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Townshend Act
Parliament passed the Townshend Acts, which initiated taxes on glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea. In response to new taxes, the colonies again decided to discourage the purchase of British imports. -
Boston Tea Party
American colonists who were frustrated and angry at Britain for imposing “taxation without representation,” dumped 342 chests of tea, imported by the British East India Company into the harbor. The event was the first major act of defiance to British rule over the colonists -
Intolerable Acts
A series of four laws passed by the British Parliament to punish the colony of Massachusetts Bay for the Boston Tea Party. The Intolerable Acts closed down Boston Harbor, made trials in the colonies difficult, and allowed English soldiers to invade colonists' homes. The American colonists were outraged and refused to follow the new laws, which is why they were called 'intolerable. ' -
1st Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was a meeting of delegates of 12 of the Thirteen Colonies held from September 5 to October 26, 1774 at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia.Congress passed and signed the Continental Association in its Declaration and Resolves, which called for a boycott of British goods to take effect in December 1774. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence states the principles on which our government, and our identity as Americans, are based. The Declaration of Independence is not legally binding, but it is powerful. It declares a complete break with Britain and its King and claims the powers of an independent country. -
Articles of confederation
The Articles of Confederation served as the written document that established the functions of the national government of the United States after it declared independence from Great Britain. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris was signed by U.S. and British Representatives on September 3, 1783, ending the War of the American Revolution. Based on a 1782 preliminary treaty, the agreement recognized U.S. independence and granted the U.S. significant western territory. -
3/5 Compromise
The Three-Fifths Compromise was reached among state delegates during the 1787 Constitutional Convention. It determined that three out of every five slaves was counted when determining a state's total population for legislative representation and taxation. -
Signing the US Constitution
On September 17, 1787, 39 of the 55 delegates signed the new document, with many of those who refused to sign objecting to the lack of a bill of rights. At least one delegate refused to sign because the Constitution codified and protected slavery and the slave trade. -
Great ( Connecticut ) Compromise
An agreement reached during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that in part defined the legislative structure and representation each state would have under the United States Constitution.