonies met once again
in Philadelphia.
Reconciliation was still on
some of the delegates’
minds and they sent the
“Olive Branch Petition” to
King George. George
Washington of Virginia
was named Commander
of the newly created
Continental Army.
I am in favor of this
resolution to form a new
nation. I am, therefore, a
Rebel!!!