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War of the Spanish Succession begins
The war was caused by conflicting claims to the Spanish throne after the death of the childless King Charles II. The accession to the Spanish throne of Philip V, grandson of King Louis XIV of France, antagonized England and Holland, which were in growing competition with France. -
Seven Years' War
The war was driven by the commercial and imperial rivalry between Britain and France, and by the antagonism between Prussia (allied to Britain) and Austria (allied to France). In Europe, Britain sent troops to help its ally, Prussia, which was surrounded by its enemies. -
The Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was a street fight that occurred on March 5, 1770, between a patriot mob, throwing snowballs, stones, and sticks, and a squad of British soldiers. Several colonists were killed and this led to a campaign by speech writers to rouse the ire of the citizenry. -
The Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a political protest that occurred on December 16, 1773, at Griffin's Wharf in Boston, Massachusetts. American colonists, frustrated and angry at Britain for imposing taxation without representation, dumped 342 chests of tea, imported by the British East India Company into the harbor -
“Declaration of Rights and Grievances.”
The Stamp Act Congress passed a "Declaration of Rights and Grievances," which claimed that American colonists were equal to all other British citizens, protested taxation without representation, and stated that, without colonial representation in Parliament, Parliament could not tax colonists. -
The American Revolution begins with battle of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord, fought on April 19, 1775, kicked off the American Revolutionary War. Tensions had been building for many years between residents of the 13 American colonies and the British authorities, particularly in Massachusetts. -
George Washington crosses the Delaware Christmas night
During one of the darkest moments of the American Revolution, Gen. George Washington led his army over the frozen Delaware River on the evening of December 25, 1776. The famous Crossing of the Delaware led to the Battle of Trenton and a string of victories that revived the cause. -
Revolutionary War ends with Treaty of Paris
Congress ratified preliminary articles of peace ending the Revolutionary War with Great Britain on April 15, 1783. On September 3, 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed, bringing the Revolutionary War to its final conclusion. -
The Constitution of the United States signed
In 1787, Congress authorized delegates to gather in Philadelphia and recommend changes to the existing charter of government for the 13 states, the Articles of Confederation, which many Americans believed had created a weak, ineffective central government. -
U.S. Bill of Rights ratified
On October 2, 1789, President Washington sent copies of the 12 amendments adopted by Congress to the states. By December 15, 1791, three-fourths of the states had ratified 10 of these, now known as the “Bill of Rights.”