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The Enlightenment
Belief that government's sole purpose is to protect the rights of its people ; questioned King's authority -
First Great Awakening
religious revival ; belief that God speaks to all people , not just the wealthy or elite ; questioned authority -
Increasing Tension With Britan
- Proclamation of 1763 ( forbade settlements west of the Appalachians) -Sugar Act ( tax on sugar )
- Stamp Act ( tax on documents )
- Townshend Acts ( tax on imports )
- Tea Act ( tax on tea )
- Intolerable Acts ( closed Boston Harbor )
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Lexington and Concord
First battle of the Revolution
- British planned to arrest colonial leaders and seize weapons
- Paul Revere made famous Midnight Ride to warn the milita
- Known as the 'shot hear 'round the world" -
Second Continental Congress
- Chose Washington as commander of the Continental Army
- Approved the creation of the Declaration of Independance -Became the nation's first acting government
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Declaration of Indepandance
- written primarily by Thomas Jefferson
- listed grievances against George ||| and claimed independence from Britan based on the philosophies of John Locke
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Saratoga
Turning point of the war
- convinced the French king to recognize and aide Americans -
Valley Forge
Harsh winter endured by Continental Army
- many deserted, Washington had to motivate his troops to stay
- Marquis de Lafayette and Baron von Stueben arrive from Europe to help train the Army -
Articles of Confederation
- adopted by the states of 1781 as the nation's 1st constitution
- loose Confederation of states, each with one vote in Congress
- Northwest Land Ordinance - set procedure for orderly expansion of the U.S.
- Weaknesses : no power to tax or raise and army ; states printed own money ; Shay's Rebellion was stopped by a state militia
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Yorktown
Last major battle of the war
- French ships prevent British supplies from reaching Yorktown
- British General Cornwallis is forced to surrender -
Treaty of Paris , 1783
Ended the American Revolution
- The 13 colonies become independent from England
- The boundary of the U.S. extends to the Mississippi River -
Constitutional Convention , 1787
Also called the Philadelphia Convention - Delegates met to revise the Articles of Confederation ; instead they wrote an entirely new constitution and formed a new government