Foundation of the US Constitution

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    The French and Indian War

    The French and Indian War was a war between the British colonies and the French colonies. Because of the war, the British colonies started taxing the American colonies more.
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    The Second Continental Congress

    The second continental congress met in Philadelphia and at the event, the Congress put in place the normal functions of a normal government would function. Along with setting up a functioning government, the Declaration of Rights was written during the Continental Congress as well as the Articles of Confederation.
  • The Sugar Act

    The Sugar Act, also known as the Plantation Act or the Revenue Act was a British law banning sugar from being imported from other countries so the British government could make more money from the American Colonies.
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    The Stamp Act

    The Stamp Act was a British law making a tax on paper to help pay for the Seven Years War with France.
  • Declaration of Rights and Grievances

    The Declaration of Rights and Grievances established that there shouldn't be taxes without voting rights. This was made by the Stamp Act Congress.
  • The Townshend Act

    The Townshend Act was a British law that taxed things being imported into the colonies such as tea, sugar, and molasses. Colonists thought this was an abuse of Power.
  • The Boston Massacre

    The Boston Massacre took place on King Street in Boston. It started as a street fight between a few American colonists and a British soldier. It escalated quickly and in total, five men died while many others were injured. This was one of the biggest stepping stones in the American Revolution.
  • Tea Act of 1773

    The Tea Act of 1773 was made by the British that allowed the British East India Company, a large British tea company, the right to ship tea directly to the colonies without paying tax even though they were still taxing the American Colonists for the tea.
  • Boston Tea Party

    The Boston Tea Party was a protest against the British taxes. American Colonists dumped around a million dollars worth of tea into the Boston Harbor.
  • The Intolerable Acts

    The Intolerable Acts were made to punish Massachusetts colonists for the Boston Tea Party. They were also known as the Coercive Acts.
  • Continental Congress Established

    The Continental Congress was established in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on the first day of the First Continental Congress. There were 56 people, including George Washington, Patrick Henry, John Adams, and Samuel Adams. There were people from twelve of the thirteen colonies present.
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    First Continental Congress

    The First Continental Congress took place in Carpenters' Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This stood as the government for the thirteen colonies and then evolved into the American Government.
  • Patrick Henry Speech "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death"

    The famous quote, "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" was made by Patrick Henry in his speech to the Second Virginia Convention In March, 1775.
  • Battle of Lexington and Concorde

    The Battle of Lexington and Concorde was the start of the Revolutionary War. It took place in Massachusetts.
  • Battle Bunker Hill

    The battle of Bunker Hill was a battle early on in the Revolutionary War where the British lost more lives than Americans, which was not very common during the Revolutionary War.
  • The Declaratory Act

    The Declaratory Act was a British declaration that colonies had to be taxed the same way that British citizens were. It came at the same time the Sugar Act and Stamp Act were repealed.
  • The Drafting of The Declaration of Independence

    The original writing of The Declaration of Independence took place in Philadelphia. It was written by Thomas Jefferson, and later on, it was edited by John Adams and Benjamin Franklin along with other congressmen.
  • Publishing of Common Sense by Thomas Paine

    Thomas Paine wrote the book Common Sense in support of independence from Great Britain. This was a very big deal, and the book became famous quickly.
  • Lee Resolution

    The Lee Resolution declared the 13 colonies to be independent of the British. This was part of the 2nd Continental Congress.
  • Signing of the Declaration of Independence

    July 4th marks the official day that the declaration of independence started to be signed by Congress. The first signature was John Hancocks, who was the president of the Congress. The signings went on until around the beginning of August, but almost all of the congress signed it on July 4th.
  • Articles of confederation

    The Articles of Confederation are the original constitution of America written by one delegate from each colony. John Dickinson, a delegate from Delaware, was the main writer.
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    Battle of Yorktown

    The Battle of Yorktown was the last major battle of the Revolutionary War taking place in Yorktown, Virginia.
  • Treaty of Paris

    The Treaty of Paris was the treaty that formally ended the Revolutionary War. It was signed at the Hotel d'York in Paris.
  • Shay's Rebellion

    Shays Rebellion was an armed uprising against taxes in the
    Massachusetts countryside.
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    Annapolis Convention

    The Annapolis Convention was a meeting of delegates from 5 states to call for the constitutional convention.
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    Constitutional Convention

    The Constitutional Convention was an event made to figure out how the American government would be run. It took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania