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The Enlightenment
This vast topic can be summed up to the sudden bloom in questions about abstract topics such as art, government, nature, religion, and society. This enlightened view, in one way, lead to the American Revolution; without this questioning you wouldn't have gotten to the conclusion that your ideals are completely different from Britain's views. -
The End of the French and Indian War
The war of France and the Native Americans against England. They fought over the American Territory, with England winning the majority. -
The Formation of the Sons of Liberty
Samuel Adams created a colonial protest group called the Sons of Liberty (aka loyal nines) and their motto was "No taxation, without Representation." They worked in secret and their purpose was to fight for the people's rights. -
The Townshend Act of 1767
This act made it so the British could impose the Colonists with taxes on things like lead, glass, paper, paint, tea, etc.. The British did this only to increase their revenue. For more information about the Townshend Act or other Acts, click here. -
Boston Massacre
In Boston, a mob of Patriots attacked a British sentinel with "weapons" picked up off the ground, and the British then fired back at them. The British killed 3 men and injured 8 (2 of them died due to the sustained injury), 2 of the British were then charged with manslaughter. -
Boston Tea Party
Americans started to dump 342 chests of tea into Boston's harbor due to the fact that they were being taxed without going to court to have a fair chance to repeal it. When they dumped the tea, they dressed and Native Americans, and only one person was caught. -
The Intolerable Acts
There were four acts that were imposed on the colonies by the King, including the Boston Port Act, the Massachusetts Government Act, the Administration of Justice Act, and the Quebec Act. These acts would limit the actions of the Colonists -
The Adoption of the Declaration of Independence
With the meetings of the Continental Congress, they decided that everything that the British were doing, for example, the Stamp Act, the Boston Massacre, the Intolerable Acts, etc. were too much. Thomas Jefferson was assigned the task of drafting the document, that would lead to the independence of the Colonies.
For more details about the Declaration of Independence, click here. -
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The Battle of Yorktown
Yorktown was the location of the last battle leading to the colonist's independence. George Washington lead America forcing the British leaders, Alexander Hamilton and Charles Lord Cornwallis, to surrender a total of 8,000 men. -
The Signing of the Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris was the official end to the Revolutionary War. The British had acknowledged that Americans had earned their freedom and were now separated from them.
For more documents related to the Treaty of Paris click here. -
The 3/5th Compromise
Northern states were more populous while the Southern states were plantation owners with many slaves. In order to increase the south's population, slaves were counted as 3/5th's of a person rather than not a person at all. -
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The Constitutional Convention
Important figures from the colonies, including Gorge Washington, James Madison, and Benjamin Franklin, attended this convention in order to create the United States Constitution. -
The Great Compromise
Even though the Unites State government was about to be disbanded due to representation (small states wanted all states to have the same amount of representatives while large states wanted representatives to be based on population), they still pulled through. They came up with the "Great Compromise," meaning that they made it so the House of Representatives was population based and the Senate consisted of 2 members from each state. -
The Bill of Rights Adopted
The first 10 Amendments made to the United States Constitution, making it so citizens had more equal rights. For example; the freedom of speech, the right to bear arms, the rights to a fair trial, etc..
