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Boston Tea Party
A group of men calling themselves the "Sons of Liberty" went to the Boston Harbor. The men were dressed as Mohawk Indians. They boarded three British ships, the Beaver, the Eleanor and the Dartmouth, and dumped 45 tons of tea into the Boston Harbor. -
The Declaration of Rights and Grievances
Is the second and third parts of the Declaration of Independence. They are the rights of citizens. It says that the government has to protect the rights of the citizens. The list of grievances lists the complaints against the British government. It also lists what the colonists want or think they should have. They decided that it is best to let the then King of England, King George III, to hear out the simple Colonists that are much affected by the laws passed, and approve the Declaration. -
The Continental Congress Meeting
Representatives from each colony, except Georgia, met in Philadelphia. The royal governor in Georgia succeeded in blocking delegates from being sent to the congress. The representatives gathered to discuss their response to the British "Intolerable Acts." They met to discuss their relationship with Britain, and how to assert their rights with the British government. They wanted to appear as united colonies in their reply to Britain. The purpose was not to seek independence from Britain. -
The Revolutionary War Began
The War took place in Lexington, Mass. Several times the British nearly defeated the Continental Army. But victories at Trenton and Princeton, N.J., in late 1776 and early 1777 restored patriot hopes, and victory at Saratoga, N.Y., which halted a British advance from Canada, led France to intervene on behalf of the rebels.They were repeatedly defeated by British soldiers because they lacked weapons and the expertise in war. -
2nd Constitutional Congress Meeting
The delegates of the 13 colonies gathered in Philadelphia to discuss their next steps. The members of the Second Continental Congress met at the State House in Philadelphia. There were several new delegates including: John Hancock from Massachusetts, Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, and Benjamin Franklin from Pennsylvania. The meeting started with the battle of Lexington and Concord fresh in their memories. -
The Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was approved at the Second Constitutional Congress. It introduced a fundamental change in the view of government. Thomas Jefferson declared that governments were created to serve the people, and could only act with consent of the people. It created the democratic government. -
The Articles of Confederation
in effect after ratification by Maryland, March 1,1781, the Articles of Confederation served as a bridge between the initial government by the Continental Congress of the Revolutionary period and the federal government provided under the Constitution for the United States in effect March 4, 1789 -
The Revolutionary War Ended
This war lasted for seven years, with effective American victory in October 1781. The Treaty of Paris in 1783 was ratified by this new national government. This was followed by formal British abandonment of any claims to the thirteen states with the Treaty of Paris in 1783. Thus, the revolutionary war put an end to the colonial possessions and the individual colonies developed into an independent nation. -
The Constitutional Congress Opens
Four years after the United States won its independence from England, 55 state delegates, including George Washington, James Madison, and Benjamin Franklin, convene in Philadelphia to compose a new U.S. constitution -
The Final Draft of the Consstitutional
The Committee was tasked with taking the August 6 draft and editing it to include all points decided by the Convention, and to polish the document into something to be presented to the Congress and the States. The members of the committee, including Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and Gouvernour Morris, worked over the weekend and over the next few days to turn the various decisions and debates into a finished document. The draft, became the Constitution we have today.
