The colonies moved towards independence through a series of key events: 1) The First Continental Congress agreed to boycott British goods and petition the king for redress of grievances. 2) The Battles of Lexington and Concord marked the first armed conflicts of the Revolutionary War and convinced many colonists that fighting for independence was necessary. 3) The Second Continental Congress appointed George Washington as commander-in-chief of the colonial army and established a committee to draft a declaration of independence in response to the king's rejection of colonial petitions.