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Ben Franklins Join or die Cartoon
Benjamin Franklin published one of the most famous cartoons in history. The Join or Die woodblock, Franklin’s art carried great meaning and importance at the time and is considered an early masterpiece of political messaging. He published an article about a military loss and it said to join the army or let you, your family, and your country die, so people joined. -
The Bloody Massacre
An angry crowd come together in Boston outside the Custom House on King Street to taunt with jeers and snowballs the British soldiers standing guard. Reinforcements were called, but unordered shots were fried, and when the smoke cleared three locals lay dead and another eight were wounded, two mortally. -
The Boston Tea Party
More than one hundred American colonists dressed as Native Americans boarded three merchant ships in Boston Harbor and dumped 342 chests of tea (valued at approximately $1.7 million in today’s currency) into the water. When word got back to England about what the Bostonians had done, British officials punished the rebellious Massachusetts colonists by passing a series of laws that became known as the “Intolerable Acts,” doing this increased tensions between Britain and the American colonists. -
Common Sense Book Published
This book was written by Thomas Paine on February 14, 1776, only a few months before the Declaration of Independence was written. He wrote this base on his opinion that was not very popular, in this book he states that Great Brittian should not be a part of the United States because Great Brittian is smaller and could easily be overthrown by America. -
Declaration of Independence
According to the National Archives, the Declaration of Independence was unanimous among the 13 colonies. It was written in Philadelphia by Thomas Jefferson. The Declaration was written to give the people of the United States freedom and the right to make their own choices.