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Timeline for American Revolution
1706
(01/17)  Benjamin Franklin is born in Boston, the tenth son of a soap maker, Josiah Franklin, and his second wife, Abiah Folger. (Digital History ID 1854)
1714
  Tea is introduced in the colonies by the English.
Learn more... (Digital History ID 347)
1722
(02/05)  John Witherspoon, a signer of Declaration of Independence, is born near Edinburgh, Scotland. Witherspoon's father was a minister of the parish and a descendant of John Knox, the leader of the Protestant reformation. (Digital History ID 1873)
(02/24)  British General John Burgoyne is born in Bedfordshire, England, the son of a former British captain. (Digital History ID 1892)
(09/27)  Samuel Adams is born in Boston, Massachusetts. His father, Samuel Adams, Sr., a successful merchant, owns a brewery. His mother, Mary, a devout Puritan, gives birth to eleven children, but only three survive to adulthood. (Digital History ID 2124)
1728
(08/28)  John Stark, an American general in the Revolutionary War, is born in New Hampshire. He is the second son of a Scottish immigrant. (Digital History ID 2091)
1729
(11/21)  Josiah Bartlett, signer of Declaration of Independence who represented New Hampshire, is born in Amesbury, Massachusetts to Stephen and Hannah-Mary Bartlett. He is their fifth child and fourth son. (Digital History ID 2184)
1731
(06/21)  Martha Dandridge Custis Washington is born. She is the eldest daughter of Virginia planter John Dandridge, who immigrated from England and Frances Jones of English, Welsh and French descent. (Digital History ID 2019)
1732
(02/22)  George Washington is born at his father's plantation on Pope's Creek in Westmoreland County, Virginia. His father, Augustine Washington, a leading planter in the area, serves as a justice of the county court. His mother, Mary Ball, is Augustine's second wife and the mother of six children. (Digital History ID 1890)
1734
(01/20)  Robert Morris, signer of the Declaration of Independence who represented Pennsylvania, is born to Robert Morris Sr. and Elizabeth Murphet in Liverpool, England. (Digital History ID 1868)
(11/02)  Daniel Boone is born near Reading, Pennsylvania, the sixth of eleven children born to Squire Boone, a farmer and land speculator, and Sarah Morgan. (Digital History ID 1879)
1735
(10/31)  John Adams, American politician and political philosopher and the second President of the United States (1797–1801),is born in Quincy, Massachusetts, to John Adams, Sr., and Susanna Boylston Adams. He is the eldest of the three sons. (Digital History ID 2163)
1736
(01/29)  Thomas Paine, author, pamphleteer, radical, inventor, intellectual, revolutionary, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, is born to Joseph Pain (or Paine), a Quaker, and Frances (née Cocke), an Anglican, in Thetford, an important market town and coach stage-post, in rural Norfolk, England. (Digital History ID 1866)
(05/29)  Patrick Henry, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, is born. His father is John Henry, an immigrant from Aberdeenshire, Scotland. His mother is Sarah Winston Syme,from a family of English ancestry. (Digital History ID 1991)
1737
(01/12)  John Hancock, a merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot of the American Revolution, is born in Braintree, Massachusetts. He is the son of the Reverend John Hancock of Braintree and Mary Hawke Thaxter, who is from nearby Hingham. (Digital History ID 1849)
(12/31)  b. Charles Cornwallis (Digital History ID 2226)
1738
(06/16)  Mary Katherine Goddard, first American woman to publish a newspaper (Baltimore Journal), is born in Connecticut. She was the daughter of Dr. Giles Goddard and Sarah Updike Goddard. Her father was the postmaster of New London. (Digital History ID 2013)
1743
(04/13)  Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States (1801–1809) and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776), is born. His father is Peter Jefferson, a planter and surveyor in Albemarle County (Shadwell, then Edge Hill, Virginia)and his mother is Jane Randolph, of wealthy English and Scottish gentry. (Digital History ID 1942)
1744
(07/17)  Elbridge Gerry, signer of Declaration of Independence who represented Massachusetts, is born in Marblehead, Massachusetts.He is one of three men who refused to sign the Constitution because it did not then include a Bill of Rights. (Digital History ID 2187)
(07/17)  Elbridge Gerry, American statesman and diplomat, signer of Declaration, the fifth Vice President of the United States, serving under James Madison, is born in Marblehead, Massachusetts. (Digital History ID 2048)
(11/23)  Abigail Adams, wife of John Adams, the second president of the United States, is born in Weymouth, Massachusetts, the daughter of a Congregationalist minister. (Digital History ID 2186)
1746
(07/28)  Thomas Heyward, Jr., signer of Declaration, is born in St.Luke Parish, South Carolina. His father is Colonel Daniel Heyward, a planter of great wealth. (Digital History ID 2060)
(10/22)  Esther Reed, nee Esther DeBerdt, American Patriot, is born in England. Her father, Dennis De Berdt, was a British merchant, largely interested in colonial trade. She got married to Joseph Reed of New Jersey in 1770 and settled in Philadelphia later in the same year. (Digital History ID 2153)
1750
(07/25)  Henry Knox, the first United States Secretary of War, is born on Long Lane in Boston to parents of Scots-Irish origin, William Knox and Mary (née Campbell). (Digital History ID 2056)
1751
(03/16)  James Madison born in Port Conway, Virginia. He was born to a life of privilege, the eldest son of the wealthiest landowner in the county. (Digital History ID 1914)
1754
(05/09)  The first American political cartoon - Join, or Die - is printed in The Pennsylvania Gazette. Designed by Benjamin Franklin, it shows the colonies as parts of a snake, and called on the colonists to join together to counteract French pressure along the colony’s western frontier. (Digital History ID 576)
(06/19)  Albany Convention meets to consider relations with Iroquois. (Digital History ID 2016)
(10/13)  Mary McCauley, aka Molly Pitcher, born. She became an American heroine of the battlefield. (Digital History ID 2143)
1755
(01/11)  b. Alexander Hamilton (Digital History ID 1848)
1756
(05/15)  This war, which is started in 1754, erupts into a world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War. (Digital History ID 1976)
1757
(11/22)  Tensions heighten when British capture a French frigate. (Digital History ID 2185)
1759
  Cherokee War between Cherokee Nation and the British begins. The British and the Cherokee were formally allies at the start of the war, but each party repeatedly suspected the other of betrayal. Tensions between British-American settlers and the Cherokee increased during the 1750s.
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1760
(10/25)  Death of George II, accession of George III. (Digital History ID 2156)
1761
(01/27)  Thomas Hutchinson named Chief Justice of MA. (Digital History ID 1864)
(03/14)  George Washington inherits Mount Vernon when his sister-in-law, the wife of his elder half-brother Lawrence Washington dies. (Digital History ID 694)
(12/02)  British begin policy of search without warrant in Boston. (Digital History ID 2196)
1763
  English astronomers Mason and Dixon survey boundary to settle colonial dispute. The Mason-Dixon Line forms a demarcation line among four U.S. states, forming part of the borders of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and West Virginia (then part of Virginia). (Digital History ID 326)
  The British issue Proclamation of 1763. The purpose of the proclamation was to organize Great Britain's new North American empire and to stabilize relations with Native North Americans through regulation of trade, settlement, and land purchases on the western frontier. The proclamation forbids settlement west of Appalachian Mountains to prevent Indian conflicts.
