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Turning Point: Navigation Acts
The Navigation Acts were a series of laws passed in British Parliament in 1651, 1660, and 1663 to encourage British exportation and to allow Great Britain to retain the monopoly of British colonial trade for the benefit of British merchants. This was yet another spark set off by the British to anger colonists, and is in the stack of causes of the American Revolutionary War. -
Diplomacy: The Treaty of Paris
The signing of the Treaty of Paris formally ended the French and Indian War, marking the beginning of an era of British rule in the American colonies. All French territory on the North American mainland was lost, with Britain gaining the Ohio Valley. The debt caused by this war ultimately led to taxation of the colonists and increased tensions between Britain and the colonies. -
Turning Point: Proclamation of 1763
Issued on the 7th of October, 1763 following the end of the French and Indian War, this proclamation forbade settlement beyond the Appalachian Mountains and also granted Britain a considerable amount of N American land. This began tensions between the colonists and their motherland, and was ultimately the first strike of the match for the American Revolution. -
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Diplomacy: Stamp Act Congress
The Stamp Act Congress, also known as the First Congress of the American Colonies, was the first meeting (held between the 7th and 25th of October, 1765) of elected representative from multiple American colonies to come up with a unified protest against new British taxation. This meeting came about after the passing of the Stamp Act (hence the name Stamp Act Congress), which imposed taxes on each and every paper item used by colonists. -
Diplomacy: Declaration of Rights and Grievances
The Declaration of Rights and Grievances (passed October 14th, 1765) was a document written by the Stamp Act Congress that declared that taxes enforced by the British onto American colonists without their consent was unconstitutional. Though it was not directed specifically at the Stamp Act, this document listed fourteen points of protest on this issue and brought the colonists' grievances to light. It allowed their concerns to be put forth and legitimized their want for change. -
Turning Point: The Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was an incident in which British soldiers killed five American citizens and injured six more on March 5th, 1770. This was the climactic point after the accumulation of tensions that had been growing in the colonies ever since British troops had arrived in 1768 to enforce large taxes on the colonists (due to the Townshend Acts). This occurrence turned many colonists against British authority and was a significant event leading to the rebellion that followed. -
Turning Point: Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord signaled the beginning of the American Revolution, and the famous "shot heard 'round the world" was fired during the first battle in Lexington. These battles were initiated by British troops who were given secret orders to capture rebel leaders and destroy/steal military supplies reportedly stored in Concord by the Massachusetts militia. After defeating the British at Concord, the British commander decided to retreat his forces. And thus began the Revolution. -
Diplomacy: Olive Branch Petition
The Olive Branch Petition (adopted by Second Continental Congress on July 5th, 1775) was a final attempt to avoid a full on war between Britain and the American Colonies. The petition was rejected by England, and King George had refused to read it before declaring the colonists traitors. The symbolic rejection of this "olive branch" made it clear to colonists that the choice was between full independence from British rule or full submission to it. -
Freedom: Common Sense - Thomas Paine
Common Sense, written by Thomas Paine, was a pamphlet advising colonists to take a look at their way of life and the way that Britain was treating them. Its goal was to persuade its reader to consider and fight for independence from Great Britain. At the time, it had the largest sale and circulation of any book published in American history. It touched on the issues of government, debates of morals, and the mechanisms of democracy. It set off a spark in the colonies that only grew stronger. -
Freedom: US Declaration of Independence
Ratified on July 4th of 1776, the Declaration of Independent formally stated that the thirteen American colonies regarded themselves as independent from British rule. Upon this ratification, they formed a new, free nation: the United States of America. -
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Turning Point: Battles of Trenton and Princeton
After being confronted with the initial set backs during the American revolution (lack of food, troops, supplies), George Washington was also hit with the fact that Congress viewed him as an unfit commander because he wasn't winning battles. But on Christmas Eve 1776, Washington crossed the Delaware and defeated the British at Trenton. Crossing back over the Delaware on the 30th, he set out for Princeton where he defeated British Cornwallis, commander of all British troops in the colonies. -
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Turning Point: The Battles of Saratoga
The Battles of Saratoga, held on September 19th and October 7th of 1777, gave the decisive victory to the Americans over the British in the Revolutionary War. After these battles, which marked a major turning point in the war, General Burgoyne of Britain returned to his homeland and was never given another commanding position in the British army. -
Diplomacy: Treaty of Alliance with France
The Franco-American Treaty was an alliance between France and the American colonies formed during the American Revolution. This alliance guaranteed mutual military support and was planned to stay in place indefinitely. Four days after the signing of this agreement, Britain declared war on France, engaging them in the American Revolution. -
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Turning Point: The Battle of Yorktown
The Battle of Yorktown was the last major land battle of the American Revolutionary War, signaled by the British surrender in this battle. This surrender was triggered by the combined French and American forces trapping the British. As a result of this defeat, popular support for the war began to deteriorate and peace negotiations began the following year. -
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Turning Point: Shays' Rebellion
Shays' Rebellion was a series of protests by American farmers against economic injustices and high taxes. This rebellion was cited as justification for revision of the Articles of Confederation. -
Compromise: The Connecticut Compromise/Great Compromise
Adopted on July 16th, 1787, the Connecticut Compromise presented a solution to the debate between smaller and larger states over their representation in the new Senate. While the large states believed that representation should be based on the contributions each state made to the country's finances and defense, the small states believed that equal representation was the only fair plan. The 'compromise' was that each state's number of seats in the Senate would be in proportion to population. -
Compromise: Three-Fifths Compromise
Brought about during the Constitutional Convention, the 3/5 Compromise addressed the debate over whether, slaves would be counted in a state's population for taxing purposes. While the northerners believed they shouldn't receive representation, southerners believed that they should be counted with whites (simply to receive rep more for themselves, as blacks could not vote at this time). The compromise allowed a state to count 3/5 of every black person in determining political representation. -
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Turning Point: Federalist Papers
(Dates are approximate dates that 77 of the 85 articles were published)
The Federalist Papers were a collection of 85 essays written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay encouraging independence and promoting the ratification of the US Constitution. In writing these essays, the authors wished to influence the vote of the reader in favor of ratification. These essays opened many eyes to the reality of the situation and just how necessary ratification was. -
Compromise: Ratification of the Constituion
(Date is date that Congress certified that Constitution is suitably ratified) With drafting beginning in May 1787, the Constitution's goal was to replace the unsuccessful Articles of Confederation. The first state to ratify was Delaware. The Constitution is the supreme law of the United States, and affirms that the gov. exists to serve its citizens. The majority of citizens at the time supported ratification, and those who didn't were guaranteed freedoms in the later drafted Bill of Rights. -
Freedom: Bill of Rights
Ratified on the 15th of December, 1791, the Bill of Rights was the first ten amendments to the US Constitution. It was created to address the grievances of Anti-Federalists and to map out the specific rights and freedoms granted to the US citizens in the Constitution.