News

The Semiquincentennial is already upon us. Not only do we celebrate our ancestors every day of every year (it’s our mission, after all), but for our ancestors, the Revolution began, in earnest, in 1775 with The Shot Heard Round the World (Lexington & Concord). As we begin to remember, recognize, and celebrate the dates and events that led up to the Revolutionary War and our ancestors’ brave call to action, our Society Historian, Dr. Edwin Sipler Hart, III, shares a few important dates that contribute to the history of this period.

1763

February 10 – The Treaty of Paris ends the French and Indian War. The English drive the French from North America, and the English national debt soars.
October 7 – Proclamation of 1763—King George III banned colonists from settling beyond the Appalachian Mountains

1764

April 5 – Sugar Act—Smugglers could be tried in Admiralty Courts, without the benefit of a jury

1765

March 22 – Stamp Act—Tax on paper goods and legal documents
March 24 – Quartering Act—Colonies must provide housing and food for British troops
March 29 – The Virginia House of Burgesses passes the Virginia Resolves, 7 resolutions that challenge the legality of the Stamp Act
October 7-25 – Stamp Act Congress meets in New York City to discuss the www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/american-revolution-timeline

1766

March 18 – Parliament repeals the Stamp Act and passes the Declaratory Act, which reiterates Parliament’s authority over the colonies

1768

February 11 – The Massachusetts Assembly issues the Massachusetts Circular Letter, denouncing the Townsend Acts
August 1 – Boston Non-Importation Agreement—Boston merchants agree not to import British goods or sell to Britain

1770

January 19 – Golden Hill Riot, NY
March 5 – Boston Massacre

1772

June 9 – Gaspée Affair—A British ship patrolling for smugglers runs aground in Rhode Island, and a local mob burns it; the mob is then accused of treason

1773

May 10 – Tea Act—An attempt by Parliament to undercut smugglers by reducing the price of tea to the colonies
December 16 – Boston Tea Party

1774

March 31 – Boston Port Act – Parliament closes the city’s port in response to the Tea Party.
May 20 – The Administration of Justice Act and the Massachusetts Government Act, two of the so-called Intolerable Acts, further angered colonists.
June 2 – The Quartering Act is amended
September 5–October 26 – First Continental Congress—Carpenter’s Hall, Philadelphia

1775

March 23 – Patrick Henry’s “Liberty or Death” speech, Richmond, VA
April 18 – Revere and Dawes Ride
April 19 – Battles of Lexington and Concord, MA
May 10 – Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys seize Fort Ticonderoga, and the Second Continental Congress meets
June 15 – George Washington appointed commander-in-chief
June 17 – Battle of Bunker Hill
July 3 – George Washington assumes command of the Army outside Boston
July 5 – Congress approves the Olive Branch Petition, a final attempt to avoid war with Britain
October 13 – The Continental Navy (U.S. Navy) is established

November 10 – The Continental Marines (U.S. Marine Corps) are founded