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(02/10)  France cedes territories east of Mississippi River to Britain. (Digital History ID 1878)
(10/07)  Britain issues the Proclamation of 1763, forbidding migration west of the Appalachian Mountains to prevent Indian conflicts. (Digital History ID 937)
(12/01)  In a lawsuit against Anglican clergy, Patrick Henry calls King George a "Tyrant." Henry delivered an impassioned speech that denounced clerics who challenged Virginia's laws as "enemies of the community" and any king (King George III) who annulled good laws like the Two Penny Act as a "tyrant" who "forfeits all right to his subject's obedience". (Digital History ID 2195)
1764
  Sugar Act is passed by the Parliament of Great Britain. The Parliament passes Sugar Act to provide revenue for the debt accumulated in the French and Indian war. The Sugar Act reduced the original tax of sixpence per gallon for molasses, but instead of ignoring violations, the government fully intended to collect the three-pence duty. The list of taxable items was expanded far beyond sugar — specified wines and cloth, coffee, tropical foods and silk were now subject to importation duties. American exports, notably iron and lumber, were subjected to close supervision; shippers were required to complete a cumbersome bonding procedure before loading their cargoes.
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(04/05)  Parliament passes Sugar Act to provide revenue for the debt accumulated in the French and Indian war. The Sugar Act reduced the original tax of sixpence per gallon for molasses, but instead of ignoring violations, the government fully intended to collect the three-pence duty. The list of taxable items was expanded far beyond sugar — specified wines and cloth, coffee, tropical foods and silk were now subject to importation duties. American exports, notably iron and lumber, were subjected to close supervision; shippers were required to complete a cumbersome bonding procedure before loading their cargoes. Read the Sugar Act. (Digital History ID 1934)
(06/13)  MA House establishes first Committee of Correspondence. (Digital History ID 2009)
(09/01)  Crown authorizes Currency Act, forbidding colonies to issue their own currency.
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1765
  The Quartering Act is passed and requires that the American colonies provide barracks and provisions for British troops.
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  First medical school in the colonies is established in Philadelphia. It was located at the College of Philadelphia, as the University was then called. (Digital History ID 223)
  Representatives from nine of the thirteen colonies convene in the Stamp Act Congress. The Stamp Act Congress was a meeting on October 19, 1765 in New York City of representatives from among the Thirteen Colonies. They discussed and acted upon the Stamp Act recently passed by the governing Parliament of Great Britain overseas, which did not include any representatives from the colonies.
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(03/22)  Britain enacted the Stamp Act to help pay for maintaining British armies in America. (The Act was repealed the following year.) Read the Stamp Act. (Digital History ID 814)
(03/24)  The Quartering Act is passed and requires that the American colonies provide barracks and provisions for British troops. Read the Quartering Act. (Digital History ID 821)
(05/29)  The Sons of Liberty is found. This is a political group made up of American patriots that originated in the pre-independence North American British colonies. The group is designed to incite change in the British government's treatment of the Colonies in the years following the end of the French and Indian War founded. (Digital History ID 1992)
(05/30)  House of Burgesses passes Virginia Resolves. (Digital History ID 1993)
(08/09)  Franklin, still a loyal British subject, writes, "Loyalty to the Crown will always be the wisest Course." (Digital History ID 2072)
(08/14)  Bostonians hang Stamp Collector Andrew Oliver in effigy from Boston's Liberty Tree in a protest against his administering the unpopular Stamp Act in Massachusetts. (Digital History ID 2077)
(08/26)  Sons of Liberty attack British officials' homes in MA. (Digital History ID 2089)
(10/07)  Royal Proclamation forbids settlements west of Alleghenies. (Digital History ID 2137)
(10/07)  The Stamp Act Congress opens, when delegates from nine colonies meet in New York. The Congress will issue a Declaration of Rights and Grievances denouncing taxation without representation. (Digital History ID 938)
(11/01)  Samuel Adams, an American statesman, political philosopher, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, is elected to MA House of Representatives. (Digital History ID 2164)
1766
(01/02)  The Royal Governor of Georgia, James Wright, carrying a single-shot muzzle-loaded pistol, turns back the Sons of Liberty at the gate of the Governor's mansion. They had come to the mansion to protest the Stamp Act. (Digital History ID 1884)
(02/13)  Benjamin Franklin appears before the House of Commons in London, where he is examined by members. It is noted that "His arguments and sympathetic temper of the majority [in favor of the repeal of the Stamp Act] won the day." The Stamp Act was repealed on March 8. Read his testimony in the House of Commons. (Digital History ID 1881)
(03/18)  The Stamp Act is repealed, but the Declaratory Act passes, making Parliament's laws binding "in all cases whatsoever." (Digital History ID 1916)
(07/10)  Olaudah Equiano, abolitionist and author, buys his freedom in Philadelphia. (Digital History ID 2040)
1767
  Townshend Duties or Acts, passed by the Parliament of Great Britain relating to the British colonies in North America, impose import taxes on glass, lead, paint, paper, silk, and tea shipped to America. Colonists bitterly protest the Acts, which are repealed in 1770.
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(06/29)  The British Parliament approves the Townshend Act, which imposed import duties on glass, lead, paints, paper, and tea shipped to America. Colonists bitterly protested the Acts, which are repealed in 1770.
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1768
(04/21)  British administrators in colonies dissolve American assemblies. (Digital History ID 1950)
(07/18)  Boston Gazette publishes "The Liberty Song," an American Revolutionary War song composed by patriot John Dickinson. (Digital History ID 2049)
(10/01)  Arrival of British troops to restore order in Boston. (Digital History ID 2129)
1769
(08/01)  Thomas Hutchinson, a prominent Loyalist in the years before the American Revolution, becomes Governor of MA. (Digital History ID 2064)
(11/26)  Charles Thomson, a significant figure in local politics during the 1765 Stamp Act crisis, writes as a member of the Philadelphia Merchants' Committee that the "colonies see that their property is precarious & their liberty insecure." (Digital History ID 2190)
1770
  After discovering that the Townshend Acts have raised only 21,000 pound sterling (while sales of British goods in the colonies have fallen more than 700,000 pounds), the British government repealed all the Townshend duties, except the duty on tea, to remind the colonists of Parliament's power to tax.
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(01/19)  Battle of Golden Hill between soldiers and civilians of New York City occurs. Along with the Boston Massacre and the Gaspée Affair, the event was one of the early violent incidents in what would become the American Revolution. (Digital History ID 1856)
(02/08)  Alexander McDougall the leader of the Sons of Liberty, is imprisoned in New York for printing subversive flyers. He refuses to post bail and spends several months in jail without being convicted of a crime. (Digital History ID 1876)
(03/05)  The Boston Massacre takes place as British soldiers who had been taunted by a crowd of colonists, fire a musket volley into the crowd, killing five people. Read an account of the Boston Massacre. (Digital History ID 617)
(04/12)  After discovering that the Townshend Acts have raised only 21,000 pound sterling (while sales of British goods in the colonies have fallen more than 700,000 pounds), the British government repealed all the Townshend duties, except the duty on tea, to remind the colonists of Parliament's power to tax. (Digital History ID 1941)
(11/27)  The Boston Massacre trials begin. This is the trial of the British soldiers who are involved in the massacre of Bostonnians, leading to the death of five civilians on March 5, 1770. (Digital History ID 2191)
(12/04)  Six British soldiers are acquitted of the Boston Massacre violence; two are found guilty of manslaughter. (Digital History ID 2198)
(12/30)  Benjamin Franklin writes: "It should not be expected of me, to change my Political Opinion every time his Majesty thought fit to change his Ministers." (Digital History ID 2225)
1771
  Artist Benjamin West, an Anglo-American painter of historical scenes around and after the time of the American War of Independence, paints 'Death of Wolfe, Penn's Treaty with the Indians.' The picture depicts the final moments of British General Wolfe during the Battle of Quebec. (Digital History ID 216)
1772
  Rhode Islanders burn the British naval vessel, the Gaspee. HMS Gaspée, a British revenue schooner that had been enforcing unpopular trade regulations. While chasing a packet boat, the ship runs aground in Rhode Islands and is attacked and burned by American patriots. (Digital History ID 215)
(06/09)  Gaspee Incident: Royal Navy Schooner burned by Rhode Islanders. (Digital History ID 2004)
(08/20)  Royal Commission established to investigate Gaspee Incident. (Digital History ID 2083)
(11/04)  French East India ship sinks in British waters, escalating tensions. (Digital History ID 2167)
1773
  The Boston Tea Party is a direct action by colonists in Boston, a town in the British colony of Massachusetts, against the British government. On December 16, 1773, after officials in Boston refused to return three shiploads of taxed tea to Britain, a group of colonists boarded the ships and destroyed the tea by throwing it into Boston Harbor.
