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Enlightenment
A movement that focused mostly on freedom of speech , equality , freedom of press , and religious tolerance -
French and Indian war
The French and Indian War was the North American conflict in a larger imperial war between Great Britain and France known as the Seven Years' War. -
Stamp Act of 1765
The Stamp Act of 1765 was ratified by the British parliament under King George III. It imposed a tax on all papers and official documents in the American colonies, though not in England -
Townshend Act of 1767
Townshend Acts. To help pay the expenses involved in governing the American colonies, Parliament passed the Townshend Acts, which initiated taxes on glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea. -
First Continental Congress meets
The First Continental Congress met at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the fall of 1774. When the Delegates reconvened in May 1775, however, they met in Pennsylvania's state house. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on June 17, 1775 during the Siege of Boston in the first stage of the American Revolutionary War. The battle is named after Bunker Hill in Charlestown, Massachusetts, which was peripherally involved. -
Olive Branch Petition sent to England
The Olive Branch Petition was adopted by Congress on July 5th, 1775 to be sent to the King as a last attempt to prevent formal war from being declared. -
Battles of Lexington & Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. The battles were fought on April 19, 1775, in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord, Lincoln, Menotomy, and Cambridge. -
Articles of Confederation created
The Articles of Confederation were adopted by the Continental Congress on November 15, 1777. This document served as the United States' first constitution. It was in force from March 1, 1781, until 1789 when the present-day Constitution went into effect -
Sons of Liberty
The Sons of Liberty was a loosely organized, clandestine, sometimes violent, political organization active in the Thirteen American Colonies founded to advance the rights of the colonists and to fight taxation by the British government. -
Great Compromise
provided a dual system of congressional representation. In the House of Representatives each state would be assigned a number of seats in proportion to its population -
Bill of Rights adopted
Opportunities to improve our Constitution have been contemplated since its inception. On December 15, 1791, three-fourths of the existing State legislatures ratified the first 10 Amendments of the Constitution—the Bill of Rights.
