American Revolution

Many people think that the American Revolution began with the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. But the war had actually been going on since April 19, 1775, when an unknown soldier fired "the shot heard 'round the world"  in Lexington, Massachusetts. The road to war, of course, had begun much earlier.  
    Here is a brief timeline:  

1740s

During the 1740s American colonists had many differing views. Every colony had a different set of problems and concerns, which influenced whether colonists were loyal to England, or a "patriot." A patriot describes an early colonist that began doubting the benefits of staying a British colony.