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British Parliament
The British Parliament passed a series of Acts against the Colonists, such as the Sugar Act, Stamp Act and Townshend Acts, which taxed Colonists to pay for British expenses. -
Boston Tea Party
The Colonists held the Boston Tea Party, in which they rebelled against the British tax on tea by boarding ships carrying the taxed tea and dumping cases of tea overboard into Boston Harbor in Massachusetts. -
Boston Tea Party Revolt
In response to the Boston Tea Party, Parliament passed the Intolerable Acts to punish Massachusetts, and Boston Harbor was closed to commerce. The First Continental Congress met at Carpenters' Hall in September 1774 to draw up a Declaration of Rights and Grievances and an appeal to King George III. This was in response to the Colonies' outrage towards the British Parliament over punishing Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party. -
Revolutionary War
The Revolutionary War began with the Battle of Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts in April. In May, the Second Continental Congress began meeting in Philadelphia and later appointed George Washington as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. The Second Continental Congress continued to meet until 1781 and during its tenure, the Second Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence and adopted the Articles of Confederation -
Retalation
Benjamin Franklin formed an alliance between the United States and France, against Great Britain; France and Great Britain would then go to war against one another. -
Shays Rebellion
Shay's Rebellion occurred in Massachusetts. Due to the lack of a Federal response to this armed uprising, there were newly energized calls to reevaluate the Articles of Confederation. Further, this rebellion gave strong impetus to the Constitutional Convention, which began in May 1787. -
Ten Amendments
Ten Amendments, also known as the Bill of Rights, were added to the new Constitution of the United States. The First Bank of the United States was chartered by Congress and President Washington in Philadelphia, under the direction of the First Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton. -
Presidency
George Washington was inaugurated into his second term as President of the United States. -
John Adams Takeover
John Adams was inaugurated into his first and only term as the second President of the United States at Congress Hall in Philadelphia. -
Free World
The United States Government relocated from Philadelphia to its new home in Washington, D.C., which is bordered by the states of Maryland and Virginia.