Timeline: 1763–2026
1763
After the French and Indian War, British imperial policy toward North America changes, creating new revenue and governance disputes.
1770
The Boston Massacre becomes a major propaganda and memory event in colonial resistance.
1773
The Boston Tea Party escalates conflict over taxation and parliamentary authority.
1774
The First Continental Congress meets in response to the Coercive Acts.
1775
Armed conflict begins at Lexington and Concord. The Second Continental Congress organizes continental resistance.
July 4, 1776
Congress approves the Declaration of Independence.
1781
Yorktown becomes the decisive major military victory for American and French forces.
1783
The Treaty of Paris recognizes American independence.
1876
The United States marks its Centennial. Willard’s “Spirit of ’76” imagery becomes part of national memory.
1976
The Bicentennial revives Revolutionary imagery and mass-market patriotic design.
2016
Congress establishes the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission through Public Law 114-196.
July 4, 2026
The United States marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.