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After the French and Indian War and the signing of the 1763 Treaty of Paris, Great Britain imposed taxes on the American colonists. This sparked widespread opposition and protests against "taxation without representation." Anti-British sentiment continued to grow until escalating military conflict eventually led to the American Revolution.
In 1774, representatives from the American colonies convened in Philadelphia for the first Continental Congress. They established themselves as the official colonial liaison with Great Britain, aired their grievances, and called for a boycott of British goods. In 1775, the second Continental Congress met and established a Continental Army led by George Washington.
The first military clashes of the American Revolution occurred in the Massachusetts towns of Lexington and Concord in 1775. In 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. During the American Revolution, over 230 skirmishes and battles were fought throughout the thirteen colonies. The final battle occurred in Yorktown between September and October 1781.
The 1783 Treaty of Paris formally ended the American Revolution and recognized the United States as an independent nation. Read more about it!
The information in this guide focuses on primary source materials found in the digitized historic newspapers from the digital collection Chronicling America.
The timeline below highlights important dates related to this topic and a section of this guide provides some suggested search strategies for further research in the collection.
| May 9, 1754 | The Pennsylvania Gazette publishes a political cartoon of a separated snake with the words: "Join or Die" to symbolize the disunity of the American colonies in the context of the French and Indian War in 1754. |
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| 1754-1763 | The French and Indian War (also known as Seven Years' War) occurs between France and Britain for territorial expansion and control of the fur trade in America. The French are supported by French Colonists, the American colonists and the Iroquois Confederacy of Native American tribes. The Treaty of Paris (1763) formally ends the French and Indian War. |
| March 22, 1765 | In order to raise revenue after the French and Indian War, the British Parliament imposes the Stamp Act, a tax on printed materials in the American colonies. This sparks widespread opposition and protest against "taxation without representation." |
| March 5, 1770 | British soldiers fire into an angry crowd, killing five colonists including Crispus Attucks. This event fuels anti-British sentiment and would be remembered as the "Boston Massacre." |
| December 16, 1773 | American colonists, disguised as Mohawk Indians, dump 342 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor in protest to British taxation and the East India Company. This event would be remembered as the "Boston Tea Party." |
| April 19, 1775 | British and American soldiers exchange fire in the Massachusetts towns of Lexington and Concord. This is the first military clash of the American Revolutionary War and marks the start of armed conflict between British troops and American colonists. |
| June 7 - July 4, 1776 | Richard Henry Lee introduces a motion in Congress to declare the Thirteen Colonies' independence from Great Britain. A committee including Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston drafts the "Declaration of Independence" which is adopted on July 4, 1776 by the Continental Congress. |
| November 15, 1777 | The Articles of Confederation are adopted by the Continental Congress. This serves as the United States' first constitution from March 1, 1781 until 1789 when it was replaced by the U.S. Constitution. |
| September 3, 1783 | The Treaty of Paris (1783) is signed between representatives from the American colonies and Great Britain. The American colonies are represented by John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and John Jay while Great Britain is represented by David Hartley. |
| 1787 | During the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, the U.S. Constitution is drafted and signed by President George Washington. American newspapers print the ratified Constitution starting from September 19, 1787. |
