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Britain introduces Stamp Act
The new tax required all legal documents including commercial contracts, newspapers, wills, marriage licenses, diplomas, pamphlets, and playing cards in the American colonies to carry a tax stamp. The Stamp Act was the first direct tax used by the British government to collect revenues from the colonies. -
Boston Massacre
English troops fire on a group of people protesting English taxes. -
Boston Tea Party
English tea is thrown into the harbor to protest a tax on tea by the colonists -
Battle of Lexington and Concord marking start of American Revolution
the battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, which began the American Revolutionary War and led to the creation of the United States of America. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence is approved July 4 by the Continental Congress (made up of representatives from the American colonies). Its goals were to rally the troops, win foreign allies, and to announce the creation of a new country. -
The Battle of Yorktown; end of Revolutionary War
British General Cornwallis surrenders to the Americans at Yorktown, Virginia, ending the fighting in the Revolutionary War. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris, signed in Paris by representatives of King George III of Great Britain and representatives of the United States of America on September 3, 1783, officially ended the American Revolutionary War. -
The Constitution of the United States signed
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. This founding document, originally comprising seven articles, delineates the national frame of government. -
US Bill of Rights
It guarantees civil rights and liberties to the individual—like freedom of speech, press, and religion. It sets rules for due process of law and reserves all powers not delegated to the Federal Government to the people or the States.