Creation of the U.S. Declaration of Independence

By aubrey1321

  • George III Becomes King of England

    After the death of his father in 1751, George III became King of England at 22 years old. He was the third Hanoverian monarch and the first one to be born in England and to use English as his first language.

  • Stamp Act

    The Stamp Act was created by the British Parliament and was the first direct tax on American colonies. Things like newspapers, almanacs, pamphlets, and playing cards were taxed. It was used to raise funds for the British Army Troops.

  • Stamp Act Congress meets in NYC

    During this meeting, the representatives of nine of the American colonies met to discuss resolutions of “rights and grievances” and to petition the king of England and the British Parliament for the repeal of the Stamp Act.

  • Parliament Passes the Townshend Acts

    The Townshend Acts initiated taxes on glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea to help pay the expenses involved in governing the American colonies.

  • Boston Massacre

    British soldiers shot into a crowd of colonists, killing at least 5 people. The Boston Massacre draws the line where the feud between American colonists and British soldiers turns fatal.

  • Boston Tea Party

    The Boston Tea Party was a protest group of American colonists who dumped over 300 chests full of tea into the Boston Harbor to fight against the taxation of goods like tea.

  • The Intolerable Acts

    The Intolerable Acts includes four acts put in place: The Boston Port Act, closing the Boston Harbor; The Massachusetts Government Act which increased the powers of the military governor; The Administration of Justice Act, aimed at protecting British officials charged with capital offenses during law enforcement by allowing them to go to England for trial; And The Quartering Act, which gave colonial governors the right to claim unoccupied buildings to house British troops.

  • 1st Continental Congress Meets in Philadelphia

    This meeting aimed to find peaceful resolutions to grievances with the British Government and discuss ways to protect colonial rights.

  • Lexington and Concord

    First shots of the American Revolution; referred to as the "shot heard around the world".

  • 2nd Continental Congress Meets in Philadelphia

    This meeting resulted in unifying the colonies against parliament, drafting the Olive Branch Petition in an attempt to avoid war with Britain, and creating the Continental Army.

  • The Olive Branch Petition

    The Olive Branch Petition was a letter written as a last attempt to prevent the declaration of war between Great Britain and the Thirteen Colonies of America.

  • Adoption of Declaration of Independence

    The Declaration of Independence states the principles on which our government, and our identity as Americans, are based. “That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States.” It declares a complete break with Britain and its King and claims the powers of an independent country.

  • Adoption of Articles of Confederation

    The Articles of Confederation serve as the United States' official documentation of the function of its new government, following its independence from Great Britain.

  • Treaty of Paris

    The treaty officially ended the American Revolutionary War and recognized the Thirteen Colonies to be free, sovereign and independent states; it set the boundaries between the then called British North America (now Canada), and the United States.