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The end of the French and Indian War
Also known as the Seven Years' War, it provided Great Britain with large sums of land in North America, but disputes over foreign policy lead to the American Revolution -
Paxton boys Uprising
57 drunk settlers from Paxton slaughtered 20 innocent Indians (Susquehannock) whom they suspected of connivance with other Indians who had been stealing and pillaging. -
Proclamation of 1763
Issued; October 7, 1763 by King George III following Great Britain's acquisition of French territory in North America after the end of the French and Indian War/Seven Years' War. -
Sugar Act
A tax by Britain which raised tax revenue for them. -
Stamp Act
An act of British Parliament that exacted revenue from the American colonies by imposing a stamp on newspapers and legal documents. -
Town-shed Acts
A series of British Acts by Parliament that helped to reignite anger in the colonies against England. Just the year before, Parliament had repealed the Stamp Tax -
Treaty of Fort Stanwix
It was negotiated between Sir William Johnson, George Croghan, and representatives of the Six Nations (Iroquois) -
Boston Massacre
This was a street fight that was between a patriotic mob, throwing stones and sticks at a squad of British soldiers. Several colonists were killed and this led to a campaign by speech-writers to rouse the ire of the citizenry. -
Somerset Decision
A famous judgment of the Court of King's Bench in 1772, which held that chattel slavery was unsupported by the common law in England and Wales -
Boston Tea Party
A political and mechanistic protest by the Sons of liberty in Boston, Massachusetts , in which more than 100 colonists dumped tea into the Harbor- 45 Tons of Tea, 1 Million dollars in today -
Pontiac's Rebellion
Launched by a loose confederation by the Native Tribes, primarily from the Great Lake region, who were dissatisfied from British policies after the victory in the French and Indian War. -
Tea Act
The principal objective was to reduce the massive amount of tea held by the financially troubled British East India Company in its London warehouses and to help the financially struggling company survive (Catalyst for Tea Party) -
First Continental Congress
This was a meeting compromised of delegates from the colonies in reaction to the Coercive Acts (Measures imposed by the British government on the colonies in response to their resistance to new taxes) -
Intolerable Acts
Punitive laws put in place after the Boston Tea Party which were meant to punish the settlers of Boston. Also known as Coercive Acts. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
These were the first battles of the American Revolution War -
Second Continental Congress
With the Articles of Confederation ratified, the Congress was known as the Continental Congress, gave the Continental Army to George Washington, and managed the colonial war effort- financing the war with borrowed funds and without the support of taxes; states were asked to contribute men, supplies, and funds. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
The British defeats the Americans in Massachusetts and despite losing, they nearly wiped all of the British forces so they were given a confidence boost in knowing that they had barely been defeated. -
Common Sense
A pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1776 advocating independence from Great Britain to people in the Thirteen Colonies. Paine also wanted to encourage to push for a Egalitarian government. -
Declaration of Independence
This document expressed the ideas and goals of the Americans, listed complaints against the British king, and asked for freedom from Britain. (George III) -
Battle of Trenton
George Washington crossed the icy Delaware on Christmas and over the course of 10 days won two crucial battles of the American Revolution. In the Battle of Trenton, Washington defeated a formidable garrison of Hessian mercenaries before withdrawing. -
Battles of Saratoga
The climax of the Saratoga campaign which gave a decisive victory to the Americans over the British in the American Revolution -
Treaty of Alliance
Formed in the midst of the American Revolution, it promised mutual military support to the French in case fighting should break out between French and British forces. -
Articles of Confederation
The FIRST written constitution by the United States stemming from wartime urgency. It was created in 1777 but wasn't ratified until '81 -
Lord Cornwallis surrendered to George Washington
The surrender in Yorktown, Virginia, was important because Cornwallis brought 8,00 troops to Virginia and waited for more British troops which didn't show up throughout the months so he lost so many troops that he surrendered. -
Newburgh Conspiracy
A planned military coup by the Continental Army at the end of the Revolutionary War -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris ended the War of the American Revolution and recognized the U.S. independence, giving it significant western territory. -
Annapolis Convention
A meeting with twelve delegates from five states: New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Virginia. They gathered to discuss and develop a consensus about reversing the protectionist trade barriers that each state had. -
Shay's Rebellion
Shays' Rebellion was an armed uprising in Massachusetts, mostly in Springfield. American Revolutionary War veteran Daniel Shays led four thousand rebels in a protest against civil rights justice. -
Constitutional Convention
A meeting to address the problems of the weak central government that existed under the Articles of Confederation. -
Northwest Ordinance
An act of Congress which provided a method for admitting new states to the Union from the territory, and listed a bill of rights guaranteed in the territory. -
The Federalist Papers published
A collection of 85 articles and essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay to promote the ratification of the United States Constitution. -
Election (Inauguration) of George Washington
The first inauguration of George Washington as the first President of the United States was held on April 30, 1789 on the balcony of Federal Hall in New York City, New York. -
Beginning of the French Revolution
The French Revolution was a/ social and political upheaval in France and its colonies that lasted from 1789 until 1799. It was partially carried forward by Napoleon during the later expansion of the French Empire. -
Washington DC chosen as Capital
Multiple cities were capitals but Congress believed that there should be only be one so it was moved to Washington DC -
Hamilton's first report on credit
Hamilton called for payment in full on all government debts as the foundation for establishing government credit. -
Bill of Rights ratified
The ratification of the first 10 amendments known as the Bill of Rights -
First Bank of United States Chartered
A national bank chartered for 20 years. The establishment of the Bank of the United States was part of a three-part expansion of federal fiscal and monetary power, along with a federal mint and excise taxes -
Hamilton's report on Manufactures
Hamilton argued that the nation's primary industry should be manufacturing rather than agriculture. -
Whiskey Rebellion
Uprising of farmers and distillers in western Pennsylvania in protest of a whiskey tax enacted by the federal government during Washington's term. -
Citizen Genet Affair
An Incident precipitated by the military adventurism of Citizen Edmond-Charles Genêt, a minister to the United States dispatched by the revolutionary Girondist regime of the new French Republic -
Battle of Fallen Timbers
The final battle of the Northwest Indian War, a struggle between Native American tribes affiliated with the Western Confederacy -
Pinckney's Treaty
Signed in San Lorenzo de El Escorial on October 27, 1795 with the intentions of friendship between the United States and Spain. -
Jay's Treaty
A treaty between the United States and Great Britain that avoided war and resolved issues remaining since the Treaty of Paris of 1783 -
Treaty of Greenville
A negotiate to the Northwest Territory Indian War -
Election of John Adams
A Democratic-Republican from Virginia who served for only one term, 1797-1801 -
XYZ Affair
A diplomatic incident that occurred in 1797 between the United States and France. Angered by the Jay Treaty that restricted trade with any nations against Great Britain, the French began seizing American ships. -
Quasi War with France
An undeclared war between the US and France from 1798-1800 because of the XYZ Affair -
Alien and Sedition Acts
These laws included new powers to deport foreigners as well as making it harder for new immigrants to vote -
Judiciary Act of 1800
This reduced the size of the Supreme Court from six justices to five and eliminated the justices' circuit duties. To replace the justices on circuit, the act created sixteen judges for six judicial circuits. -
Election of Thomas Jefferson
The Revolution of 1800, serving from 1801-1809.
