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Enlightenment
The Enlightenment was an intellectual movement in the 1600's and 1700's that focused on reason. Some of the Famous thinkers apart of the Enlightenment included Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and John Locke. -
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War was a North American conflict and it was between Great Britain and France. The war did provide Great Britain with enormous territorial gains in North America, however, paying the war's expenses caused colonial discontent. -
Sons of Liberty
The sons of Liberty were groups of American colonists who disagreed with the British rule of the 13 North American colonies. They had organized protests and some even destroyed property and used violence against British officials. Their main goal was to overturn the stamp act and they succeeded. -
Stamp Act of 1765
The Stamp Act of 1765 required the colonists to pay a tax, represented by a stamp, on various forms such as papers, documents, and playing cards. Those that were accused of violating the Stamp Act could be prosecuted in Vice-Admiralty Courts. -
Townshend Act of 1767
With this act, new taxes were placed on imports of glass, lead, paper, and tea to the Colonies from Great Britain. The profit received from these taxes would be used to pay for the colonial governors and judges. -
Boston Massacre
On the day of the Boston Massacre, Colonists were very angry about being unfairly taxed, so they began to throw things such as snowballs, stones and sticks as a way of protest to the British troops. The British began to open fire towards the crowd and it became very bloody very quickly. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was an act of protest and was a direct response to British taxation policies in the North American colonies. One December 16th, a group of approximately 50 Bostonians disguised as Native Americans boarded the ships Beaver, Dartmouth, and Eleanor, and proceeded to dump 342 crates of tea into the Boston harbor. -
Intolerable Acts (Coercive Acts)
The Intolerable Acts were a series of four laws that were passed by the British Parliament to punish the colony of Massachusetts Bay for the Boston Tea Party. The 4 acts included The Boston Port Bill, The Massachusetts Government Act, The Administration of Justice Act, and the Quartering Act. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord marked the beginning of the American Revolutionary War. The Battle was between British regulars and American provincials and it was an American Victory. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill was a major engagement in the initial phase of the American Revolutionary War and it was fought primarily on Breed's Hill in Charlestown, Massachusetts. The battle was between the American Patriots and the British Army. The battle was a British victory but cost them heavy casualties. -
Battle of Yorktown
The Battle of Yorktown was the last major land battle of the American Revolutionary War. It was an American Victory and had led to the surrender of General Cornwallis and the capture of both him and his army. This victory at Yorktown prompted the British government to negotiate an end to the conflict. -
Constitutional Convention
The Constitutional Convention was held in Philadelphia and it lasted for four months, May to September. They met to address the problems of the weak central government that existed under the Articles of Confederation. -
3/5 Compromise
The 3/5 Compromise was an agreement that basically said that three out of every five slaves were counted when determining a state's total population for legislative representation and taxation. This compromise had increased Southern Political Power because they now held more percentage of seats in the Congress. -
Great Compromise
The Great Compromise was an agreement reached during the Constitutional Convention of 1787. It defined the legislative structure and representation each state would have under the United States Constitution. -
Bill of Rights Adopted
The Bill of Rights was inspired by Jefferson and drafted by James Madison. It held the Constitution’s first ten amendments and it became the law of the land.