Learn more... (Digital History ID 214)
(05/10)  The Tea Act was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain to expand the British East India Company's monopoly on the tea trade to all British Colonies, selling excess tea at a reduced price. (Digital History ID 1970)
(06/05)  Boston Committee adopts "Solemn League and Covenant" suspending commercial intercourse with Great Britain. (Digital History ID 2000)
(10/16)  VA and MA committees of correspondence condemn Tea Act. (Digital History ID 2146)
(12/11)  John Adams writes, "Nothing but equal Liberty and kind Treatment can Secure the Attachment of the Colonies of Britain. (Digital History ID 2206)
(12/16)  Boston patriots board British ships and dump more than 300 chests of tea overboard to protest British taxes on tea and British favoritism toward the East India Tea Company. (Digital History ID 1182)
1774
  Mother Ann Lee, founder of the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, arrives in New York from England with eight followers. The followers of this sect worship by ecstatic dancing or "shaking", which dubb them as the Shaking Quakers. After reaching the New World, they are known as Shakers. (Digital History ID 210)
  The First Continental Congress, a convention of delegates from twelve of the thirteen North American colonies, meets on September 5, 1774, at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Learn more... (Digital History ID 211)
(01/03)  Gov. William Tryon says tea cannot land in New York except under the "point of the bayonet." (Digital History ID 1840)
(01/20)  News of Boston Tea Party shocks London. (Digital History ID 1857)
(03/31)  Coercive or Intolerable Acts, a series of punitive laws, are passed by the British Parliament, shutting down Boston harbor. Four of the five acts were issued in direct response to the Boston Tea Party of December 1773. (Digital History ID 1929)
(04/22)  New York "Mohawks" have a "tea party." (Digital History ID 1951)
(04/26)  Governor Dunmore dissolves the Virginia House of Burgesses. (Digital History ID 1955)
(05/13)  General Thomas Gage arrives in Boston as Military Governor. (Digital History ID 1974)
(05/20)  Quebec Act sharpens the divide between Canada and American colonies. (Digital History ID 1981)
(06/02)  Martial Law declared in Massachusetts. (Digital History ID 1996)
(07/22)  Pennsylvania Assembly names delegates to Continental Congress. (Digital History ID 2053)
(08/31)  John and Sam Addams arrive in Philadelphia as delegates to Continental Congress. (Digital History ID 2094)
(09/05)  The first Continental Congress assembled in Philadelphia. (Digital History ID 1006)
(09/09)  Joseph Warren, a leading figure in American Patriot organizations in Boston, calls for embargo on British goods. (Digital History ID 2103)
(09/17)  At the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia, delegates from throughout the colonies adopt the Suffolk Resolves, a series of radical resolutions that declare the Coercive Acts--British legislation to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party and intimidate the other colonies--void. (Digital History ID 1040)
(10/14)  At the First Continental Congress, delegates from throughout the colonies adopt Declaration and Resolves that declare that the only the colonial assemblies have the authority to enact legislation for the colonies. (Digital History ID 949)
(10/18)  Congress establishes the Continental Association to end commerce with Britain. Congress hopes that by imposing economic sanctions, Great Britain would be pressured to redress the grievances of the colonies, and in particular repeal the Intolerable Acts passed by the British Parliament. (Digital History ID 2148)
(10/20)  Gen. Thomas Gage reports to England that colonies are "bidding defiance to the mother country." (Digital History ID 2151)
(10/21)  Congress urges colonists not to participate in "horse racing, cock fighting, gambling," and other "expensive diversions," in order to focus on the current crisis. (Digital History ID 2152)
(10/24)  Canadians oppose Parliament's acts but decline to defy Crown. (Digital History ID 2155)
(10/26)  Minute men are established. Minutemen were members of teams of select men from the American colonial militia during the American Revolutionary War. They provided a highly mobile, rapidly deployed force that allowed the colonies to respond immediately to war threats, hence the name. (Digital History ID 2158)
(11/14)  Thomas Gage orders victualing office moved from NYC to Boston. (Digital History ID 2177)
(12/09)  Patriots seize arms at Newport, RI and carry them to Providence. (Digital History ID 2204)
(12/28)  John Adams writes: "to cram a form of Government down the Throats of a People…is not within the Omnipotence of an English Parliament." (Digital History ID 2223)
1775
(01/06)  American Merchants vote to petition for reopening of Boston Harbor. (Digital History ID 1843)
(01/07)  Committee for the City of Philadelphia pledges to support Provincal Congress. (Digital History ID 1844)
(01/13)  Gov. William Franklin of NJ urges General Assembly not to break with the King. (Digital History ID 1850)
(01/24)  SC Provincial Congress assumes control of colonial treasury. (Digital History ID 1861)
(01/26)  NY Assembly refuses to consider proceedings of Continental Congress. (Digital History ID 1863)
(02/01)  New Jersey delegates declare support of the King only if liberties are restored. (Digital History ID 1869)
(02/02)  Second Massachusetts Provincal Congress meets in Cambridge. (Digital History ID 1870)
(02/07)  Provincial Congress condemns anyone aiding or supplying the British army in Boston. (Digital History ID 1875)
(02/09)  Parliament declares Massachusetts to be in rebellion. (Digital History ID 1877)
(02/09)  Britain declares Massachusetts in a state of rebellion. (Digital History ID 1302)
(02/18)  First sale of firearms to the public in Rhode Island. (Digital History ID 1886)
(02/26)  British arrive at Salem, Massachusetts to destroy the Patriot arsenal. (Digital History ID 1895)
(02/28)  British place embargo on Pennsylvania exports. (Digital History ID 1897)
(03/02)  300 lbs. of tea is burned in Providence, Rhode Island. (Digital History ID 1900)
(03/06)  Bostonians commemorate the Boston Massacre. (Digital History ID 1904)
(03/11)  George III announces he will formulate his own "plan to unite all his People." (Digital History ID 1909)
(03/23)  Patrick Henry urges armed resistance against Britain, telling a Virginia convention, "Give me liberty, or give me death!" (Digital History ID 818)
(04/03)  Colonial Assembly of New York holds last session. (Digital History ID 1932)
(04/14)  Gage receives orders from England to arrest leaders of Massachusetts Provincal Congress. (Digital History ID 1943)
(04/18)  General Gage orders 700 British soldiers to Concord to destroy the colonists' weapons depot. Paul Revere and William Dawes leave Boston to warn colonists. Before being captured by a British patrol, Revere reaches Lexington about midnight and warns Sam Adams and John Hancock. (Digital History ID 1947)
(04/18)  General Gage orders 700 British soldiers to Concord to destroy the colonists' weapon depot. Paul Revere and William Dawes ride from Charlestown to Lexington, Massachusetts to warn colonial leaders that the British troops are coming. They reach Lexington at about midnigh and warn Sam Adams and John Hancock before being captured by a British patrol. (Digital History ID 507)
