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Sugar Act
The Stamp Act was in essence what got the ball rolling in America's quest for independence. A luxury tax placed upon Sugar & Molasses in the colonies by the British Parliament in an effort to squeeze maximum revenue from the colonies. -
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Foundations of American Democracy
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Stamp & Quartering Acts
The final two measures on what became known so lovingly in the colonies as the "Intolerable Acts" the Stamp Act was yet another luxury tax on the colonies while the quartering act required all colonial citizens to house and give aid to any British soldier on request. This infuriated the colonies and led them to take action. -
Revolutionary War Begins
On this day in history the Revolutionary War began in Lexington, Massachusettes. American militia and British Royal Army forces clashed in a short skirmish on an open field marking the start of the war for independence. -
Signing of the Declaration
On this day MURICA was born. The formal declaration written by Thomas Jefferson was the document that officially ended the political affiliation with Great Britain and declared the United States of America as its own sovereign nation. -
Creation of the Articles of Confederation
After gaining independence from England, the US was faced with the monumental task of creating their own form of central government. Worried of yet another potential tyranical government the Articles were a very weak government. The Articles held very little political power and allowed for the states to nearly be self-governing. -
Annapolis Convention
The State of Virginia passed a resolution that called for 13 different delgates from each colony to meet in Annapolis to discuss the nation' problems. Their goal was the amend the Articles of Confederation so the national government would be more effective. -
Constitutional Convention
On this date, twelve delgates from each state except Rhode Island gathered in Philadelphia. In Independence Hall and reached the consensus that the states would use the Connecticut Compromise that called for a bicameral legislature or Congress . One of the two houses of Congress would be elected according to the states' relative populations. The other house would give equal voice to each state no matter what its size. -
The Constitution is Signed
The Constitution was signed by 33 of its original 55 delgates. Several had left the signing because they strongly disagreed with the documents ability to rule the nation in a way they deemed fit. The document was not final, as it had to be approved by the 13 states' governments. The Constitution itself said that 9 of the 13 states would have to approve the document before it really could become effective.
