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Tensions between the American Colonies and Great Britain reached a breaking point in 1774 after Parliament passed the Intolerable Acts, punishing Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party. The colonies responded by organizing the First Continental Congress and establishing the Continental Association, a nationwide boycott against the importation of British goods.

By mid-April, the path was clear, as General Thomas Gage decided to use military force to restore order in Massachusetts. Despite Gage’s attempt to keep his plans secret, they were discovered. This set a sequence of events in motion that led to the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War on April 19, 1775.

In August 1775, hostilities between American Patriots and British officials continued to escalate. Finally, King George III rejected the Olive Branch Petition, declaring the American Colonies to be in a state of rebellion. Meanwhile, the Northern Army initiated its Invasion of Quebec in an effort to capture key Canadian cities and end the threat of a British invasion from the North.

In December 1775, American forces won key victories in the Carolinas but suffered a significant defeat in the Battle of Quebec. Meanwhile, Congress continued to develop the Continental Navy as Great Britain issued new laws and proclamations to restrict American trade.

As tensions increased throughout the colonies between Loyalists and Patriots, the Continental Association started to enforce Article 10, which rejected all goods arriving from England. Soon after, King George III declared Massachusetts was in rebellion, and hostilities were avoided in Salem after British troops arrived to search for hidden military supplies. The month ended with Parliament approving Lord North’s Conciliatory Proposal, which offered to end most of Parliament’s tax measures.

By January 1775, hostilities with Great Britain loomed over the American Colonies, especially in New England, where Massachusetts and Connecticut prepared to defend themselves. Elsewhere, harassment of Loyalists increased in Boston and New York. The month ended with Lord Dartmouth issuing the fateful orders to General Thomas Gage to use military force to end resistance to British policies.

In July 1775, George Washington took command of the Continental Army during the Siege of Boston. Meanwhile, Congress issued key documents like the “Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking up Arms” and the Olive Branch Petition.

As the Siege of Boston continued, the Continental Congress assumed control of the New England Army of Observation, transforming it into the Continental Army, the nation’s first army. Meanwhile, American forces occupied Breed’s Hill on the Charleston Peninsula, across from Boston, leading to the Battle of Bunker Hill. Although the Americans lost, they inflicted heavy casualties on the British.

New York and Boston continued to be the center of Patriot activity. While New York wrestled with how to respond to the Continental Association and the election of delegates to the Second Continental Congress, the residents of Boston continued to clash with British troops and officials. Meanwhile, in Virginia, Patrick Henry shouted, “Give me liberty or give me death!”

News about the outbreak of the war swept through the American Colonies, as the Second Continental Congress prepared to meet in Philadelphia. While militia forces were organized to defend the colonies outside of the New England Region, Ethan Allen, Benedict Arnold, and the Green Mountain Boys captured Fort Ticonderoga, marking the first true American victory of the war.

In November 1775, the Siege of Boston continued, while American forces advanced toward Quebec City, and Congress worked to expand the Navy and establish the Marine Corps. Meanwhile, significant events took place in Virginia, and Lord Dunmore issued a proclamation offering freedom to enslaved people who joined the British war effort.

In October 1775, American forces in Canada continued to push toward Quebec City. Meanwhile, in New England, the British Navy continued to harass coastal towns. Congress responded by establishing the Continental Navy. In Philadelphia, a Loyalist plot was uncovered by the Committee of Safety, resulting in an arrest. Toward the end of the month, British forces were driven out of Norfolk, Virginia.

As the winter of 1775–1776 neared its end, American forces started relocating from Boston to New York City. The call for separation from Britain intensified when North Carolina issued the Halifax Resolves, which instructed its delegates to Congress to vote in favor of independence. Meanwhile, naval warfare escalated as Captain John Barry, commanding the Lexington, defeated and captured the Edward. This was the first time in American History that an American ship captured an enemy ship at sea, during battle.

After the American Colonies declared independence in July, British forces initiated their invasion of New York and attacked American forces on Long Island. Although General George Washington’s forces were crushed, they were able to evacuate to Manhattan, saving the American war effort. Meanwhile, the Cherokee War intensified in the Southern Backcountry.

With the American war effort stalled at Quebec and Boston, the war in the Southern Theater escalated, as British forces sought to invade the Southern Colonies. In North Carolina, a small army of Loyalists gathered and marched to join a British expeditionary force. Patriot militia engaged them at Moore’s Creek Bridge and routed them, securing the battlefield victory for American forces in the war.

As the American war effort stalled in Canada and the Siege of Boston continued, the British sought to reinforce their control of the Southern Colonies and burned Norfolk. Meanwhile, the push for independence started when the Province of New Hampshire severed ties with Great Britain and Thomas Paine published Common Sense, in which he called on all Americans to seek independence.

In July 1776, while American forces were preparing to defend New York from a British invasion, Congress took the historic step of declaring independence. Although the decision was praised throughout America, it did not bring an end to hostilities. While peace talks between American and British officials failed, the war intensified in the Southern Colonies as the Cherokee joined the British war effort and carried out raids in the Backcountry.

By the middle of June 1776, American forces were in full retreat from Canada, and British forces were preparing to invade New York. Meanwhile, American forces won the Battle of Sullivan’s Island in South Carolina, securing Patriot control of the state. Most importantly, Congress openly discussed independence during what would be the last full month of British rule over the American Colonies.

The Siege of Boston finally came to an end after American forces occupied Dorchester Heights and built artillery batteries that threatened British ships in Boston Harbor. The British sailed away from Boston on March 17, allowing the Americans to retake control of the city. Meanwhile, Commodore Esek Hopkins and the Continental Navy carried out their first mission with a successful raid in the Bahamas.

An important milestone was reached when King Louis XVI agreed to supply covert aid to the Patriot Cause. Meanwhile, British forces led by General John Burgoyne arrived at Quebec, broke the American siege and sent the Americans fleeing southward toward Fort Ticonderoga. Meanwhile, Virginia took the bold step of instructing its delegates to ask the Continental Congress to declare independence.