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Great Awakening
The Great Awakening was a religious revival that impacted the English colonies in America during the 1730s and 1740s. The movement came at a time when the idea of secular rationalism was being emphasized, and passion for religion had grown stale. -
Lightning Rod
Benjamin Franklin invents the lightning rod in 1749. -
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French and Indian War
The British and French fight over land control. The war eventually ends with the Treaty of Paris being signed which gave the British control over Canada and gave the French the land west of the Mississippi River. -
Boston Massacre
British troops fire into a mob, killing five men and leading to intense public protests. -
Boston Tea Party
Group of colonial patriots disguised as Mohawk Indians board three ships in Boston harbor and dump more than 300 crates of tea overboard as a protest against the British tea tax. -
First Continental Congress
First Continental Congress meets in Philadelphia, with 56 delegates representing every colony except Georgia. Delegates include Patrick Henry, George Washington, and Samuel Adams. -
American Revolution Begins
War of independence fought between Great Britain and the 13 British colonies on the eastern seaboard of North America. Battles of Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, between the British Army and colonial minutemen, mark the beginning of the war. -
US Declares Independence
The United States declares their independence from Britain. -
Articles of Confederation are adopted
Continental Congress adopts the Articles of Confederation, the first U.S. constitution. -
Battle of Yorktown Ends
British general Charles Cornwallis surrenders to Gen. George Washington at Yorktown, Va. -
Revolutionary War Ends
Great Britain formally acknowledges American independence in the Treaty of Paris, which officially brings the war to a close. -
Shay's Rebellion
Shays's Rebellion erupts; farmers from New Hampshire to South Carolina take up arms to protest high state taxes and stiff penalties for failure to pay. -
US Constitution is Drafted
Constitutional Convention, made up of delegates from 12 of the original 13 colonies, meets in Philadelphia to draft the U.S. Constitution. -
George Washington elected
George Washington is unanimously elected president of the United States in a vote by state electors. -
US Constitution is Ratified
U.S. Constitution goes into effect, having been ratified by nine states. -
John Adams
John Adams is inaugurated as the second president in Philadelphia.