Characters
Anne
Kennel
Kennel
John
Kennel
Kennel
Spaniel
Adams
Adams
Samuel
Adams
Adams
Paul
Ruffere
Ruffere
Paul
Revere
Revere
The
Governor
Governor
Thomas
Hutchinson
Hutchinson
Royal
Tomcat
Tomcat
King
George III
George III
Pups
of Liberty
of Liberty
Sons
of Liberty
of Liberty
Timeline: The Road to Revolution
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March 1765—The Stamp Act
The British Parliament created the Stamp Act, which placed a tax on all printed materials including newspapers, to help pay the cost of maintaining soldiers in the colonies. -
August 1765—Formation of the Sons of Liberty
The Sons of Liberty was organized in 1765 in Boston and New York to resist and undermine British rule in the American colonies. Samuel Adams was among the leaders of this group whose motto was 'No taxation without representation.' -
March 1770—The Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre took place when a group of colonists began a demonstration outside the Old State House in Boston. After the colonists taunted and threw snowballs at the British Troops stationed there, the troops opened fire, killing 5 colonists. The story of this incident was promoted by the American patriots to gain support for their cause against the British. -
May 1773—The Tea Act
On May 10th, the Tea Act was passed by the British Parliament as a way to help the struggling East India Company. While it created no new taxes, the act was a way to force colonists to buy tea that was already taxed from the East India Company. -
December 1773—The Boston Tea Party
As ships sat in Boston Harbor full of East India Company tea, the Sons of Liberty organized a group of at least 100 colonists to dress as Native Americans, board the ships, and throw 340 chests of tea into the harbor. The cost of the tea at the time was nearly 10,000 British pounds, more than $1 million in today's money. -
April 1774—The Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts)
As a result of the Boston Tea Party, the British Parliament passed a series of laws aimed at controlling the rebellious colonists. Some of the provisions of these laws included closing of the port of Boston, moving colonial trials to Great Britain, and allowing British soldiers to take up quarters in private buildings. Many colonists were outraged by these new laws and thus called them 'intolerable'. -
September 1774—The First Continental Congress
In response to the Coercive Acts, 12 colonies sent delegates to Philadelphia to decide their course of action. Results of the Congress included a boycott of British goods and a formal statement declaring the colonists' rights in relation to the King and Parliament. -
April 1776—Lexington & Concord
As tensions rose between the colonists and the British government, the newly-appointed governor of Massachusetts, Thomas Gage, sent British troops from Boston to Lexington and Concord to confiscate weapons stores held by the colonists. Being alerted in advance by Paul Revere and others, the colonial militia, known as Minutemen, engaged the British soldiers. This is considered the first battle of the American Revolution.