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The Boston Tea Party
On the night of December 16th 342 chests of tea were thrown into the Boston Harbor by the Americans. The Tea Act made East India Tea cheaper than smuggled Dutch tea, increased sales, and helped the government collect a tax on the tea. For many Americans, the idea of a failing corporation receiving a bailout from a government that did not grant colonists any say in the matter represented another overstep by the British Parliament. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first major military campaigns of the American Revolutionary War, resulting in an American victory and an outpouring of militia support for the anti-British cause. On April 18, 1775, Joseph Warren, a physician and member of the Sons of Liberty, learned from a source inside the British high command that Redcoat troops would march that night on Concord. Warren dispatched two couriers, silversmiths to alert residents of the news. -
The Declaration of Independence is Signed
The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. It was engrossed on parchment and on August 2, 1776, delegates began signing it. -
The Winter at Valley Forge
The winter of 1777-78 was not the coldest nor the worst winter ever experienced during the war, but regular freezing and thawing, plus intermittent snowfall and rain, coupled with shortages of provisions, clothing, and shoes, made living conditions extremely difficult. -
Articles of Confederation are Ratified
When the Constitutional Convention met in 1787, the United States already had a framework of national government—the Articles of Confederation. The Constitutional Convention itself was—in many ways—a response to the weaknesses of this form of government. -
The Battle of Yorktown
joint Franco-American land and sea campaign that entrapped a major British army on a peninsula at Yorktown, Virginia, and forced its surrender. The siege virtually ended military operations in the American Revolution. The American commander-in-chief, General George Washington, ordered Lafayette to block Cornwallis’s possible escape from Yorktown by land. -
The Constitution is Ratified
Written in 1787, ratified in 1788, and in operation since 1789, the United States Constitution is the world's longest-running written government charter. Its first three words “We The People” affirm that the government of the United States exists to serve its citizens. The first state to ratify the Constitution was Delaware on December 7, 1787, followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut. -
Presidential Inauguration of George Washington
Although not required by the Constitution, George Washington presented the first Presidential inaugural address on April 30, 1789. On April 16, 1789, two days after receiving official notification of his election, George Washington left his home on the Potomac for New York. -
Washington’s Farewell Address
Washington's Farewell Address is a letter written by President George Washington as a valedictory to "friends and fellow citizens" after 20 years of public service to the United States. He wrote it near the end of the second term of his presidency before retiring to his home at Mount Vernon in Virginia. -
The Death of George Washington
On Thursday, December 12, 1799, George Washington was out on horseback supervising farming activities from late morning until three in the afternoon. The weather shifted from light snow to hail and then to rain. Upon Washington's return, it was suggested that he change out of his wet riding clothes before dinner. -
Election Day, 1800
It was held from Friday, October 31 to Wednesday, December 3, 1800. In what is sometimes called the "Revolution of 1800", the Democratic-Republican Party candidate, Vice President Thomas Jefferson, defeated the Federalist Party candidate and incumbent, President John Adams. -
Marbury vs. Madison
Thomas Jefferson defeated John Adams in the 1800 presidential election. Before Jefferson took office on March 4, 1801, Adams and Congress passed the Judiciary Act of 1801, which created new courts, added judges, and gave the president more control over the appointment of judges. The Act was essentially an attempt by Adams and his party to frustrate his successor, as he used the act to appoint 16 new circuit judges and 42 new justices of the peace.