(04/19)  Battle of Lexington and Concord: An unordered "shot heard around the world" begins the American Revolution. British forces retreat from Lexington back to Boston and are harassed and shot at all along the way by farmers and rebels. News of the events at Lexington and Concord spreads like wildfire throughout the colonies. Read More about The Battle of Lexington and Concord (Digital History ID 1948)
(04/23)  MA Provincial Congress creates new army. (Digital History ID 1952)
(04/25)  Philadelphians associate in the defense of "their lives, their property, and liberty." (Digital History ID 1954)
(05/01)  Patriots of NY choose Committee of One Hundred to "stand or fall with the liberty of the continent." (Digital History ID 1960)
(05/10)  American capture Fort Ticonderoga. (Digital History ID 1971)
(05/11)  Patriots seize magazine powder in Savannah, GA. (Digital History ID 1972)
(05/16)  America's first referendum, on MA Constitution, is rejected by state voters. (Digital History ID 1977)
(05/26)  Congress declares new name: "The United Colonies of America." (Digital History ID 1988)
(06/06)  British garrison troops evacuate NYC. (Digital History ID 2001)
(06/08)  Gov. Dunmore of VA flees to British ship as conflict begins. (Digital History ID 2003)
(06/14)  The Continental Congress authorizes formation of a Continental Army with 20,000 soldiers. (Digital History ID 1349)
(06/15)  The Continental Congress appoints George Washington Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army. (Digital History ID 1354)
(06/17)  At the Revolutionary War Battle of Bunker Hill near Boston, the British won but they suffer 226 dead, while the Americans lose 140. (Digital History ID 1365)
(06/17)  British victory at Battle of Bunker Hill. (Digital History ID 2014)
(06/26)  Philadelphians turn back ship from Liverpool carrying imports. (Digital History ID 2024)
(06/30)  Congress approves regulations for governance of the Continental Army. (Digital History ID 2029)
(07/06)  Congress issues Dickinson's "Declaration of the Causes & Necessity of Taking up Arms." (Digital History ID 2036)
(07/15)  The Olive Branch Petition is adopted by the Continental Congress in an attempt to avoid a full-blown war with Great Britain. The petition affirms American loyalty to Great Britain and entreats the king to prevent further conflict. (Digital History ID 2046)
(07/19)  Congress appoints commissioners to negotiate treaties with the Indians. (Digital History ID 2050)
(07/20)  Patriots seize Royal stores at Turtle Bay, Manhattan Island. (Digital History ID 2051)
(07/21)  NY Patriots observe a day of Fasting and Devotion. (Digital History ID 2052)
(08/17)  PA Gazette reports that Gen. Gage will first destroy Boston, then move to NY. (Digital History ID 2080)
(08/18)  NY Provincial Congress recommends that Judson River Highlands be fortified immediately. (Digital History ID 2081)
(08/22)  King George III of Britain issues a proclamation declaring the American colonies to be in a state of open rebellion and ordering suppression of the revolt. (Digital History ID 1439)
(08/30)  The Pennsylvania Gazette reports that Parliament will try colonial rebels in England for offenses committed. (Digital History ID 2093)
(09/02)  Washington commissions the armed American ship, Hannah. (Digital History ID 2096)
(09/04)  The Massachusetts Assembly requires new oaths of allegiance. (Digital History ID 2098)
(09/10)  Mutiny at Prospect Hill, MA. (Digital History ID 2105)
(09/18)  Congress creates a Secret Committee to deal with espionage and covert operations. (Digital History ID 2113)
(09/23)  George III rejects Olive Branch Petition. (Digital History ID 2118)
(10/30)  Congress authorizes the deployment of the Andrew Doria and the Cabot. (Digital History ID 2162)
(11/07)  VA Royal Governor declares martial law. (Digital History ID 2170)
(11/10)  Esek Hopkins leads first Marine Corps battalion. (Digital History ID 2173)
(11/13)  Americans occupy Montreal in failed attempt to induce Canada to join the rebellion. (Digital History ID 2176)
(11/17)  Governor Dunmore of Virginia promises freedom to American slaves who fight for the Crown. (Digital History ID 2180)
(11/28)  Continental Congress establishes the American Navy. (Digital History ID 2192)
(11/29)  Continental Congress forms a secret committee to seek foreign assistance. (Digital History ID 2193)
(12/03)  First official US flag raised aboard the USS Alfred on the Delaware River. (Digital History ID 2197)
(12/08)  Start of the siege of Quebec, Canada. (Digital History ID 2203)
(12/13)  Gov. Dunmore first employs his Ethiopian Regiment (former slaves) against Patriots. (Digital History ID 2208)
(12/21)  Parliament votes to confiscate vessels of rebellious American. (Digital History ID 2216)
(12/22)  Esek Hopkins is appointed first Commodore of American Navy. (Digital History ID 2217)
(12/30)  George Washington authorizes the enlistment of blacks in the Continental Army. (Digital History ID 1797)
1776
(01/10)  Thomas Paine publishes Common Sense, a pamphlet urging American independence. (Digital History ID 465)
(01/10)  Benedict Arnold made Brigadier General in American Army. (Digital History ID 1847)
(02/27)  New York Patriots defeat Scots-American Loyalists at Moore's Creek Bridge in Wilmington, North Carolina. In addition to ending British authority in the colony, the patriot victory led North Carolina to be the first colony to vote for independence. The Battle of Moores Creek Bridge, coupled with the Battle of Sullivans Island near Charleston, South Carolina a few months later, influenced the 13 colonies to declare independence on July 4, 1776. (Digital History ID 1896)
(03/17)  British General Gage begins to evacuate Boston. (Digital History ID 1915)
(03/19)  Congress authorizes civilian privateering against British merchant ships. (Digital History ID 1917)
(03/27)  British fleet evacuates Boston Harbor. (Digital History ID 1925)
(03/30)  Phillis Wheatley publishes her poem, "To His Excellency General Washington": "Proceed, great chief, with virtue on thy side." (Digital History ID 1928)
(04/06)  Congress opens ports to all nations except Great Britain. (Digital History ID 1935)
(05/02)  Convinced by Benjamin Franklin, King Louis XVI of France sends arms and ammunition to help the American Army in the first stage of American Revolution. (Digital History ID 1961)
(05/06)  VA's convention directs its delegates to vote for Independence in Congress. (Digital History ID 1965)
(05/07)  Richard Henry Lee of Virginia proposes that the Continental Congress declare that “these united colonies are, and of right out to be, free and independent states.” (Digital History ID 1336)
(06/04)  John Hancock challenges Marylanders to "live Slaves, or die Freemen." (Digital History ID 1999)
(06/07)  Richard Henry Lee, statesman from Virginia, proposes independence from Great Britain to Congress. (Digital History ID 2002)
(06/10)  Congress authorizes a War and Ordinance Board. (Digital History ID 2005)
(06/11)  Congress appoints committee to draft Declaration of Independence. (Digital History ID 2006)
(06/12)  VA adopts a Declaration of Rights. (Digital History ID 2007)
(06/12)  Committee selects Jefferson to write first draft of Declaration. (Digital History ID 2008)
(06/14)  Congress adopts first US flag. (Digital History ID 2011)
(06/22)  Congress prints first US paper money. (Digital History ID 2020)
(06/24)  Congress declares all Loyalists "guilty of treason" against American colonies. (Digital History ID 2022)
(06/27)  Jefferson finishes first draft of Declaration of Independence. (Digital History ID 2025)
(06/28)  First draft of Declaration read before Continental Congress. (Digital History ID 2026)
(07/02)  British forces arrive in NY. (Digital History ID 2031)
