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Albany Congress
In June and July of 1754, the Albany Congress convened following orders from England. Seven of the colonies had delegates in attendance, one of which was none other than Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania. NOTE: The Albany Congress and the resulting Albany Plan of Union were not plans for independence. Instead they were attempts to address common concerns. -
Benjamin Franklin proposes the Albany Plan of the Union
Ben Franklin of Pennsylvania presented his Albany Plan of Union and it was agreed upon by the seven colonies on July 10, 1754. This plan proposed an annual meeting of delegates from all thirteen colonies as well as a President General that would preside over this meeting. The Albany Plan of Union is significant because it was one of the first major attempts to unify the colonies under one central government. Though it failed, its framework was a useful draft for future US government structures. -
George III becomes King of England
At the time King George III assumed the throne, England was fighting the Seven Years’ War. When the war ended, the King was left with massive debt. His solution: cracking down on and increasing the taxes on the colonies. The resulting taxes were the Sugar and Stamp Acts. These acts were immediately resisted by the colonists and repealed by 1766. Tensions did not fade and King George would lead the country through the revolutionary war, resulting in American independence. -
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First Continental Congress
Tensions continued to rise through the late 1760s and 1770s despite the repeal of the Stamp Act. The colonists responded to the Intolerable and Coercive Acts with the formation of the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia. 52 delegates from 12 colonies drafted and issued the Declaration of Rights and Grievances, a document outlining the issues they had with King George III's rule, and proposed a continent wide boycott. This was the first successful attempt to unify with common grievances. -
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Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress—active from 1776 through 1781—was the United States First acting government. At first, the delegates entertained the idea of maintaining a connection with England, but this idea was wiped out and instead the Declaration of Independence was issued on July 4th, 1776. Throughout the Revolutionary War, the Second Continental Congress stayed active, and in 1781, it issued the nation’s first constitution. It ended Following the approval of the Articles of Confederation. -
Declaration of Independence
Thomas Jefferson, a young delegate from Virginia drafted the Declaration of independence in the summer of 1776. On July 4th it was officially adopted by the Second Continental Congress as a statement of the colonists’ greatest grievances and of their intention to become free and independent. This historical document draws on ideas from famous philosophers such as John Locke, and identifies some of the core beliefs America would later be founded on. -
Articles of Confederation Ratified
Two years before the United States of America was officially independent, the founding fathers had already drawn up and ratified the Articles of Confederation, a document recognized as the United States first constitution and one that ultimately failed. This constitution created a confederacy—as opposed to our current federal system—or “a firm league of friendship.” The articles created a very weak legislative group that unified the thirteen states. -
Treaty of Paris ends the Revolutionary War
United States wins the Revolutionary War, gaining their independence. John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and John Jay negotiated the treaty. -
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Federalist Papers are published
For some states, ratification was relatively swift while Some states had long debates regarding the document. Nine States ratified the Constitution by June 21, 1788, however New York and Virginia had not made a decision. Pro-ratification figures pushed these two states hard but a division formed between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists. Federalists such as Jay, Adams, and Hamilton published letters called the Federalist Papers in order to convince the public of the need for ratification. -
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Constitutional Convention
The weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation quickly came to light. In May of 1787, the Constitutional Convention convened in Philadelphia in order to revise the them. However, the Articles were scrapped and The Constitution of the United States was drafted. Compromises such as the Connecticut Compromise and Slave compromises were made to make sure all states and regions were on board. The convention concluded and the draft was sent to each state for deliberation and ratification. -
Constitution is officially Ratified
New Hampshire is the ninth state to ratify the Constitution. -
Congress meets for the first time
Despite the fact that the Constitution was legally ratified in June of 1788, the first session of Congress did not meet until March 4th of 1789. By this time both New York and Virginia had ratified the Constitution, bringing the total up to eleven of the thirteen states. During this first session of Congress, George Washington was unanimously voted into and inaugurated as the first President of the United States. -
United States Bill of Rights Ratified
The Anti-Federalists argued that a strong central government might lead to a tyrannical government. Men like Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Adams, and James Monroe fought for the protection of individual and state rights. Though they did not make any gains before the ratification of the Constitution, immediately after the government came together ten amendments were added to the constitution. The Bill of Rights protects the pillars of the US democracy and the individual rights of its citizens.
