-
Enlightenment
The Enlightenment or also known as the Age of Reason, a movement that thinkers in Britain, France and throughout Europe questioned traditional authority and believed that humanity could be improved through rational change. -
Sons of Liberty
The Sons of Liberty ere a grassroots group of instigators and provocateurs in colonial America who rallied support for colonial resistance through the use of petitions, assemblies, and propaganda. -
Boston Massacre
A deadly riot that occurred on King Street in Boston. Colonists were angry about being unfairly taxed and at the British occupation; the British troops came to blows against the colonists. -
Boston Tea Party
A political protest at Griffin's Wharf in Boston, Massachusetts. American colonist were angry at Britain from imposing 'taxation without representation,' dumped 342 chests of tea belonging to the British East India Company. -
First Continental Congress meets
From 1774 to 1789 the Continental Congress served as the government of the 13 American colonies and later the United States. Delegates from the colonies met in reaction to a series of measures imposed by the British government after the colonies resisted new taxes. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord effectively led the Patriot colonist and British forced into the American Revolutionary War. Skirmish between British regulars and American provincials, marking the beginning of the American Revolution. -
Second Continental Congress meet
The Second Continental Congress met inside the Independence Hall, just a month after shots had been fired at Lexington and Concord and the Congress was called upon to take charge of the war effort. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
American patriots were defeated at the Battle of Bunker Hill but proved they could hold their own against the superior British Army; the British defeated the Americans. -
Olive Branch Petition sent to England
Adopted by Congress to be sent to the King as a last attempt to prevent formal war from being declared. The British emphasized with this petition loyalty to the British crown and their rights as British citizens. -
Declaration of Independence adopted
The Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1774. It adopted the 13 American colonies severed their political connections to Great Britain; it summarized the colonists' motivations for seeking independence. -
Articles of Confederation created
The Articles of Confederation created a sovereign, national government. It served as the United Sates' first constitution and adopted by the Continental Congress in 1777. -
Battle of Yorktown
The Battle of Yorktown was the final battle of the American Revolution. General Lord Charles Cornwallis and his army, surrendered to General George Washington's American force and its French allies, cementing Washington's reputation as a great leader and eventually selected as first president of the United States. -
Constitutional Convention
It took place from May 14 to September 17, 1787 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This event decided how America was going to be governed. -
Great Compromise
The Great Compromise was forged in a heated dispute during the Constitutional Convention, it defined the legislative structure and representation that each state would have under the United States Constitution. -
Constitution is ratified
New Hampshire became the ninth and last necessary state to ratify the document of the United States, making the document the law of the land.