(07/02)  The Continental Congress approves a resolution calling for independence, which states that "these United Colonies are, and of right, ought to be, Free and Independent States." (Digital History ID 901)
(07/04)  The Continental Congress unanimously adopts the Declaration of Independence. King George III writes: "Nothing of importance happened today." (Digital History ID 1373)
(07/05)  Americans evacuate Fort Ticonderoga and flee south. (Digital History ID 2035)
(07/08)  First Public reading of Declaration occurs in Philadelphia. (Digital History ID 2038)
(08/27)  Washington defeated at Battle of Brooklyn (Long Island). (Digital History ID 2090)
(08/29)  Washington escapes Brooklyn and rows to Manhattan. (Digital History ID 2092)
(09/06)  The first submarine, the Turtle, is used in Battle of New York Harbor. (Digital History ID 2100)
(09/09)  Congress renames country "United States" (from "United Colonies"). (Digital History ID 2104)
(09/15)  British drive American troops from Kip's Bay and enter NYC. (Digital History ID 2110)
(09/20)  PA ratifies its Declaration of Rights and Constitution. (Digital History ID 2115)
(09/21)  NYC is burned by retreating Americans. (Digital History ID 2116)
(09/21)  Nathan Hale is captured by the British and hanged as a spy the next day. His last words were: “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” (Digital History ID 1053)
(10/11)  Benedict Arnold clashes with British fleet in defense of Lake Champlain. Both parties retreat, no clear victor. (Digital History ID 2141)
(11/16)  British capture Fort Washington and complete occupation of New York City. (Digital History ID 2179)
(11/20)  Cornwallis captures Fort Lee, New Jersey. Washington retreats to Pennsylvania. (Digital History ID 2183)
(12/19)  Thomas Paine publishes The American Crisis, (1776–1783), a pro-revolutionary pamphlet series. (Digital History ID 2214)
(12/25)  General George Washington and his troops cross the icy Delaware River and stage a surprise attack against Hessian forces at Trenton, New Jersey. (Digital History ID 1202)
(12/26)  Washington occupies Trenton, NJ. (Digital History ID 2221)
(12/27)  Congress grants Washington dictatorial powers for urgent war decisions. (Digital History ID 2222)
1777
(01/18)  Congress reprints Declaration of Independence with names of all signers. (Digital History ID 1855)
(02/25)  Benjamin Lincoln and Lord Sterling promoted to Major-Generals of Patriot forces. (Digital History ID 1894)
(03/08)  American troops under the command of Brigadier General William Maxwell defeat the British at the Battle of Punk Hill Amboy, New Jersey. (Digital History ID 1906)
(03/12)  Congress vote to buy blankets for soldiers. (Digital History ID 1910)
(04/04)  Massachusetts General Court votes to hold referendum on state constitution. (Digital History ID 1933)
(04/20)  New York adopts new constitution. (Digital History ID 1949)
(05/14)  Pro-British Indians raid Americans at Sawpit, FL. (Digital History ID 1975)
(05/27)  Franklin writes letter hoping US will become "the asylum of all the oppressed of Europe." (Digital History ID 1989)
(06/14)  The Continental Congress declares that the national flag should contain thirteen red and white stripes and thirteen stars on a blue field. (Digital History ID 1350)
(07/23)  Casimir Pulaski, Polish soldier, nobleman, politician and volunteer in the Revolution, arrives in America. (Digital History ID 2054)
(07/27)  Jane McCrea, a young woman who is travelling to join her fiance at Ticonderoga is slain by Native Americans associated with the British army of Lieutenant General John Burgoyne during the American Revolutionary War. She is considered a Patriot heroine. (Digital History ID 2059)
(07/31)  Lafayette, a French aristocrat and military officer is appointed Major General. In the American Revolution, Lafayette serves in the Continental Army under George Washington. (Digital History ID 2063)
(08/03)  Fort Stanwix, in the Mohawk River Valley, is then the primary defense point for the Continental Army against British and Indian forces in the American Revolutionary War. The military force besieging Fort Stanwix is under the command of British Colonel Barry St. Leger and the Iroquois leader, Joseph Brant. (Digital History ID 2066)
(08/06)  The Loyalist and Indian forces ward off Americans in the Battle of Oriskany, NH, one of the most bloodiest balltle in American Revolutioary War. This is one the few battles in the war where almost all of the participants are North American: Loyalists and Native Americans fight against Patriots in the absence of British soldiers. (Digital History ID 2069)
(08/15)  Battle of Benington occurs on NY-VT border. An American force of 2,000 men, led by General John Stark, decisively defeats a detachment of General John Burgoyne's army. The battle is an important victory for the American cause, as it reduces Burgoyne's army in size and dismantles his Indian support. (Digital History ID 2078)
(08/23)  Lucy Knox writes to husband, Gen. Knox, "I hope you will not consider yourself as commander in chief of your own house, but be convinced…that there is such a thing as equal command." (Digital History ID 2086)
(08/25)  Gen. Howe lands at Elk River, MD. (Digital History ID 2088)
(09/07)  British begin their advance on Brandywine. (Digital History ID 2101)
(09/11)  Washington defeated at Brandywine Creek, PA. (Digital History ID 2106)
(09/19)  Congress flees Philadelphia before British invasion. (Digital History ID 2114)
(09/26)  British occupy Philadelphia. (Digital History ID 2122)
(09/27)  Capital moves to Lancaster, Pennsylvania (for 3 days). (Digital History ID 2125)
(09/30)  Capital moves to York, PA. (Digital History ID 2128)
(10/04)  Washington defeated at Germantown, PA. (Digital History ID 2133)
(10/06)  Americans lose Forts Montgomery and Clinton to British. (Digital History ID 2136)
(10/12)  Americans surround in Burgoyne's army at Saratoga. He is trapped. (Digital History ID 2142)
(10/17)  US captures Gen. John Burgoyne and his army at Saratoga. (Digital History ID 2147)
(10/17)  5,700 British troops under General John Burgoyne surrender to American forces in Saratoga, New York, ending British plans to isolate New England and convincing the French to provide the colonists with military support. (Digital History ID 960)
(10/23)  Engagement at Fort Mifflin, PA. (Digital History ID 2154)
(11/15)  Congress approves Articles of Confederation, the first constitution of the United States of America that specifies how the national government is to operate. (Digital History ID 2178)
(11/15)  The Continental Congress approved the Articles of Confederation, the United States’ first plan of government. The states do not complete ratification until 1781. (Digital History ID 654)
(11/19)  Fort Mifflin, Pennsylvania, on the Delaware River, is abandoned by the Americans after a five week bombardment of over 10,000 cannonballs by the British. The garrison, however, extends the war, and allows George Washington and the Continental Army time to regroup in Valley Forge over the winter. (Digital History ID 2182)
(12/07)  Second Battle of Saratoga begins. (Digital History ID 2201)
(12/17)  US wins second Battle of Saratoga. (Digital History ID 2212)
(8/11)  Samuel Adams laments that "a very great part of the army [is] naked - without blankets - ill armed and… without a Prospect of Relief." (Digital History ID 2074)
1778
(01/05)  Naval mines used for the first time by Continental Navy. (Digital History ID 1842)
(01/08)  France makes initial offer of alliance with American states. (Digital History ID 1845)
(01/28)  States of General of Holland declare unlimited trade with American ports. (Digital History ID 1865)
