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French and Indian War Ends
The French and Indian War lasted 9 years. The British defeated the French. As a result the British took control of the lands that had been claimed by France. Britain was in an immense amount of debt and thought the colonists should be responsible for covering some of that debt. -
The Navigation Acts
The Navigation Acts were a series of laws passed by British Parliament. The laws put restrictions on colonial trade. This caused resentment in the colonies and was a major contributing factor to the American Revolution. The Acts required all of a colony's imports to be either bought from England or resold by English merchants in England, regardless of what price could be obtained elsewhere. In result, these acts created serious reductions in the trade for many planters and merchants. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was a direct tax on the colonists. The Stamp Act required that all legal documents and printed paper must bear a tax stamp. Commissioned distributors would collect the tax in exchange for the stamp. This caused an uproar among the colonies. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was a deadly riot on King Street in Boston. The event started with an argument between a British solider and an American colonist. It quickly escalated into the bloody slaughter of many colonists. This event united the colonists against Britain and sparked their desire for American independence. -
Tea Act
The Tea Act was Britains response to the colonists after they boycotted British goods. The boycotts hurt Britains trade so they created the Stamp Act to try and save their companies, in particular the British East India Company. This expanded the company's monopoly on the tea trade to all British Colonies, selling the excess tea to colonists at a reduced prices. The policy ignited a feeling of opposition and resentment among American colonists and was the trigger of the Boston Tea Party. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a political protest in response to Britains Tea Act. The American colonists were enraged with Britain for imposing "taxation without representation." The Sons of Liberty dumped 342 chest worth $18,000 of tea into Boston Harbor. The British responded to the Boston Tea Party by implementing the Coercive Acts. -
Coercive/Intolerable Acts
The Coercive Acts were laws passed by British Parliament designed to punish the colony of Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party. These acts included the Boston Port Bill which closed Boston Harbor until Britain was compensated for the tea, the Quartering Act which required American colonists to provide housing to British soldiers, and the Administration of Justice Act which allowed British officials to be tried in England. Colonists responded with unity convening the First Continental Congress. -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress convened in Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Fifty five delegates from twelve of the colonies met with hopes to construct a response to the Intolerable Acts. The result was a declaration by the colonies to that stated the rights for the colonists, and stopped the trade from the British. The First Continental Congress called for the British to repeal the Intolerable Acts, for a boycott of British goods, and the training of colonial militias. -
Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord kicked off the American Revolutionary War. Tensions had been building for many years between the American colonies and the British. Hundreds of British troops marched from Boston to nearby Concord to seize an arms cache. Although Lexington and Concord was considered a British victory, it gave a moral boost to the American colonists. Word spread and militias prepared to confront the British. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress took over the functions of a government. They appointed ambassadors, issued paper currency, raised the Continental Army through conscription, and appointed generals to lead the army. However the powers of the Congress were still very limited. -
Declaration of Independence adopted
The Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson, severed the political connections between the American colonies and Britain. The document is a compilation of the motivations the colonists had for wanting independence and the revolution. Since the colonists now declared themselves as an independent nation, they gained the French as an ally in the war against the British. -
Battle of Saratoga
The Patriot victory at Saratoga is often seen as the turning point in the war. It renewed the morale of the American public, but it most importantly convinced potential foreign partners, such as France, that America could win the war, and that it might be in their best interests to send aid. -
Winter at Valley Forge
The winter at Valley Forge lasted six months from December 19th, 1777 to June 19th, 1778 it is known as the turning point of the war. The Continental Army was under the command of General George Washington at Valley Forge. Valley Forge is often referred to as the turning point in the war due to how it tested the nation. But the troops were held together by the loyalty for their country and by George Washington who never gave up on them. -
Battle of Yorktown
The Battle of Yorktown lasted from September 28th, 1781 to October 19th, 1781. It was a French/American campaign that trapped the British Army on a peninsula forcing them to surrender. This battle virtually ended military operations in the American Revolution. The Americans had won their independence, but fighting would not formally end until 1783 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. -
U.S. Constitution Written
The Constitution was written during the Philadelphia Convention, which is now known as the Constitutional Convention. The Constitutional Convention convened from May 25th to September 17th, 1787. It was signed on September 17th, 1787. The Constitution is the fundamental law of the U.S. federal system of government. The Constitution defines the branches of government and their jurisdictions, along with the basic rights of citizens. -
U.S. Constitution adopted
The U.S. Constitution became the official structure of the government after New Hampshire became the ninth of thirteen states to ratify it. The ratification process was long and onerous but on June 21st, 1788 it finally became law.
