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Boston Tea Party
On the evening of December 16, 1773, a group of men calling themselves the "Sons of Liberty" went to the Boston Harbor. The men were dressed as Mohawk Indians. They boarded three British ships, the Beaver, the Eleanor and the Dartmouth, and dumped forty-five tons of tea into the Boston Harbor. -
First Continental Congress meets
In 1774, the colonies held the First Continental Congress. Representatives from each colony, except Georgia, met in Philadelphia to discuss their response to the British Intolerable Acts. -
Declaration of rights and grievances is passed
The Declaration of Rights and Grievances was made by the First Continental Congress in October 14, 1774. They decided that it is best to let the then King of England, King George III, to hear out the simple Colonists that are much affected by the laws passed, and approve the Declaration to make life easier for the colonies in America. The Declaration was made in response to what is known by the British as Coercive Acts, and what is known by the Colonists as the Intolerable Acts. -
Revolutionary War begins
At dawn on April 19 about 70 armed Massachusetts militiamen stand face to face on Lexington Green with the British advance guard. An unordered shot heard around the world begins the American Revolution. A volley of British muskets followed by a charge with bayonets leaves eight Americans dead and ten wounded. The British regroup and head for the depot in Concord, destroying the colonists' weapons and supplies. -
2nd continental congress
On May 10, 1775, the members of the Second Continental Congress met at the State House in Philadelphia. There were several new delegates including: John Hancock from Massachusetts, Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, and Benjamin Franklin from Pennsylvania.The Second Continental Congress established the militia as the Continental Army to represent the thirteen states. They also elected George Washington as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. -
Declaration of independence is signed
The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson, with the assistance of John Adams and Benjamin Franklin. The document defined the rights of the people of the independent states. On July 2, 1776, the members of the Second Continental Congress voted in favor of independence. The delegates then held a second vote and approved the Declaration of Independence. John Hancock, President of the Congress and Charles Thomson, the secretary, signed the document. -
Articles of Confederation is Signed
The new United States of America had no central government to replace the British control of national issues such as commerce, foreign policy and defense. The members of the Second Continental Congress continued to govern in place of a national government. They appointed a committee to draft the Articles of Confederation, which were created to define a new central government for America. -
Revolutiony War ends
The Treaty of Paris in 1783 formally ended the Revolutionary War and recognized the United States as an independent country. Great Britain granted the new nation all of its land from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River, and from Canada to Florida. -
Constitutional Congress opens
Although the Convention was intended to revise the Articles of Confederation, the intention from the outset of many of its proponents, chief among them James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, was to create a new government rather than fix the existing one. The delegates elected George Washington to preside over the convention. The result of the Convention was the United States Constitution, placing the Convention among the most significant events in the history of the United States. -
Final draft of the Constitution is signed
The Constitutional Convention convened in response to dissatisfaction with the Articles of Confederation and the need for a strong centralized government. After four months of secret debate and many compromises, the proposed Constitution was submitted to the states for approval. Although the vote was close in some states, the Constitution was eventually ratified and the new Federal government came into existence in 1789. The Constitution established the U.S. government as it exists today.
