The American Revolution setting in Assassin's Creed III begins in 1754.
The game's historical story opens in 1754, at the start of the French and Indian War, and later moves through the American Revolutionary War. This long time span allows the narrative to show how political and military tensions develop before the Declaration of Independence and the major revolutionary campaigns.
The player eventually controls Ratonhnhaké:ton, a Kanien'kehá:ka man who adopts the name Connor. His story involves the Assassin-Templar conflict, colonial communities, and historical figures including George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Samuel Adams. The setting includes Boston, New York, and a rural frontier region.
The year 1776 is particularly associated with the American Declaration of Independence, but it is not the beginning of the game's timeline. Assassin's Creed III starts earlier, in 1754, and covers events through the aftermath of the Revolution. That distinction makes the opening year a precise fact rather than a reference to the war's most famous date.