(02/17)  British Prime Minister submits first peace proposals in Parliament. (Digital History ID 1885)
(02/23)  Prussian officer Friedrich von Steuben arrives at Valley Forge to train American troops. (Digital History ID 1891)
(03/09)  Parliament votes to begin negotiations with the colonies. (Digital History ID 1907)
(03/13)  The French ambassador informs the British that France now recognizes the United States. This is a virtual declaration of war but hostilities do not commence immediately. (Digital History ID 1911)
(03/20)  American diplomates officially received as allies by Louis XVI. (Digital History ID 1918)
(04/16)  British delegation sails for America to offer terms for peace. (Digital History ID 1945)
(04/27)  American engage in only battle fought on British soil, at Whitehaven, Cumberland. (Digital History ID 1956)
(05/04)  Congress ratifies Treaty of Alliance, a defensive alliance between France and the United States of America, formed in the midst of the American Revolutionary War, which promises military support in case of attack by British forces indefinitely into the future. (Digital History ID 1963)
(05/04)  The Continental Congress ratifies Treaty of Alliance, a defensive alliance between France and the United States of America, formed in the midst of the American Revolutionary War, which promised military support in case of attack by British forces indefinitely into the future. (Digital History ID 562)
(05/05)  Washington's army celebrates the announcement of Franco-American alliance. (Digital History ID 1964)
(06/18)  British evacuate Philadelphia. (Digital History ID 2015)
(07/03)  The Battle of Wyoming between American Patriots and Loyalists accompanied by Iroquois raiders occurs in the Wyoming Valley of Pennsylvania. More than three hundred Patriots are killed and about thirty more tortured to death by the Indians. (Digital History ID 2032)
(07/09)  Continental Congress approves Articles of Confederation. (Digital History ID 2039)
(07/11)  The term "United States of America" first officially used. (Digital History ID 2041)
(07/29)  French Admiral d'Estaing arrives at Newport, RI to support American attack. (Digital History ID 2061)
(08/05)  Battle of Newport, RI begins. (Digital History ID 2068)
(09/29)  Spain offers to mediate, but Britain says no. (Digital History ID 2127)
(11/11)  British and Indian forces massacre American settlement at Cherry Valley, NY.It has been described as one of the most horrific frontier massacres of the Revolution. (Digital History ID 2174)
(11/12)  Washington leads army across the Hudson to the NJ Highlands. (Digital History ID 2175)
1779
(01/23)  Congress offers $100 bounty for enlistment. (Digital History ID 1860)
(03/03)  British launch a surprise attack at Briar Creek, Georgia, killing or capturing about 350 Americans. The British lose only five men. The total rout of the Americans re-established Georgia as a Royal Colony until the British were forced to evacuate in 1782. (Digital History ID 1901)
(03/29)  Approval of Von Steuben's army regulation "blue book," the common name of The Revolutionary War Drill Manual written by Major General Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben in 1778 and 1779, during the American Revolution. These drill instructions prove to be very useful in training the army. (Digital History ID 1927)
(04/09)  Benedict Arnold marries Peggy Shippen, a Loyalist who encourages his treason. Arnold is a general in American Army in the American Revolution War but later defects to the British Army. (Digital History ID 1938)
(05/07)  Patriots arrive in Easton, PA to destroy Loyalist resistance. (Digital History ID 1966)
(05/21)  Patrick Henry informs Congress of British "barbarities" on the seas. (Digital History ID 1982)
(05/31)  British troops capture Stony Point, NY. (Digital History ID 1994)
(06/01)  Jefferson elected governor of VA. (Digital History ID 1995)
(06/03)  British capture Fort Lafayette, Verplanks Point, NY. (Digital History ID 1998)
(06/23)  Spain declares war on Great Britain. (Digital History ID 2021)
(07/14)  d. George Ross, signer of Declaration. (Digital History ID 2045)
(07/16)  Americans recapture Stony Point, NY. Under the command of General Anthony Wayne, the American troops attack the British garrison in a surprise and occupy the town but they cannot hold it long. (Digital History ID 2047)
(09/23)  During the Revolutionary War, John Paul Jones, commander of seven vessels, captures a 17-ship British fleet. When asked to surrender by the British, he replies with the famous words: "I have not yet begun to fight!" (Digital History ID 1063)
(10/09)  After repulsing a siege and assault on Savannah by a combined Franco-American force, the British planned an attack on Charleston, South Carolina. General Benjamin Lincoln surrenders forces numbering about 5,000 to the British after a siege of six weeks. This is the biggest loss of troops of the American Army toward the end of the American Revolution War. (Digital History ID 2139)
1780
(01/21)  Thomas Jefferson elected to American Philosophical Society. (Digital History ID 1858)
(03/01)  Pennsylvania is the first state to abolish slavery. (Digital History ID 1899)
(03/14)  While the British are dealing with the colonists along the Atlantic coast, the Spanish enter the war as an ally of France in 1779. They capture Mobile from the British during the Battle of Fort Charlotte and stay there until 1813 when Mobile is recaptured by American Army under the command of General James Wilkinson. (Digital History ID 1912)
(05/12)  British Gen. Henry Clinton, who replaces General Howe after the failure of the Saratoga Campaign, heads a combined force of military and naval, captures Charleston, SC after a siege of six weeks. (Digital History ID 1973)
(05/22)  Pro-British Iroquios raid settlements in Mohawk Valley. (Digital History ID 1983)
(06/02)  Jefferson reelected governor. (Digital History ID 1997)
(07/07)  A discourages Patriot writes, "I despise my countrymen… I once gloried in it but am now ashamed of it." (Digital History ID 2037)
(07/30)  The Battle of Rocky Mountain, SC occurs. This is a battle under the command of a Patriot militia leader, Col. Thomas Sumter. Sumter leads a force of about 600 men with small fire arms attacking the British outpost at Rocky Mount. The attack is not successful and the militia men suffer modest casualties. (Digital History ID 2062)
(08/13)  American diplomat, en route to negotiate treaty of alliance with United Provinces, is captured at sea by British. (Digital History ID 2076)
(08/16)  Cornwallis inficts heavy casualties on Americans in Battle of Camden, SC. (Digital History ID 2079)
(09/21)  Benedict Arnold meets with British Major John Andre and agrees to turn over the American garrison at West Point to the British in exchange for 20,000 pounds sterling. The plot was revealed two days later when Andre was captured. Arnold fled to the British side September 25. (Digital History ID 1054)
(09/23)  British spy John Andre was captured along with papers revealing Benedict Arnold's plot to surrender West Point to the British. (Digital History ID 1064)
(09/25)  Benedict Arnold escapes West Point and is revealed a traitor. (Digital History ID 2121)
(10/14)  US troops begin using guerilla warfare tactics. (Digital History ID 2144)
(10/29)  Engagement at German Flats, NY. (Digital History ID 2161)
(11/08)  British destroy San Juan, Nicaragua. (Digital History ID 2171)
(12/10)  Washington writes to Congress requesting funds for his army suffering from "every species of want." (Digital History ID 2205)
