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The French and Indian war
The French and Indian war also known as the seven years war began in 1754 and ended with the Treaty of Paris. The French and Indian war was essential to the American Revolution because the war debt was the reason parliament started imposing taxes on the colonists in the first place. The British gained lots of territory in North America but colonial discontent led to the American Revolution. The French and Indian war weakened the British making the colonists work more effectively. -
The Stamp Act
the stamp act was imposed to help increase revenues to meet the costs of defending the British Empire. It was the first British parliamentary attempt to gain revenue through imposing taxes on the colonist's newspaper advertisements and legal and commercial documents. This enraged the colonists who eventually nullified the Stamp Act through refusing to use the stamps, rioting, and burning the stamps. -
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The Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts were a series of acts that were passed by the British parliament on the American Colonies. These Acts place new taxes on imports and took away some freedom from the colonists that did not have representation in Parliament and saw the Acts as an abuse of power. The acts placed taxes on things such as china, glass, paint, and tea that was imported to the colonies. -
The Boston Massacre
A group of protesters, known as the patriots, were protesting on King street, the taxes placed on them by the British. The patriots threw sticks and stones at a few British soldiers which made the British soldiers feel threatened and they opened fire, killing five innocent patriots. This escalated to a riot. -
The Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a protest at Griffin's Warf in Boston, Massachusetts. The American colonists were angry at Britain for imposing taxes on tea (No Taxation without Representation). The colonists protested by dumping 342 chests of tea imported by the British into the harbor. -
Patrick Henry's "Give me liberty or give me death" speech
Patrick Henry's speech convinced that war with Great Britain was inevitable. Henry defended strong resolutions for preparing the Virginia militia to fight the British in his speech. His speech took place in Richmond church. "Give me Liberty or Give me Death" is the famous quote from Henry's quote. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
This battle signaled the start of the American Revolution. The British army left Boston to capture Samuel Adams and John Hancock in Lexington and to destroy the American weapon supply and ammunition in Concord. -
The Battle of Bunker Hill
The British military marched from the Charleston peninsula to breeds hill on June 17. As the British army got closer, In an effort to conserve the American's limited ammunition, the Americans were told "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!". Eventually, the American colonists were outnumbered and forced to retreat. This battle was a morale builder for the colonists and an eye-opener for the British. The British realized the war would be long, tough, and expensive. -
Thomas Paine's Common Sense Published
The publication of Thomas Paine’s irreverent pamphlet Common Sense abruptly put independence on the agenda amidst the colonial conflicts with the British. This pamphlet was 50 pages long and sold more than 100,000 copies within a few months. More than anything else Common sense laid the way for the Declaration of Independence. -
Declaration of Independence adopted
After congress suggested that the colonies form independent governments the Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson and revised in a committee consisting of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman. On July second the congress voted for independence. On July 4th the declaration was adopted. -
Battle of Trenton
This battle was a small but important battle. This battle took place in Trenton New Jersey. The Continental Army had faced many defeats previously in New York and had been forced to retreat through Ney Jersey and Pennsylvania. The Continental Army had seen the land before and the Hessian army was crushed in this battle. This built up the Americans because it was an easy defeat. -
The Battle of Saratoga (Freeman's Farm & Bemis Heights)
This battle occurred during the second year of the American Revolution. This was the turning point in the war. This Battle encompassed 2 other battles. These 2 battles were fought 18 days apart. The continental army won the battle of Saratoga after the British and Hessians Surrendered their arms. -
The Battle of Rhode Island
This battle ended inconclusively. This battle was significant because it was the first attempt at cooperation between French and American forces following France's entry into the war as an ally with the Americans. Although there was no real winner, The Continental forces withdrew to the mainland and left Aquidneck Island in British hands. -
The Articles of Confederation were Ratified
The Articles were signed by Congress and sent to the 13 states for ratification on November 15, 1777. The first signing began on July 9, 1778, with delegates from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and South Carolina involved in the process But bickering over land claims between Virginia and Maryland delayed final ratification for almost four more years. -
The Battle of Guilford Courthouse
This was an important battle. This battle was fought near present-day Greensboro. Even though the British under Lieutenant-General Charles Cornwallis won the battle and forced the Americans under Major General Nathanael Greene to retreat the British lost so many soldiers that this battle eventually led to their defeat. -
Battle of Yorktown
On this day General George Washington commanded the French and Continental troops to begin the siege against the British. He ordered Marquis de Lafayette and an American army of 5,000 troops to block Cornwallis’ escape from Yorktown by land and by sea. By September 28, Washington had completely encircled Cornwallis with the combined forces of Continental and French troops. After three weeks of non-stop fighting, Cornwallis surrendered to Washington in Yorktown on October 17, 1781 ending the War. -
Treaty of Paris
After the battle of Yorktown, the battles over land died out. The Treaty of Paris was signed stating that the British recognized the independence of the United States with reasonable boundaries including the Mississippi River. Britain kept Canada but gave up eat and west, Florida to Spain. This ended the American Revolution. -
Shays Rebellion
Shays rebellion was an uprising led by Daniel Shays which broke out in western Massachusetts in 1786. Although it did not last long it showed that the US would not work with the Articles of Confederation. From May to September the constitutional convention was held and as a result, we now have the Constitution, the same one we have today. Lasted from -
The United States Constitution was ratified
The first state to ratify the constitution was Deleware. It took a total of ten months for the first nine states to approve the constitution. The ratification or rejection did not come from states directly but from the conventions elected by voters for the purpose of considering the constitution. The nine states who originally ratified the constitution were Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, and South Carolina. -
George Washington was elected president
When the Articles of Confederation were not functioning well Washington was the prime mover in the steps leading up to the constitutional convention. After the constitution was ratified the Electoral College unanimously elected George Washington as the first president. -
The Bill of Rights addition to the constitution
On October 2, 1789, President George Washington sent copies of 12 amendments created by Congress to the states. By December 15, 1791, three-fourths of the states had ratified 10 of these, which we now know as the “Bill of Rights.” -
Whiskey Rebellion
This was an uprising in Pennsylvania sparked by a tax placed on liquor. The whiskey rebellion tested and affirmed the power of the national government. The rebellion enforced the idea that the New Government had the right to impose such taxes that would impact citizens in every state.
