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Navigation Acts
In the 1600s, the British tried applying mercantilism to their economy. Then, Parliament passed the Navigation Acts. This was made to regulate colonial trade and manufacturing. This event wasn’t very enforced, and had led to smuggling becoming very common, and the British really didn’t do much about it. -
End of French and Indian War
In 1763, the French and Indian War had finally ended. With this coming to an end, Britain gained all of French Canada, and the Islands of the Caribbean. This had made them an even stronger force, -
Stamp Act
The French and Indian War had drained the British of almost everything. In 1765, the Parliament passes the stamp act, which taxed newspapers and pamphlets. This angered some colonies, and started an outrage. Colonists used “No taxation without representation” as a way of protest. -
The Boston Massacre
In March of 1770, British soldiers in Boston started firing their weapons into a load of people that were throwing stones and snowballs at them. This event had killed five protestants. This angered the colonists as they really could not do much because they were worried of being killed. -
Boston Tea Party
In December of 1773, Colonists began to dump tea into the harbor. This was a protest to the tax that was put on tea. Parliament tried to pass other harsh laws against Massachusetts, but other colonies decided to fight back against the British. -
Tea Act
In 1773, the British had made the Tea Act, which was a taxation on tea. This act granted the company the right to ship its tea directly into the colonies. This yet again angered colonists a lot, and started another uproar in Britain. This event had led to the Boston Tea Party. -
Coercive/Intolerable Acts
The Coercive Acts, also knows as the Intolerable Acts, were four laws passed by Parliament. These laws were to punish the colony of Massachusetts Bay for the Boston Tea Party. Boston Harbor was also closed to trade until the tea was compensated for. This provoked an angry colony, as they were in disbelief of what the Parliament was doing to them. -
First Continental Congress
In 1774, The tension between the 12 colonies and Britain rose. Representatives from the 12 colonies met in Philadelphia. There, they discussed how to respond to what the British did to Massachusetts. John Adams, George Washington and Ben Franklin are some of the leading figures in this moment. -
Lexington vs Concord
In April of 1775, the first battle of the American Revolution was Lexington vs Concord. This battle was between the colonists and the British. The colonists were fed up and angry, so they joined forces and fought alongside one another. This even led to many more battles, and eventually, the British surrendering. -
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The American Revolution Times
The American Revolution was a time where Britain had a ton of power, and they were almost unstoppable. Some wanted to separate from Britain to get independence. So, they created colonies and made allies with other forces to take down Britain. Many battles and documents later, America had finally gained independence.They had reached their goal. -
Second Continental Congress
After Lexington vs Concord, the Second Continental Congress met and made a army, making George Washington the leader. This event also led to them voting on independence from Britain. A young, but very smart, Thomas Jefferson was in charge of this document, and this sparked a new war. -
Declaration of Independence
On July 4th 1776, Many American leaders signed the Declaration of Independence, and they pledged our lives, freedom and our sacred honor. This was a huge step in American history, as Thomas Jefferson was the main author of this document along with Ben Franklin helping him. We now know this as the 4th of July. -
Battle of Saratoga
The Americans first turning point was the Battle of Saratoga. This victory had France wanting to join forces with America, and this totally affected the war. This alliance brought them supplies, and most importantly, victory. -
Winter at Valley Forge
The Continental Troops that lived at Valley Forge suffered from extreme disease, cold, and hunger. This was a horrible winter for these troops, but they fought through this and they held themselves together. This event led to the surrender of the British. -
Battle of Yorktown
In 1781, George Washington and a amazing French fleet defeat and force a surrender of the British at Yorktown, Virginia. The American forces were too strong and they wore down the British as much as they could. George had prospered as a leader, and the Americans felt as they finally had some freedom. -
U.S Constitution Written
The Constitution was wrote in the Philadelphia Convention. To be put into action, it had to be ratified by 9 out of the 13 states that declared independence. People like James Madison, Ben Franklin, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson etc were major people in this event. They got most of our their ideas from the Enlightenment. People like Rousseau and John Locke were inspirations. -
Adoption of U.S Constitution
George Washington. James Madison and Ben Franklin met and made the framework of the U.S Constitution. In 1788, The U.S Constitution was finally adopted. This created a federal republic, which meant that power was divided among the federal or national government and the states. The Constitution also set up checks and balances, which was the government was able to monitor the power of the three different branches of government. Equality was very important.