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Slavery
Virginia Slave Code passed -
George Washington
George Washington is born in Westmoreland County, Virginia -
Invention
Benjamin Franklin invents the lightning rod -
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French and Indian War
The Colonies fought against the French and their Native allies. -
Royal Proclamation
King George III issues the Royal Proclamation which limited the westward expansion of the American colonies -
Boston Massacre
A deadly riot between British soldiers and patriots -
Boston Tea Party
Bostonians led by Josiah Quincy and Samuel Adams discussed the new British tax on tea and subsequently boarded three ships in the nearby harbor, tossing the 342 chests of tea overboard -
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The Revolutionary War
The colonies fought for their freedom -
"Give me liberty, or give me death!"
Patrick Henry gives his famous speech to the Virginia House of Burgesses -
Capture of Ticonderoga
The first major success of the Americans in the Revolutionary War -
The Declaration of Independence
The Colonies declare their independence from Britain -
Siege of Yorktown
British surrendered at Yorktown, ending the Revolutionary War -
Invention
John Fitch invents a steamboat -
The United States Constitution
The Constitution goes into effect -
President
George Washington is unanimously elected president of the new nation -
Invention
Eli Whitney patents the cotton gin