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Board of Trade assumes governance of colonies
King William III appointed eight paid commissioners to promote trade in the American plantations and elsewhere. The Lords Commissioners of Trade and Foreign Plantations, appointed in 1696 and commonly known as the Board of Trade, did not constitute a committee of the Privy Council, but were, in fact, members of a separate body. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Board_of_Trade -
Seven Years' War (French and Indian War) ends
Fought primarily along the frontiers between the British colonies from Virginia to Nova Scotia, and began with a dispute over the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers, the site of present-day Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Years%27_War_(North_America) -
Sugar Act
By reducing the rate by half and increasing measures to enforce the tax, the British hoped that the tax would actually be collected. These incidents increased the colonists' concerns about the intent of the British Parliament and helped the growing movement that became the American Revolution. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_Act -
Quartering Act
the name of at least two 18th-century acts of the Parliament of Great Britain. These Quartering Acts were used by the British forces in the American colonies to ensure that British soldiers had adequate housing and provisions. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quartering_Acts -
Stamp Act
Stamp Acta direct tax imposed by the British Parliament specifically on the colonies of British America. The act required that many printed materials in the colonies be produced on stamped paper produced in London and carrying an embossed revenue stamp. -
Stamp Act Congress
Stamp Act Congress meeting on October 19, 1765 in New York City of representatives from among the Thirteen Colonies. They discussed and acted upon the Stamp Act recently passed by the governing Parliament of Great Britain overseas, which did not include any representatives from the colonies. Meeting in the building that would become Federal Hall, the Congress consisted of delegates from 9 of the 13 colonies. -
Declaratory Act
a declaration by the British Parliament in 1766 which accompanied the repeal of the Stamp Act. It stated that Parliament's authority was the same in America as in Britain and asserted Parliament's authority to make laws binding on the American colonies. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaratory_act -
Townshend Acts
a series of laws passed beginning in 1767 by the Parliament of Great Britain relating to the British colonies in North America. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Townshend_acts -
New York legislature Suspended by Parliament
Suspended After colonists began to boycott British goods, Parliament altered the revenue measure on March 5, 1770. Duties on all items except tea were repealed. The tea tax was retained because it was the most lucrative and to show Americans that Parliament still had the right to tax them. -
British Troops Occupy Boston
British troops land in Boston to enforce the Townshend duties (taxes on paint, paper, tea, etc., passed in June 1767) and clamp down on local radicals. The troops' presence doesn't sit well with locals and leads to street fights. http://www.nps.gov/revwar/about_the_revolution/timeline_of_events.html -
Boston Massacre
Boston Massacre an incident that led to the deaths of five civilians at the hands of British troops on March 5, 1770, the legal aftermath of which helped spark the rebellion in some of the British American colonies, which culminated in the American Revolutionary War. http://www.nps.gov/revwar/about_the_revolution/timeline_of_events.html -
All Townshend Acts except tea tax repealed
Tea TaxDuties on all items except tea were repealed. The tea tax was retained because it was the most lucrative and to show Americans that Parliament still had the right to tax them. -
Committees of correspondence formed
Committees of Correspondence are established throughout the colonies to coordinate American response to British colonial policy. This represents an important move toward cooperation, mutual action, and the development of a national identity among Americans. http://www.nps.gov/revwar/about_the_revolution/timeline_of_events.html -
British East India Company granted tea monopoly
an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_East_India_Company -
First Continental Congress calls for abolition of slave trade
Slave TradeIn September 1774, an assembly or Congress of the "ablest and wealthiest men in America" met in Philadelphia. There were representatives from all the colonies, except Georgia, at the Congress. It voted that the British Parliament had no right to raise taxes in the colonies and that the colonies should neither pay taxes, nor trade with Britain, until the British government had given in. This was the First Continental Congress formed in opposition to the Intolerable Acts. -
"Intolerable Acts"
Intolerable Actsa series of five laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774 relating to Britain's colonies in North America. The acts triggered outrage and resistance in the Thirteen Colonies that later became the United States, and were important developments in the growth of the American Revolution. -
Quebec Act
Quebec ActEnglish-speaking immigrants from Britain and the southern colonies objected to a variety of its provisions, which they saw as a removal of certain political freedoms. French-speaking Canadians varied in their reaction; the land-owning seigneurs and clergy were generally happy with its provisions. -
The Association boycotts British goods
Continental AssociationCongress hoped that by imposing economic sanctions, Great Britain would be pressured to redress the grievances of the colonies, and in particular repeal the Intolerable Acts passed by the British Parliament. The Association aimed to alter Britain's policies towards the colonies without severing allegiance. -
First Continental Congress
First Continental Congressa convention of delegates from twelve of the thirteen North American colonies that met on September 5, 1774, at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, early in the American Revolution. Called in response to the passage of the Coercive Acts (also known as Intolerable Acts by the Colonial Americans) by the British Parliament, the Congress was attended by 56 members appointed by the legislatures of twelve of the Thirteen Colonies. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
Lexington and ConcordAbout twenty thousand musket-bearing "Minute Men" swarmed around Bos- ton, there to coop up the outnumbered British. -
Americans capture British garrisons at Ticonderoga and Crown Point
