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Sugar Act
Was a revenue-raising act passed by the British Parliament in April, 1764. Taxes from the earlier Molasses Act of 1733 had never been effectively collected, largely due to colonial evasion as the molasses trade grew. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was passed by the British Parliament on March 22, 1765. There was a new tax on all American colonists and required them to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper they used. Including ship's papers, legal documents, licenses, newspapers, other publications, and even playing cards were taxed. It angered many colonists. -
Quebec Act
The Quebec Act was passed by the Parliament of Great Britain on June 22, 1774. The Quebec Act was designed to extend the boundaries of Quebec and guaranteed religious freedom to Catholic Canadians. -
Declaration of Independence Signed
Members of Congress affix their signatures to an enlarged copy of the Declaration of Independence.Fifty-six congressional delegates in total signed the document, including some who were not present at the vote approving the declaration -
Battles of Saratoga
A turning piont in the American Revolution, British General John Burgoyne achieved a small, but costly victory over American forces led by Horatio Gates and Benedict Arnold. -
The Battle of Yorktown
The Americans and French trap General Cornwalli's army at Yorktown, Virginia. It was a decisive victory by a combined force of American Continental Army. -
The Treaty of Paris
The United States and Great Britian negotiated and ended the revolutionary war and recognized American independence. -
Constitutional Convention begins
The Articles of Confederation, ratified several months before the British surrender at Yorktown in 1781, provided for a loose confederation of U.S. states, which were sovereign in most of their affairs. On paper, Congress–the central authority–had the power to govern foreign affairs, conduct war, and regulate currency, but in practice these powers were sharply limited because Congress was given no authority to enforce its requests to the states for money or troops