(12/20)  The Netherlands joins Patriots in war against Britain. (Digital History ID 2215)
(12/29)  British army, under Benedict Arnold, invades VA. (Digital History ID 2224)
1781
(02/03)  Congress creates departments of Finance, War, and Marine. (Digital History ID 1871)
(02/14)  Patriots, under General Nathaniel Greene, cross the Dan River into Virginia and effectively evade General Cornwallis' pursuit. The river was too high to cross without boats, and every boat was on the farther shore with Greene's army. (Digital History ID 1882)
(02/20)  Cornwallis's "Proclamation" invites Loyalists to help in "suppressing the remains of Rebellion." (Digital History ID 1888)
(03/01)  The Articles of Confederation, the United States’ first plan of government, is formally ratified. (Digital History ID 598)
(03/15)  After a British victory at the Battle of Guilford Court House in North Carolina during the Revolutionary War, a member of Parliament says, “Another such victory would ruin the British army.” (Digital History ID 697)
(03/15)  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. (Digital History ID 1913)
(04/07)  Battle at Four Holes, South Carolina. (Digital History ID 1936)
(05/03)  An agreement to exchange prisoners is signed in Pegues Place, SC. (Digital History ID 1962)
(05/09)  British forces surrender to Spanish at Pensacola, FL. (Digital History ID 1969)
(05/18)  Tory prisoners escape Newgate Prison, CT. (Digital History ID 1979)
(05/24)  The Siege of Augusta is conducted by General Andrew Pickens and Colonel Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee against British troops occupying the town of Augusta, Georgia. The garrison surrender on June 6. (Digital History ID 1986)
(05/28)  Lafayette evacuates Richmond. (Digital History ID 1990)
(07/25)  British burn Georgetown, SC. (Digital History ID 2057)
(08/10)  Robert Livingston, an American lawyer, politician, diplomat from New York, is appointed first Secretary of Foreign Affairs. (Digital History ID 2073)
(08/19)  In July and August, 1781, Continental Army troops, commanded by General George Washington, are encamped in Dobbs Ferry, on the side of Hudson River, and neighboring localities, alongside allied French forces. They are trying to probe for weaknesses in the British defenses, just 12 miles to the south. However, Washington changes his strategy and decides to make his army march more than 400 miles to the Chesapeake region of Virginia. This is the first step en route to victory over General Cornwallis at the Siege of Yorktown and to victory in the Revolutionary War. (Digital History ID 2082)
(09/08)  New London is raided and nearly burned to the ground in the Battle of Groton Heights, by Norwich Native under the command of Benedict Arnold in the attempts to destroy the colonial privateer fleet and storage of goods and naval stores within the city. (Digital History ID 2102)
(09/28)  9,000 American and 7,800 French troops, backed by a French fleet, begin a siege of British forces at Yorktown in Virginia, the last major engagement of the Revolutionary War. (Digital History ID 1078)
(10/19)  In the Siege of Yorktown or Battle of Yorktown, American forces led by General George Washington and French forces led by the Compte de Rochambeau assault a British Army commanded by Lieutenant General Lord Cornwallis. The British lose and 8,000 British troops under Lord Cornwallis surrender. This decisive victory prompts the British government to negotiate an end to the war. (Digital History ID 963)
(10/19)  Battle of Yorktown (Digital History ID 2149)
(11/05)  John Hanson elected first President of US under Articles of Confederation. (Digital History ID 2168)
1782
(02/12)  The French capture Brimstone Hill on the eastern Caribbean island of St. Kitts from Britain. France, who was allied with the colonists against Britain, had already captured four British Caribbean Colonies, when it attacked St. Kitts with 8000 soldiers and 31 warships. The British surrendered a month later. St. Kitts was restored to the British in 1783 in the Treaty of Versailles. (Digital History ID 1880)
(03/07)  In what is later called the Gnadenhuetten Massacre, Colonel Davis Williamson's militia kill ninety-six Christian Delaware and Mahican Indians whom they believed had helped other Indians kill their neighbors in Ohio. (Digital History ID 1905)
(03/26)  Sir Guy Carlton appointed Commander in Chief of British forces in North America. (Digital History ID 1924)
(06/20)  US adopts official Great Seal. (Digital History ID 2017)
(07/24)  Portugal joins the League of Armed Neutrals to protect its wartime shipping. (Digital History ID 2055)
(08/07)  Gen. Washington establishes Order of the Purple Heart for soldiers wounded in battle. (Digital History ID 2070)
(09/13)  Elizabeth Zane, a heroine of the battlefield, is instrumental in winning the Battle of Fort Henry. (Digital History ID 2108)
(09/16)  Washington first uses Great Seal to authorize prisoner exchange. (Digital History ID 2111)
(11/30)  The United States and Britain signed preliminary peace articles in Paris, ending the Revolutionary War. (Digital History ID 1137)
(11/30)  Preliminary Articles of Peace presented to both sides. (Digital History ID 2194)
1783
(02/15)  Portugal recognizes American independence. (Digital History ID 1883)
(03/10)  Troops demand back pay from Congress, mutiny threatens. (Digital History ID 1908)
(03/21)  The Revolution's last naval action, takes place in Chesapeake Bay. The French fleet defeats the Royal Navy in the decisive naval battle of the American Revolutionary War. (Digital History ID 1919)
(04/11)  Creation of hostilities following preliminary peace treaty. (Digital History ID 1940)
(04/26)  7,000 pro-British Loyalists sail from New York for Britain and Nova Scotia. (Digital History ID 531)
(09/02)  The Treaty of Paris between the United States and Great Britain officially ends the Revolutionary War. (Digital History ID 999)
(09/23)  Treaty of Paris confirmed. (Digital History ID 2119)
(10/02)  Washington issues last general order to Continental Army. (Digital History ID 2130)
(10/15)  Maryland charters Washington College, in Chestertown. (Digital History ID 2145)
(11/02)  Continental Army disbanded. (Digital History ID 2165)
(11/03)  Congress discharges all soldiers with exception of troops in New York. (Digital History ID 2166)
(11/25)  General Clinton's British troops evacuate New York. (Digital History ID 2189)
(12/23)  George Washington resigns as Commander-in-Chief of the Army and retires to his home at Mount Vernon, Virginia. (Digital History ID 1198)
(12/23)  Washington resigns from the military and returns to civilian life. (Digital History ID 2218)
1784
(01/14)  Congress approves Treaty of Paris. (Digital History ID 1851)
(02/29)  Jefferson writes that John Adam's reception in London "was not a kind one." Adams will be appointed the first ambassador to the Court of St. James in London in 1785. (Digital History ID 1898)
(04/08)  British-backed Indian raids in Ohio Valley violate Treaty of Paris. (Digital History ID 1937)
(07/01)  RI rejects impost amendment to Articles of Confederation. (Digital History ID 2030)
(08/24)  Congress refuses statehood to a group of counties trying to secede from NC. (Digital History ID 2087)
(10/03)  US begins dictating treaties to Indians. (Digital History ID 2132)
(11/18)  Pennsylvania abolitionist James Pemberton writes: "the case of the oppressed blacks commands our attention." (Digital History ID 2181)
(11/24)  The United States concludes a peace treaty with the Iroquois. (Digital History ID 2188)
