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Navigation Acts
The navigation acts caused good economic growth in Britain but in the American colonies, the acts created difficulties in the life of merchants with little effect on average colonists. -
French and Indian War Ends
The Treaty of Paris of 1763 ended the French and Indian War also known as the Seven Years' war. -
Stamp Act
The stamp act was a tax on all paper documents inside the colonies that stemmed from the debt Britain had from the Seven Years' War -
The Boston Massacre
A deadly riot on King Street in Boston. Began as a street brawl between American colonists and a British soldier but quickly escalated into a bloody slaughter. -
Tea Act
The tea act gave the colonies control of the delivery of tea without it going through Britain first. It also added a tax on tea. -
Boston Tea Party
Political protest in which angry Americans dumped 342 chests of tea into the harbor. The protest was because of Britain's imposition of "taxation without representation". -
Coercive / Intolerable Acts
- The Boston Port Act
- The Massachusetts Government Act
- The Administration of Justice Act
- The Quartering Act
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First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress worked to create a common cause for the colonies. 12 of 13 delegates from the 13 colonies met at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
Hundreds of British troops marched from Boston to Concord to seize an arms cache. The militiamen then intercepted the Redcoats. The battle ended with the British retreating under fire. -
Second Continental Congress
About a month after the shots fired at Lexington and Concord the congress met at Independence Hall. -
Declaration of Independence adopted
By declaring themselves an independent nation, the American colonists could obtain French assistance in the war. -
Battle of Saratoga
Ended in an American victory on 10/7/1777. The battle was an attempted three-prong attack on New York by the British. -
Winter at Valley Forge
The soldiers worked together to build huts for shelter in the camp but poor sanitary conditions and shortages of food and blankets caused disease to plague the camp. -
Battle of Yorktown
The battle ended in an American victory. It was the last major land battle of the American Revolution and it led to negotiations for peace with the British and even led to the signing of the Treaty of Paris -
U.S. Constitution Written
At the Constitutional Convention, Founding Father James Madison drafted what is now the United States Constitution. 39/55 delegates signed it. -
U.S. Constitution adopted
39 out of 55 delegates signed the U.S. Constitution. Many refused because of the lack of a bill of rights.