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Stamp Act of 1765
The British Parliament passed the act to help pay for troops stationed in colonies during the Seven Years War. It made colonists pay a tax represented by a stamp on printed things like paper, documents, and playing cards. -
Townshend Act of 1767
The Townshend Act was to help pay the expenses involved in governing the American colonies. It put taxes on glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea. -
Boston Massacre
The massacre had been a confrontation where a group of nine British soldiers shot five people out of a crowd that had been taunting them. The soldiers were found guilty of manslaughter and were branded with an "m" on their thumb. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a reaction to Hutchinson refusing colonists demands for the ships to depart peacefully with their cargo unloaded as well. The party of men had dressed as Native Americans and dumped the tea into the Harbor. -
Intolerable Acts
The Parliament had passed four acts which were called the Coercive Acts but became known as the Intolerable Acts, as they were perceived as very severe and cruel. When the Bostonians destroyed hundred of crates of tea, the Intolerable Acts were created in reaction to them. -
First Continental Congress Meets
They had met to discuss and decide how to react to Britain's aggression. The Continental Congress had issued the Declaration of Colonial Rights and Grievances which denied Parliament's rights to tax the colonies and criticized the British for stationing troops in Boston. -
Declaration of Independence adopted
When congress officially adopted the Declaration, it became known as Independence Day or the Fourth of July. The Declaration of Independence announced the United States' independence from Britain. -
Articles of Confederation Created
The Articles of Confederation served as the United States' first constitutions. They created a loose confederation of sovereign states as well as a weaker central government, which left a lot of power to the state governments. -
Battle of Yorktown
Cornwallis had been forced to surrender as French and American forces had trapped the British forces. The victory of Yorktown ended any major combat that was during the Revolutionary war as well as helped lead to American Independence. -
Treaty of Paris signed
It was a treaty between Great Britain and American colonies that had ended the Revolution as well as help recognize the US as an independent nation. In the terms, France had gave up all its territory in mainland North America, which ended any military threat to British colonies there. -
Great Compromise
The Great Compromise was a solution where both large and small were both fairly represented, with two houses of Congress. It proposed that each state would get two senators irrespective of the size of their population. -
Constitutional Convention
The point in the convention was to decide how America was going to be governed. Some debates were over representation in Congress, slavery, and the new executive branch. -
3/5 Compromise
The compromise stated that 3/5ths of the slave population would be counting for determining direct taxation as well as representation for the House of Representatives. It also provided additional representation in the House of Representatives compared to the free states. -
Constitution is ratified
When New Hampshire ratified it, the Constitution became the official framework of the government of the US. The journey to ratification was a very long process though,
