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The Sugar Act
An attempt to reduce the smuggling of trade in sugar and molasses, the sugar act was a reintroduction of the previously coined 'molasses act', ensuring that the definitive tax on imported sugar and molasses was being upheld. The profits of this tax were openly utilized for military funding. -
The Stamp Act
A new tax required for all colonists, which taxed every printed document they used. -
The Townshend Acts
A series of taxes placed on colonists, taking away most freedoms. These laws placed taxes on many common items such as paint and tea. -
The Boston Tea Party
At Griffin's Wharf in Boston, a group of political activists known as the Sons of Liberty dumped 342 chests of tea imported by the British East India company. This was an act of defiance against the British due to their imposition of taxation without representation on the colonists. -
The Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts provided a punishment to the state of Massachusetts in reaction to the Boston Tea Party. These acts generated four main effects:
1. The closing of the Boston Harbor
2. Increased the powers of the military governor (through the Massachusetts Government Act)
3. Protection of British officials charged with capital crimes, by allowing their trial to be held in Britain (through the Administration of Justice Act)
4. The Revival of the Quartering Act. -
The Battle of Lexington and Concord
The Battle of Lexington and Concord signified the beginnings of the American Revolutionary War. The battle took place in Massachusetts against Great Britain's militia and took the lives of over 100 men from both sides. -
Franco-American Alliance
A formalized alliance in the 1778 Treaty of Alliance, in which France agreed to provide military aid and supplies to the United States in their war against Great Britain. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris is signed by representatives of the United States and Great Britain, ending the Revolutionary War. This also signified Great Britain's acknowledgement of the United States independence. -
Shay's Rebellion
Beginning on August 31, 1786, Shay's Rebellion occurred in Massachusetts as a result of an ongoing debt crisis. This was a series of attacks on government courthouses and other buildings, but lead to a military battle at its peak. This was a significant antecedent that identified the urgent for the upcoming constitutional convention, which eventually lead to its adoption. -
The Adoption of the United States Constitution
On this date, the United States Constitution was taken into full effect, allowing for the beginnings of a checks and balances system, that established the three branches of government (Executive, Judicial, Legislative).