Ticonderogaa tiny American force under Ethan AIlen and Benedict Arnold surprised and captured the British garrisons at Ticonderoga and Crown Point, on the scenic lakes of upper NewYork. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
Bunker HillIn June 1775 the colonists seized a hill, now known as Bunker Hill (actually Breed's Hill), from which they menaced the enemy in Boston. The British, instead of cutting off the retreat of their foes by flanking them, blundered bloodily when they launched a frontal attack with three thousand men. -
King George III formally proclaims colonies in rebellion
Six German princes involved in the transaction needed the money (one reputedly had seventy-four children); George III needed the men. Because most of these soldiers-for-hire came from the German principality of Hesse, the Americans called all the European mercenaries Hessians. -
Second Continental Congress
Second Continental Congressa convention of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that met beginning on May 10, 1775, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, soon after warfare in the American Revolutionary War had begun. -
Failed invasion of Canada
Failed in Canada, eh?the first major military initiative by the newly-formed Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. The objective of the campaign was to gain military control of the British Province of Quebec, and convince the French-speaking Canadiens to join the revolution on the side of the Thirteen Colonies. -
New Jersey constitution temporarily gives women the right to vote
New Jersey has traditionally been a political swing state, but has swung Democratic in recent decades. The Governorship has alternated between the two major parties since the election of Democrat Richard J. Hughes in 1961, with a succession of Republicans and Democrats serving as Governor. The New Jersey Legislature has also switched hands over the years, and one house was evenly divided from 1999–2001, when the Democrats took control. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War.[9][10] They were fought on April 19, 1775, in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord, Lincoln, Menotomy (present-day Arlington), and Cambridge, near Boston. The battles marked the outbreak of open armed conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and its thirteen colonies in the mainland of British North America. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battles_of_Lexington_and_Concord -
Philadelphia Quakers found world's first antislavery society
Portuguese negotiate the first slave trade agreement that also includes gold and ivory. By the end of the 19th Century, because of the slave trade, five times as many Africans (over 11 million) would arrive in the Americas than Europeans. -
Paine's Common Sense
Common Sensea pamphlet written by Thomas Paine. It was first published anonymously on January 10, 1776, during the American Revolution. Common Sense, signed "Written by an Englishman", became an immediate success. In relation to the population of the Colonies at that time, it had the largest sale and circulation of any book in American history. -
Declaration of Independence
Declaration of Independencea statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain were now independent states, and thus no longer a part of the British Empire. Written primarily by Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration is a formal explanation of why Congress had voted on July 2 to declare independence from Great Britain, more than a year after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War. -
Battle of Trenton
Battle of Trentonafter General George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River north of Trenton, New Jersey. The hazardous crossing in adverse weather made it possible for Washington to lead the main body of the Continental Army against Hessian soldiers garrisoned at Trenton. After a brief battle, nearly the entire Hessian force was captured, with negligible losses to the Americans. -
Battle of Brandywine
Brandywinea battle of the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War fought on September 11, 1777. It was fought in the area surrounding Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania and the Brandywine River. The battle, which was a decisive victory for the British, left Philadelphia, the revolutionary capital, undefended. -
Battle of Saratoga
SaratogaBurgoyne, whose campaign to divide New England from the southern colonies had started well but slowed due to logistical problems, won a small tactical victory over General Horatio Gates and the Continental Army in the September 19 Battle of Freeman's Farm at the cost of significant casualties. -
Battle of Germantown
Germantownbattle in the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War, was fought on October 4, 1777, at Germantown, Pennsylvania. The British victory in this battle ensured that Philadelphia, the capital of the self-proclaimed United States of America, would remain in British hands throughout the winter of 1777–1778. -
Articles of Confederation adopted by Second Continental Congress
On November 15, 1777, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation. Submitted to the states for ratification two days later, the Articles of Confederation were accompanied by a letter from Congress. -
Formation of French-American Alliance
Alliance formally negotiated by Benjamin Franklin and the 1778 Treaty of Alliance was signed on February 6, 1778 after the American victory at the Battle of Saratoga, under the designation of "Franco-American Treaty of Amity and Commerce".[6] The treaty gave open support from the French Army -
Battle of Monmouth
Monmouth an American Revolutionary War battle fought on June 28, 1778 in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The Continental Army under General George Washington attacked the rear of the British Army column commanded by Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton as they left Monmouth Court House -
Clark's victories in the West
Victories his success forced the British to cede the region north of the Ohio River to the United States at the peace table in Paris.America's infant navy had meanwhile been laying the foundations of a brilliant tradition. The naval es- tablishment consisted of only a handful of nondescript ships, commanded by daring officers, the most famous of whom was a hard-fighting young Scotsman, John Paul Iones. -
Massachusetts adopts first constitution drafted in convention and ratified by popular vote
The United States Constitution was written in 1787, but it did not take effect until after it was ratified in 1789, when it replaced the Articles of Confederation. It remains the basic law of the United States federal government.The first state to ratify the Constitution was Delaware; the last of the original thirteen to ratify was Rhode Island; since only nine were required, this was two years after it went into operations. -
