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The Enlightenment
The Enlightenment was a European philosophical movement that promoted individuality and logic. The ideas introduced during the enlightenment directly inspired the ideas that America was founded upon. Learn more here! -
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The French and Indian War
This costly seven year war saw the English fight the French and Native Americans. The taxes the English government enacted after this war eventually caused the colonists to revolt. -
Stamp Act of 1765
The Stamp Act imposed a paid tax on every piece of printed paper, including legal documents, newspapers, and playing cards, in order to fund defense of the American Frontier. The actual cost was relatively small, but Americans took offense to the standards it set and worried about more insidious taxation in the future. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre occurred following rising tension in Boston due to the placement of British soldiers in the city. On March 5th, 50 citizens assaulted a British sentinel, and when more soldiers were brought in they too were assaulted, which culminated in the soldiers firing upon and killing multiple citizens. -
The Boston Tea Party
In an act of defiance towards the new taxes, Boston colonists dumped 342 crates of British tea into the Boston Harbor. -
The Battles of Lexington and Concord
The battles of Lexington and Concord were the first battles of the Revolutionary War. They marked the outbreak of armed conflict between the English and their colonies, and showed that the colonists were capable of standing up to the British army. -
Articles of Confederation
These articles were written in wartime urgency during 1777, and were ratified in 1781. Under the articles the states remained sovereign and independent, and they declared the new nation "The United States of America." Read the Articles of Confederation here:
http://www.ushistory.org/documents/confederation.htm -
The Siege of Yorktown
In the last major land battle of the Revolutionary War, The American and French armies defeated the British. This prompted the British government to negotiate an end to the war.
Learn More Here! -
The Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris formally ended the war between Britain and the colonists, their nation now officially declared the United States of America. Read the Treaty of Paris here:
https://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llsl&fileName=008/llsl008.db&recNum=93 -
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The Constitutional Convention
Although the conference was intended to revise the existing Articles of Confederation, The Constitutional Convention ended up drafting a new Constitution, and creating a new government. -
Three-Fifths Compromise
Many ratios were considered for slave influence in representation, but it was James Madison who decided on three-fifths. This compromise dictated that every slave counted for three-fifths of a white man for matters -
The Constitution's Ratification
After the Constitution was drafted during the Constitutional Congress, it was handed over to the states to vote on. Although some states worried that the document lacked protection for basic rights, after it was promised that amendments would be added, the final states agreed to ratify the Constitution. -
Bill of Rights Adopted
The Bill of Rights are a set of amendments to the United States Constitution which protect the freedoms of the people. Upon its initial ratification it contained ten amendments, but that number has been increased over the course of its history. -
The Bill of Rights is Rarified
On December 15, 1791, Virginia became the tenth of fourteen states to ratify 10 amendments to the US constitution. Known as The Bill of Rights, these ten amendments outlined the basic rights afforded to all US citizens. For more, click here.
