-
Declaration of Independence
On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee introduced a motion in Congress to declare independence. Other members of Congress were amenable but thought some colonies were not quite ready.
The Declaration of Independence, 1776 - Office of the Historian -
Valley Forge
The army began setting up camp on December 19, 1777. By February, half of Washington’s army was gone. As many of 1100 deserted to the British Army. -
The Revolutionary War Ends
The American War of Independence or Revolutionary War started in 1775 and lasted 8 long years until 1783 when it finally came to an end and the North American colonies finally gained their independence. -
The constitution of The United States of America
"The constitution of the United States of America gave the federal government the power to tax, which it lacked under the Articles. It established three distinct branches of government—executive, legislative, and judicial—and provided “checks and balances” by which each branch could resist the encroachments of another." -
George Washington First Founding Father
Washington was the first American hero, and without doubt is the most important man in American history. Contemporaries described him as a giant among men in both physical stature and character. He stood over six feet tall and weighed 190 to 200 pounds. His frame exuded strength; his countenance was firm but agreeable. -
The Bill of Rights
"Rights amendments add to the Constitution specific guarantees of personal freedoms and rights, clear limitations on the government’s power in judicial and other proceedings, and explicit declarations that all powers not specifically granted to the U.S. Congress by the Constitution are reserved for the states or the people. The concepts codified in these amendments are built upon those found in earlier documents." -
The Louisiana Purchase
"The Louisiana Purchase was not a simple matter for U.S. Congress. It had only authorized Monroe to spend $2 million for New Orleans and West Florida, so the increase in funds needed approval.Jefferson also had to wrestle with the constitutionality of the measure. He did not think the Constitution permitted the United States to acquire territory. " -
Atlantic Slave Trade Abolished
"Slavery predates European entry into the Atlantic world in the Age of Exploration, but the system that developed during the 16th and 17th centuries was an arguably more inhumane and racially tinged institution than anything that had previously existed before. American slavery grew and metastasized until it swallowed up over 10 million lives in the Atlantic Slave Trade." -
The Kansas Nebraska Act
"The controversy over the Kansas Nebraska Act proved too much for the ramshackle Whig Party, which was torn apart by sectional antagonism. Filling the political vacuum left by the self-destruction of the Whig Party was the Republican Party, created in 1854 as a sectional party—just what so many American statesmen had tried to avoid. The Republicans attracted a variety of supporters with their free-soil position and their support for high protective tariffs." -
The Pony Express
"The Pony Express begins between St. Joseph, Missouri and Sacramento, California. Abraham Lincoln wins the presidency after a hard-fought campaign centering on the issues of sectionalism and slavery. South Carolina decides to secede from the Union. The state militia takes over the Federal arsenal at Charleston."