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The Sugar Act
The British placed a tax on sugar and other imports from non-British colonies. -
The Stamp Act
The British Parliament passed the "Stamp Act" to help pay for British troops stationed in the colonies during the Seven Years' War and The act required the colonists to pay a tax. -
The Administration of Justice Act
The Administration of Justice Act stipulated that British officials accused of a crime were to be tried in England, as opposed to the American courts. -
The Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was an official act taken by all 13 American colonies in declaring independence from British rule. -
The Battle of Saratoga
The Battles of Saratoga marked the climax of the Saratoga campaign, giving a decisive victory to the Americans over the British in the American Revolutionary War. -
The Battle of Yorktown
Siege of Yorktown, (September 28–October 19, 1781), 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 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 U.S. Constitution
Written in 1787, ratified in 1788, and in operation since 1789, the United States Constitution is the world's longest surviving written charter of government. Its first three words – “We The People” – affirm that the government of the United States exists to serve its citizens.