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Boston Tea Party
The news of the Boston Tea Party reached London, England on January 20, 1774, and as a result the British shutdown Boston Harbor until all of the 340 chests of British East India Company tea were paid for. This was implemented under the 1774 Intolerable Acts and known as the Boston Port Act. -
The Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were some of the leading military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. The battles were fought on April 19, 1775, in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord, Lincoln, Menotomy (present-day Arlington), and Cambridge. -
The declaration of independence
The Declaration of Independence was approved by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, but it was not signed until almost a month later. -
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. However, the suffering troops were held together by loyalty to the Patriot cause and to General Washington, who stayed with his men -
Article of Confederation are Ratified
With a quarter of his troops freezing, starving, and barely clothed, Washington, running out of options, schemed a bold—and highly risky—Christmas Eve attack. December 23, 1777, dawned cold and dank over the hills of Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, with the scent of snow in the air. -
The Battle of Yorktown
The Battle of Yorktown proved to be the decisive engagement of the American Revolution. -
The Constitution is Ratified
The Constitution had been produced in strictest secrecy during the Philadelphia convention. The ratifying conventions served the necessary function of informing the public of the provisions of the proposed new government. -
Presidential Inauguration of George Washington
George Washington set a precedent for future presidents when he delivered his first inaugural address on April 30, 1789. -
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. -
The death of george washington
On the evening of December 14, 1799, at Mount Vernon, George Washington passed away from a throat infection. He was buried four days later in the family vault at Mount Vernon. -
Election Day, 1800
Thomas Jefferson (Democratic-Republican) defeated John Adams (Federalist) in the presidential election of 1800 by an electoral vote of seventy-three to sixty-five. -
Marbury vs. Madison
Marbury v. Madison, arguably the most important case in Supreme Court history, was the first U.S. Supreme Court case to apply the principle of "judicial review" -- the power of federal courts to void acts of Congress in conflict with the Constitution.