-
Stamp Act of 1765
The British needed to station a large army in North America as a consequence. and on march 22, 1765, the British parliament passed the Stamp Act, which sought to raise money to pay for this army through a tax on all legal and official papers, and publications circulating through the colonies -
Townshed act of 1767
To help the expenses involved in governing the American colonies, Paraliament passed the Townshed Acts. The acts which initiated taxes on glass, lead, paper, paint, and tea. -
Boston Massacre
A crowd confronted eight British Soldiers in the streets of the city. As the mob insulted and threatened them, the soldiers fired their muskets, killing five colonists -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was to protest British parliament's tax on tea. The demonstrators boarded the ships and threw the chests of tea into the Boston Harbor -
First Continental Congress meets
The first Continental Congress, formally declared that colonists should have the same rights as Englishmen. They also agreed to form the Continental Association, which called the suspension of trade with Great Britian -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
Massachusetts colonists defied British authority, outnumbered and outfought the Redcoats, and embarked on a lengthy war to earn their independence. -
Olive Branch petition sent to England.
The Olive Branch Petition was adopted by congress. To be sent to the king as a last attempt to prevent formal war from being declared. The petition emphasized their loyalty to the British Crown and emphasized their rights as British citizen's -
Thomas Paine's Common Sense published
Common Sense is a 47-page pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1775-1776 advocating independence from Great Britain to people in the Thirteen Colonies -
Declaration of Independence adopted
The Declaration of Independence states the principles on which our government, and our identity as American, are based. The Declaration of Independence is not legally binding but, it is powerful. -
Articles of Confederation created
The Articles of Confederation was a document that explained how the government was to work. They failed because it left too much power with the states -
Treaty of Paris
The treaty, signed on September 3rd 1783, between the American colonies and Great Britain, ended the American Revolution. Also formally recognized the United States as an independent nation. -
3/5 Compromise
It determined that three out of every five slaves were counted when determining a state's total population for legislative representation and taxation. Before the Civil War, the Three-Fifths Compromise gave a disproportionate representation of slave states in the House of Representatives. -
Period: to
Constitutional Convention
A convention of of delegates from all the states except Rhode Island met in Philadelphia, in May of 1787. At this meeting it was decided that the best solution to the problems was to set aside the Articles of Confederation and write a new constitution. -
Great Compromise
The Great Compromise established the United States legislature as a bicameral or two-house-law-making body. In the Senate, each state would allow two representatives. -
Bill of Rights Adopted
The Bill of Rights spells out Americans' rights in relation to their government. It guarantees civil rights and liberties to the individual-- like freedom of speech, press, and religion.