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First Continental Congress
Representatives from twelve of the thirteen colonies met in Philadelphia to discuss what to do in response to the Coercive Acts that Britain had passed. -
American Revolution Begins
Colonists living in America wanted independence from Britain, but Britain wanted to keep control of America. The two nations began a war which ended in American independence. -
Second Continental Congress
Delegates from the thirteen colonies met and talked about the Revolution and what they were planning to do. -
Olive Branch Petition
The Second Continental Congress sent a petition to Britain as an attempt to end the war but the king rejected it. -
Declaration of Independence is Signed
During a Second Continental Congress meeting, they wrote a the Declaration of Independence which stated why the US wanted to leave Britain's rule. -
The Articles of Confederation are Adopted
The Second Continental Congress created a set of "rules" called the Articles of Confederation. The rules ended up failing because the federal government was too weak. -
Treaty of Paris is Signed
The Treaty of Paris was signed by Great Britain and the US. The signing of the treaty ended the American Revolutionary War. -
Constitutional Convention
The convention was a meeting that took place in Philadelphia. The objective of the convention was for the colonists to decide how America was to be governed. -
US Constitution is Signed
During the Constitutional Convention, colonists created the US Constitution which laid out the supreme laws for the United States. -
BIll of Rights Ratified
A list of ten amendments were added to the beginning of the US Constitution. The amendments were created to guarantee civil rights and liberties to citizens. -
Louisiana Purchase
A land deal took place between the US and France in which the US gained land from France in exchange for money that France needed for war. -
War of 1812
Britain had been violating US maritime rights which caused the US and Britain to go to war. -
Treaty of Ghent is Signed
The treaty was signed by both the US and Britain which ended the War of 1812 and set up a plan to determine the boundary between the US and Canada. -
Panic of 1819
After the War of 1812, a financial crisis spread through out the US. -
Adam-Onis Treaty Signed
The treaty between the US and Spain gave Florida to the US and defined the boundary between US and Spain territory. -
Missouri Compromise Passed
Congress passed a bill that admitted Missouri as a slave state, created Maine as a free state and excluded slavery from new states in the Louisiana Purchase north of MIssouri's southern boundary. -
Monroe Doctrine Published
The US issued a policy that warned European nations that the US would not allow more colonization. -
Tariff of Abominations Passed
A tariff was passed to protect industry in the North by taxing all foreign goods. The South was hurt by this tariff because it caused England to purchase less Southern goods since they didn't have as much money. -
Indian Removal Act
A law was created and passed that allowed the President to grant western land to Indian tribes that agreed to give up their current land. Many natives did not want to move so they were forced or killed. -
Texas Is Annexed
Texas became a part of the US and was admitted as the 28th state. -
Mexican-American War Takes Place
Mexico and the US went to war over border disputes and the annexation of Texas. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
A peace treaty is signed between the US and Mexico to end the Mexican-American War. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin Published
A woman named Harriet Beecher Stowe published a novel that helped many people understand the horrible things about slavery and change their ideas about it. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Congress passed the Kansas-Nebraska Act which allowed the citizens of Kansas and Nebraska to decide if they would allow or would not allow slavery. -
Civil War
The North and South of the US fought over whether the use of slavery should be allowed or not. In the end, the North won and slavery was abolished.
