Key Events Leading to the American Revolutionary War

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French and Indian War (1763)

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War between France and Great Britain. France lost, so England gained territory up to the Mississippi River. However, it was a costly war.

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Sugar Act (1764)

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Tax on sugar and molasses.

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Stamp Act (1765)

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Tax on printed goods.

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Townshend Acts (1767)

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Tax on goods like tea, glass, and paper.

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Boston Massacre (1770)

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Event where British redcoats fired upon colonists. Five people died.

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Tea Act (1773)

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A law that allowed the British East India Company to sell tea directly to the colonies, taking profits away from colonial merchants.

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Boston Tea Party (1773)

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A protest in which the Sons of Liberty threw 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor.

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Intolerable/Coercive Acts (1774)

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A series of laws that punished Boston for the Boston Tea Party, including closing Boston Harbor for trade and limiting local government.

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Quartering Act (1774)

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One of the Intolerable Acts. Made Boston colonists house and supply British soldiers, sometimes in their own homes.

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Battles of Lexington and Concord

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First battles of the American Revolutionary War.