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Historical Period
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Revolution, independence, and the framing of the Constitution.

Use the timeline below to navigate through major events and milestones.

The American Revolution · 1765-1789
Founding · 1765-1789

The American Revolution

From the taxation crises that split the colonies from Britain, through the defiance of the Boston Tea Party and the first shots at Lexington, to the Declaration of Independence, victory at Yorktown, and the Constitution that framed a new republic. Slide across the years to relive the birth of the United States.

1765 AD
No Taxation Without Representation
1 / 10

The Stamp Act crisis

Parliament taxes printed materials in the colonies; furious colonists protest under the cry 'no taxation without representation,' and the tax is soon repealed.

1765 AD

No Taxation Without Representation
  • Political

    The Stamp Act crisis

    Parliament taxes printed materials in the colonies; furious colonists protest under the cry 'no taxation without representation,' and the tax is soon repealed.

10 milestones

Meanwhile

Around 1765 AD

Full Chronicle

The American Revolution

From the taxation crises that split the colonies from Britain, through the defiance of the Boston Tea Party and the first shots at Lexington, to the Declaration of Independence, victory at Yorktown, and the Constitution that framed a new republic. Slide across the years to relive the birth of the United States.

  1. No Taxation Without Representation

    • The Stamp Act crisis

      Parliament taxes printed materials in the colonies; furious colonists protest under the cry 'no taxation without representation,' and the tax is soon repealed.

  2. Rising Tensions

    • The Boston Massacre

      British soldiers fire into a Boston crowd, killing five. Patriot propagandists turn the deaths into a rallying symbol of imperial tyranny.

  3. Defiance

    • The Boston Tea Party

      Colonists disguised as Mohawks dump chests of British tea into Boston Harbor to protest the Tea Act; Britain retaliates with the punitive Coercive Acts.

  4. War Begins

    • Lexington and Concord

      British troops and colonial militia clash at Lexington and Concord — 'the shot heard round the world' — igniting the War of Independence.

  5. Independence

    • The Declaration of Independence

      The Continental Congress adopts Thomas Jefferson's Declaration, proclaiming that all men are created equal and that governments derive their power from the consent of the governed.

  6. Turning Point

    • Victory at Saratoga

      The American triumph at Saratoga persuades France to enter the war as an ally, transforming a colonial rebellion into a global conflict Britain could not easily win.

  7. Victory

    • Surrender at Yorktown

      Trapped by Washington's army and the French fleet, General Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown, effectively ending major fighting in the war.

  8. Peace

    • Treaty of Paris recognizes independence

      Britain recognizes the independence of the United States and cedes territory east of the Mississippi, giving the young nation room to grow.

  9. A New Framework

    • The Constitutional Convention

      Delegates in Philadelphia replace the weak Articles of Confederation with the U.S. Constitution, creating a federal government with balanced legislative, executive, and judicial branches.

  10. The Republic Launched

    • Washington becomes first president

      George Washington is unanimously chosen as the first president; two years later the Bill of Rights guarantees fundamental freedoms and sets a template for constitutional government.