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1773 BCE
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a political protest that occurred on December 16, 1773.
It showed Great Britain that Americans wouldn't take taxation and tyranny sitting down, and rallied American patriots across the 13 colonies to fight for independence. -
The Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. The battles were fought on April 19, 1775, within the towns of Lexington, Concord, Lincoln, Menotomy, and Cambridge.
The famous 'shot heard 'round the world', marked the start of the American War of Independence (1775-83). Politically disastrous for the British, it persuaded many Americans to take up arms and support the cause of independence. -
The Declaration of Independence is Signed
After much debate, the Second Continental Congress ultimately agreed to the Declaration of Independence, and then signed it on August 2, 1776, in the Pennsylvania State House.
The importance was it established for the first time in world history a new nation based on the First Principles of the rule of law, unalienable rights, limited government, the Social Compact, equality, and the right to alter or abolish oppressive government. -
Article of Confederation are Ratified
The Articles of Confederation were adopted by the Continental Congress on November 15, 1777. This document served as the United States' first constitution.
Equally important, the Confederation provided the new nation with instructive experience in self-government under a written document. In revealing their own weaknesses, the Articles paved the way for the Constitutional Convention of 1787 and the present form of U.S. government. -
The Winter at Valley Forge
The particularly severe winter of 1777-1778 proved to be a great trial for the American army, and of the 11,000 soldiers stationed at Valley Forge, hundreds died from disease.
It was significant because Washington used the time to improve his army. Troops drilled daily under the tutelage of a Prussian officer, Baron von Steuben, who implemented a system of standardized military training . The elevated level of military discipline proved invaluable for the remainder of the war. -
The Battle of Yorktown
The Siege of Yorktown, also known as the Battle of Yorktown, the surrender at Yorktown, or the German battle, beginning on September 28, 1781, and ending on October 19, 1781, at Yorktown, Virginia.
The Battle of Yorktown proved to be the decisive engagement of the American Revolution. The British surrender forecast the end of British rule in the colonies and the birth of a new nation—the United States of America. -
The Constitution is Ratified
The first state to ratify the Constitution was Delaware on December 7, 1787, followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut.The constitution was subsequently ratified by Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, and, finally, New Hampshire.
The ratifying conventions served the necessary function of informing the public of the provisions of the proposed new government. They also served as forums for proponents and opponents to articulate their ideas before the citizenry. -
The Presidential Inauguration of George Washington
The first inauguration of George Washington as the first president of the United States was held on Tuesday, April 30, 1789. The inauguration was held nearly two months after the beginning of the first four-year term of George Washington.
This was significant beyond the fact that he was the first president. His actions established a strong central government and helped put in place a plan to fix the problem of the national debt. -
Washington's Farewell Address
Washington's Farewell Address is a letter written by American President George Washington as a valedictory to "friends and fellow-citizens" after 20 years of public service to the United States.
It was important because he urged Americans to subordinate sectional jealousies to common national interests. The Senate tradition of reading the address aloud in the Chamber began on February 22, 1862, as a morale-boosting gesture during the darkest days of the Civil War. -
The Death of George Washington
On the evening of December 14, 1799, George Washington passed away of a throat infection. He was buried four days later in the family vault at Mount Vernon.
Americans have long appreciated George Washington's importance to our history. During the American Revolution, he led the colonial forces to victory over the British and became a national hero. In 1787, he was elected president of the convention that wrote the U.S. Constitution. Two years later, Washington became America's first president. -
Election Day, 1800
In what is sometimes called the "Revolution of 1800", Vice President Thomas Jefferson of the Democratic-Republican Party defeated incumbent president John Adams of the Federalist Party. The election was a political realignment that ushered in a generation of Democratic-Republican leadership.
This was a turning point in history as Thomas Jefferson called his election "the Revolution of 1800" because it marked the first time that power in America passed from one party to another. -
Marbury vs. Madison
Marbury v. Madison, legal case in which, on February 24, 1803, the U.S. Supreme Court first declared an act of Congress unconstitutional, thus establishing the doctrine of judicial review. The court’s opinion, written by Chief Justice John Marshall, is considered one of the foundations of U.S. constitutional law.
Arguably the most important case in Supreme Court history, giving the power of federal courts to void acts of Congress in conflict with the Constitution.