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The Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was passed by the British Parliament to help the British soldiers stationed in the colonies during the Seven Years' war. The Stamp Act required colonists to pay a tax represented by a stamp. -
The Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts were also a series of laws passed by the British Government on the American Colonies. These laws took away freedom from the colonists and placed new taxes, for example, new taxes on imports of paper, paint, lead, glass, and tea. -
The Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was, at first, a small confrontation that quickly escalated into a bloody fight. The Boston Massacre occurred on King street in Boston. The Boston Massacre included American colonists and British soldiers. -
The Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a protest that occurred at Griffin's Wharf in Boston. American colonists were angry with Britain for imposing "taxation without representation" so they poured 342 cases of tea in the harbor. -
Coercive Acts
The Coercive Acts, which is also known as the Intolerable Acts, was a series of four laws passed by the British Parliament. The British Parliament passed these laws to punish the colony of Massachusetts Bay for the Boston Tea Party. -
Thomas Paine's Common Sense was Published
Common Sense was a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine. It advised independence from Great Britain to the people in the 13 colonies. Nearly 120,000 copies were sold. He also argued for the creation of a democratic republic. -
The Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was written after the Congress recommended that colonies form their own governments by Thomas Jefferson. The Declaration of Independence is a very important event in American history because it contains the goals of our nation. -
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Washing Crossing the Delaware
After Washington was forced to abandon New York City and driven across New Jersey by the British, the Continental Army and Washington retaliated on Christmas night by crossing the Delaware River and took about 900 prisoners. -
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Battle of Princeton, New Jersey
This battle ended in a small victory for Colonials. General Lord Cornwallis left about 1,400 British troops under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Charles Mawhood in Princeton. While General Washington broke camp at Trenton to avoid a British advance, attacking the British from the back and the train near Princeton and then evacuating to Morristown. -
Burgoyne surrenders at Saratoga
The British lost so many men during the previous battles, in September and October, Burgoyne withdrew with a weakened army. This stopped the British from dividing New England from the rest of the colonies and the deciding element in bringing active French support for the Americans. -
The United States and France form an alliance
The Treaty of Alliance with France was signed February 6th making a military alliance between the United States and France against Great Britain. France began to prepare armies to enter the fight but didn't actually declare war on Britain until June 1778. -
Benedict Arnold turns
Benedict Arnold was an American hero of the American Revolutionary War, until he went and fought for the British. Arnold's name quickly became a motto in the United States for treason and betrayal because he led the British army in battle against his own country. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation was created November 15th, 1777 and was ratified March 1st, 1781. The Articles of Confederation was an agreement between the 13 original states of the United States that served as the its first constitution. The need for a stronger Federal government became obvious which led to the Constitutional Convention in 1787. -
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Siege of Yorktown
This was a victory for the American Continental Army troops led by George Washington and French Army troops led by the Comte de Rochambeau. This ended major land operations in North America. This siege was the last major land battle of the American Revolutionary War in the North American region, which was surrendered by Cornwallis, which caused the British government to negotiate an end to the conflict. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris, which was signed in Paris by representatives of King George lll of Great Britain and representatives of the United States, was a peace treaty negotiated between the United States and Great Britain that ended the Revolutionary War and acknowledged the independence of the thirteen states. -
American Victory Pushes Indians Further West
The Treaty of Stanwix imposed a peace on the members of the Iroquois Confederacy that sided with the British in the American Revolution War. The war's aftermath was devastating to the Native Americans, they had no European allies to rely on. Indian tribes were under a lot of pressure from settlers moving west out of the original thirteen states. -
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Shays Rebellion
Shays Rebellion happened in Western Massachusetts. Shays Rebellion was led by Daniel Shay. Him and a group of protesters started a six month rebellion by taking over the Court of Common Pleas. This rebellion showed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, which caused many, even George Washington, to call for reinforcing the federal government . -
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The Constitutional Convention
The Constitutional Convention happened in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1787. The purpose of the convention was to decide how America was going to be governed. The major discussions at the convention were the powers of the president, how to elect the president, slave trade, and the Bill of Rights. -
Northwest Ordinance
The Northwest Ordinance chartered a government for the Northwest Territory, which provided a method for declaring new states to the Union from the territory, and listed a bill of rights guaranteed in the territory. This ordinance basically established a government for the Northwest Territory and promised that new states would be equal to the original thirteen states. -
U.S. Constitution Signed
The Constitution was signed at the Constitutional Convention. The Constitution established America's national government and guaranteed certain basic rights for its citizens. This constitution replaced the Articles of Confederation.
