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Enlightenment
European politics, philosophy, science and communications were radically reoriented during the course of the “long 18th century” (1685-1815) as part of a movement referred to by its participants as the Age of Reason, or simply the Enlightenment -
French and Indian War
The war lasted nine years and ended with the Treaty of Paris. Great Britain gained several new territories, but found themselves in a lot of debt which will later ultimately lead to the American revolution. click to learn more -
Sons of liberty
The Sons of Liberty were a group of instigators and provocateurs in colonial America who used an extreme form of civil disobedience threats, and in some cases actual violence-to intimidate loyalists and outrage the British government. -
Stamp Act of 1765
The Stamp Act was passed by the British Parliament to help pay for troops during the seven year war. Colonists were required to pay tax, represented by a stamp. -
Townshend Act of 1767
These acts were new laws the British Parliament passed on American colonists. New taxes were placed and certain freedoms were taken away. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was a street fight between citizens and British soldiers. Colonists threw snowballs, sticks, and rocks at the soldiers and in return, they shot and killed 5 people. click to learn more -
Boston Tea Party
The Tea Party was a political protest by American colonists. Angry because Britain imposed tax without representation, they dumped 342 boxes of tea into the harbor. click to learn more -
Intolerable act
The Coercive Acts of 1774, known as the Intolerable Acts in the American colonies, were a series of four laws passed by the British Parliament to punish the colony of Massachusetts Bay for the Boston Tea Party. -
Battle of Yorktown
The British and Germans (Hessians) battled the Americans and French in Virginia. The Americans won and their victory was the first step to gaining independence. "If we do not deceive our own men, we will never deceive the enemy" General Washington -
Treaty of Paris Signed
The Treaty of Paris was signed by the U.S. and Britain, ending the American Revolution War. The treaty recognized the U.S. as independent and they were given more Western territory. -
Constitutional Convention
This event was meant to decide how America would be governed. Initially, they were going to revise the existing Articles of Confederation, but many representatives had different ideas. -
3/5 compromise
an agreement to count three-fifths of a state's slaves in apportioning Representatives, Presidential electors, and direct taxes. -
Great Compromise
a dual system of congressional representation. In the House of Representatives each state would be assigned a number of seats in proportion to its population. In the Senate, all states would have the same number of seats. -
Bill of Rights Adopted
Congress transmitted to the state legislatures twelve proposed amendments to the constitution. Numbers three through twelve became the United States Bill of Rights in 1791.