Battle of King's Mountain
King's Mountaina decisive Patriot victory in the Southern campaign of the American Revolutionary War that took place on October 7, 1780. Frontier militia loyal to the United States overwhelmed the Loyalist American militia led by British Major Patrick Ferguson of the 71st Foot. -
Battle of Cowpens
Cowpensa decisive victory by American Revolutionary forces under Brigadier General Daniel Morgan, in the Southern campaign of the American Revolutionary War. It was a turning point in the reconquest of South Carolina from the British. -
Articles of Confederation put into effect
After considerable debate and alteration, the Articles of Confederation were adopted by the Continental Congress on November 15, 1777. This document served as the United States' first constitution, and was in force from March 1, 1781, until 1789 when the present day Constitution went into effect. -
Greene leads Carolina campaign
Nathaniel GreeneStanding and then retreating, he exhausted his foe, General Charles Cornwallis, in vain pursuit. By losing battles but winning campaigns, the "Fighting Quaker" finally succeeded in clearing most of Georgia and South Caro- lina of British troops. -
French and Americans force Cornwallisto surrender at Yorktown
Yorktowna decisive victory by a combined assault of American forces led by General George Washington and French forces led by the Comte de Rochambeau over a British Army commanded by Lieutenant General Lord Cornwallis. It proved to be the last major land battle of the American Revolutionary War in North America, as the surrender of Cornwallis' army prompted the British government eventually to negotiate an end to the conflict. -
North's ministry collapses in Britain
Whig Party It was determined, by a policy of liberality, to salve recent wounds, reopen old trade channels, and prevent future wars over the coveted trans-Appalach ian region. This farsighted policy was regrettably not fol- lowed by the successors of the Whigs. -
Military officers form Society of the Cincinnati
On March 15, 1783 a group of American Revolutionary War officers met outside Newburgh, New York, to discuss whether or not they should take action against Congress. They were spurred on by their animosity towards Congress’s failure to pay them in an organized and timely matter. After the meeting began, General George Washington entered the room and gave a speech advising the officers to give Congress more time to sort out the problem. -
Treaty of Paris
Treaty of Paris formally ended the American Revolutionary War between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United States of America, which had rebelled against British rule. The other combatant nations, France, Spain and the Dutch Republic had separate agreements; for details of these, and the negotiations which produced all four treaties. -
Treaty of Fort Stanwix
Fort Stanwixa treaty signed in October 1784 at Fort Stanwix, located in present-day Rome, New York, between the United States and Native Americans. It was one of several treaties between Native Americans and the United States after the American victory in the Revolutionary War.
The treaty served as a peace treaty between the Iroquois and the Americans, since the Indians had been ignored in the Treaty of Paris. -
Land Ordinance of 1785
The Land Ordinance of 1785 was adopted by the United States Congress on May 20, 1785. Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress did not have the power to raise revenue by direct taxation of the inhabitants of the United States. Therefore, the immediate goal of the ordinance was to raise money through the sale of land in the largely unmapped territory west of the original states acquired at the 1783 Treaty of Paris) after the end of the Revolutionary War. -
Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom
The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom was drafted in 1779 by Thomas Jefferson in the city of Fredericksburg, Virginia. In 1786, the Virginia General Assembly enacted the statute into the state's law. The Statute for Religious Freedom is one of only three accomplishments Jefferson instructed be put in his epitaph. It supported the Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment -
Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom
The Articles of Confederation was the first constitution of the United States and specified how the Federal government was to operate, including adoption of an official name for the new nation, United States of America. The Second Continental Congress appointed a committee to draft the Articles in June 1776 and sent the draft to the states for ratification in November 1777. In practice, the Articles were in use beginning in 1777. The ratification process was completed in March 1781. -
Meeting of five states to discuss revision of the Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation was the first constitution of the United States and specified how the Federal government was to operate, including adoption of an official name for the new nation, United States of America. The Second Continental Congress appointed a committee to draft the Articles in June 1776 and sent the draft to the states for ratification in November 1777. In practice, the Articles were in use beginning in 1777. The ratification process was completed in March 1781. -
Shay's Rebellion
Shays' Rebellion was an armed uprising in central and western Massachusetts (mainly Springfield) from 1786 to 1787. The rebellion is named after Daniel Shays, a veteran of the American Revolutionary war, who led the rebels. -
Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia
By 1786, Americans recognized that the Articles of Confederation, the foundation document for the new United States adopted in 1777, had to be substantially modified. The Articles gave Congress virtually no power to regulate domestic affairs--no power to tax, no power to regulate commerce. Without coercive power, Congress had to depend on financial contributions from the states, and they often time turned down requests. -
Northwest Ordinance
The Northwest Ordinance (formally An Ordinance for the Government of the Territory of the United States, North-West of the River Ohio, and also known as the Freedom Ordinance) was an act of the Congress of the Confederation of the United States. The primary effect of the ordinance was the creation of the Northwest Territory as the first organized territory of the United States out of the region south of the Great Lakes, north and west of the Ohio River, and east of the Mississippi River. -
Ratification by nine states guarantees a new government under the Constitution
The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme law of the United States. The Constitution is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.
