-
Stamp Act of 1765
In March of 1765, the British Parliament passed the stamp act to help pay for British troops stationed in the colonies during the seven years war. It required colonists to pay a tax, represented by a stamp on different forms of papers, documents, and playing cards. -
Townshed act of 1767
The Townshend Acts were measures, passed by the British Parliament in 1767, that taxed goods imported to the American colonies. But American colonists, who had no representation in Parliament, saw the Acts as an abuse of power. -
The Boston massacare
The Boston Massacre was a deadly riot that occurred on King Street in Boston. In which a group of nine British soldiers shot five people out of a crowd of three or four hundred who were abusing them verbally and throwing various missiles. It began as a street brawl between American colonists and a lone British soldier, but quickly escalated to a chaotic, bloody slaughter -
Boston Tea party
The Boston Tea Party happened at Griffin's Wharf in Boston, Massachusetts. American colonists were mad at Britain for imposing "taxation without representation." Because of this, they poured 342 chests of tea into the harbor -
First continental congress meet
The first Continental Congress in the United States met in Philadelphia to figure out its reaction to the British government's restraints on trade and representative government after the Boston Tea Party. Representatives from twelve of Britain's thirteen American colonies met to figure out America's future under growing British aggression. -
Thomas Paine's common sense published
writer Thomas Paine wrote his pamphlet “Common Sense,” setting forth his arguments in favor of American independence. it is a 47-page pamphlet advocating independence from Great Britain for people in the Thirteen Colonies. -
Declaration of independence adopted
the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of independence made by Thomas Jefferson, they did not want it to mean individual equality. Rather, what they declared was that American colonists had the same rights to self-government as other nations. -
Creation of the articles of confederation.
The Articles of Confederation served as the first constitution, declaring that the confederacy of the old 13 colonies would be called “The United States of America.” The Articles of Confederation had 13 articles that gave powers to a national government, that was led by Congress. -
Battle of Yorktown
The battle of Yorktown was the last major land battle of the American revolution. Here, British General Lord Charles Cornwallis and his army surrendered to General George Washington’s American force and its French allies. -
Treaty of Paris signed
The treaty where American colonies and Great Britain ended the American Revolution and officially recognized the United States as an independent nation. John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and John Jay signed it. -
Constitutional convention
The convention was intended to revise the league of states and the first system of government under the Articles of Confederation, The fifty-five representitives who met in Philadelphia would not only reject the Articles of Confederation altogether, but they would produce the first written constitution for any nation in the history of the world. -
The great compromise
The great Compromise was an agreement reached during the Constitutional Convention that in part defined the legislative structure and representation each state would have under the United States Constitution. States with larger populations wanted congressional representation based on population, while smaller states demanded equal representation -
Constitution ratified
The Constitution became the official essential rule of the government of the United States of America when New Hampshire became the ninth of 13 states to give consent. The journey to ratification, however, was a long and difficult process. -
Bill of rights adopted
The Bill of Rights is the first 10 Amendments in the Constitution. It spells out Americans rights in relation to their government. These amendments guarantee basic rights and civil liberties, like the freedom of religion, the right to free speech, the right to bear arms, trial by jury, and more, as well as reserving rights to the people and the states.