(12/05)  Phillis Wheatley, African-American poet and former slave, dies in poverty as a result of childbirth complications. Her third child dies hours later. (Digital History ID 2199)
(12/24)  Congress votes to move US capital from Trenton to New York City. (Digital History ID 2219)
1785
(02/24)  John Adams demands British withdrawal from American soil, per the Treaty of Paris. (Digital History ID 1893)
(03/25)  Jefferson proposes national coinage system. (Digital History ID 1923)
(03/28)  Mount Vernon Conference on interstate navigation and commerce. (Digital History ID 1926)
(07/06)  The Confederation Congress approves a currency system with the dollar as its basic unit. (Digital History ID 1381)
1786
(01/16)  VA adopts Jefferson's Statute for Religious Freedom. (Digital History ID 1853)
(08/08)  Cont'l Congress adopts "dollar" as monetary standard. (Digital History ID 2071)
(09/14)  Annapolis Convention called to reform commercial regulations. (Digital History ID 2109)
1787
(01/01)  Benjamin Rush publishes Thoughts Upon Female Education (Digital History ID 1838)
(01/25)  Shays's Rebellion erupts. (Digital History ID 1862)
(02/21)  Congress calls for a convention to revise the Articles of Confederation. (Digital History ID 1889)
(02/21)  The Continental Congress endorses a call for a meeting in May in Philadelphia “for the sole and express purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation.” (Digital History ID 1530)
(04/02)  d. Thomas Gage British Commander in Chief. (Digital History ID 1931)
(05/17)  Delegates meet in Philadelphia to revise Articles of Confederation (Constitutional Convention). (Digital History ID 1978)
(05/25)  Washington elected President of Constitutional Convention. (Digital History ID 1987)
(05/25)  The Constitutional Convention convenes in Philadelphia (Digital History ID 1494)
(05/29)  Edmund Randolph submits the “Virginia Plan” to the Constitutional Convention, calling for a two-house legislature. (Digital History ID 1501)
(07/13)  Passage of the Ordinance of 1787. The primary effect of the ordinance is the creation of the Northwest Territory of the United States. (Digital History ID 2044)
(09/12)  Elbridge Gerry and George Mason propose a "Bill of Rights." (Digital History ID 2107)
(09/17)  The Constitution of the United States signed by 39 of the 42 delegates attending the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. (Digital History ID 1041)
(09/17)  Constitution approved in Convention and sent to Congress. (Digital History ID 2112)
(09/28)  Congress votes to send the U.S. Constitution to the states for their approval. (Digital History ID 1079)
(09/28)  Continental Congress sends Constitution to states for ratification. (Digital History ID 2126)
(10/27)  The first of the Federalist Papers, a series of 77 essays by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, calling for ratification of the U.S. Constitution, is published in a New York newspaper. (Digital History ID 1106)
(12/07)  Delaware becomes first state to ratify Constitution. (Digital History ID 2202)
(12/12)  Pennsylvania ratifies Constitution. (Digital History ID 2207)
(12/18)  New Jersey ratifies Constitution. (Digital History ID 2213)
1788
(01/02)  Georgia ratifies the Constitution. (Digital History ID 1839)
(01/09)  Connecticut ratifies Constitution. (Digital History ID 1846)
(02/06)  Massachusetts ratifies the Constitution. (Digital History ID 1874)
(02/19)  France declares bankruptcy due to expenditures aiding the American Revolution. (Digital History ID 1887)
(04/24)  Rhode Island's vote reject Constitution. (Digital History ID 1953)
(04/28)  Maryland ratifies Constitution. (Digital History ID 1957)
(05/23)  South Carolina ratifies Constitution. (Digital History ID 1985)
(06/21)  New Hampshire ratifies Constitution (gaining the necessary two-thirds majority). (Digital History ID 2018)
(06/25)  Virginia ratifies Constitution. (Digital History ID 2023)
(07/26)  New York is eleventh state to ratify Constitution. (Digital History ID 2058)
(08/02)  NC's first ratifying convention rejects Constitution. (Digital History ID 2065)
(10/10)  Last day of Congress under Articles of Confederation. (Digital History ID 2140)
1789
(01/04)  d. Thomas Nelson, signer of Declaration. (Digital History ID 1841)
(02/04)  Washington elected first president of the United States. (Digital History ID 1872)
(03/04)  First Federal Congress delayed for lack of quorum. (Digital History ID 1902)
(04/01)  Washington likens becoming president to "a culprit … going to the place of his execution." (Digital History ID 1930)
(09/24)  Judiciary Act establishes federal court system. (Digital History ID 2120)
1790
(04/17)  d. Benjamin Franklin (Digital History ID 1946)
(12/06)  Philadelphia becomes the nation's capital. (Digital History ID 2200)
1791
(12/15)  Bill of Rights ratified as part of Constitution. (Digital History ID 2210)
1792
(08/04)  d. John Burgoyne (Digital History ID 2067)
1793
(10/08)  d. John Hancock (Digital History ID 2138)
1794
  Whiskey Rebellion, a protest on the federal excise tax on whiskey in Pennsylvania is put down. The tax is a part of treasury secretary Alexander Hamilton's program to centralize and fund the national debt after the war.
Learn more... (Digital History ID 313)
  Gen. Anthony Wayne defeats Indians at Battle of Fallen Timbers, which is not far from present-day Toledo, Ohio. This is the final battle of the Northwest Indian War, a struggle between American Indian tribes affiliated with the British and the United States for control of the Northwest Territory.
Learn more... (Digital History ID 314)
1795
(05/19)  d. Josiah Bartlett, signer of Declaration. (Digital History ID 1980)
1797
(03/06)  Gerrit Smith, abolitionist and Liberty Party founder, is born in Utica, Oneida County, New York. His father is Peter Gerrit Smith and his mother is Elizabeth Livingston. (Digital History ID 1674)
1798
(08/21)  d. James Wilson, signer of Declaration. (Digital History ID 2084)
1799
(12/14)  d. George Washington (Digital History ID 2209)
1802
(05/22)  d. Martha Washington (Digital History ID 1984)
1803
(10/02)  d. Samuel Adams (Digital History ID 2131)
1804
(07/12)  d. Alexander Hamilton (Digital History ID 2042)
1805
(10/05)  d. Charles Cornwallis (Digital History ID 2134)
1806
(04/10)  d. Horatio Gates, American General. (Digital History ID 1939)
(05/08)  d. Robert Morris, signer of Declaration. (Digital History ID 1968)
(10/25)  d. Henry Knox (Digital History ID 2157)
1808
(10/05)  d. Sara Franklin Bache, Patriot who raised funds for Patriot uniforms. Daughter of Benjamin Franklin. (Digital History ID 2135)
1814
(10/19)  d. Mercy Warren, historian of the American Revolution. (Digital History ID 2150)
1816
(08/12)  d. Mary Katherine Goddard, first American woman to publish a newspaper (Baltimore Journal). (Digital History ID 2075)
(11/06)  d. Gouverneur Morris, patriot and diplomat. (Digital History ID 2169)
1818
(10/28)  d. Abigail Adams (Digital History ID 2160)
1820
(09/26)  d. Daniel Boone (Digital History ID 2123)
1822
(05/08)  d. John Stark, American Major General. (Digital History ID 1967)
1826
(07/04)  Independence declared, C (Digital History ID 2034)
1827
(04/29)  d. Deborah Sampson, who dressed as a man to enlist in Continental Army. (Digital History ID 1958)
1832
(01/22)  d. Mary McCauley ("Molly Pitcher"), American heroine of the Revolution. (Digital History ID 1859)
1836
(01/30)  d. Betsy Ross, legendary maker of first US flag (Digital History ID 1867)
(06/28)  d. James Madison (Digital History ID 2027)
1849
(07/12)  d. Dolley Madison (Digital History ID 2043)
1854
(11/09)  d. Elizabeth Hamilton (Digital History ID 2172)

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