-
Colonists Assert Themselves
As the British added more and more taxing acts, the colonists' thirst for independence grew overwhelming. Protests were not uncommon, perhaps the most famous being the Boston Tea Party. As a reaction to the protests, England pressed another taxing act, the Intolerable Acts, on the American public. The colonists were reluctant to oblige, but prison was not an option. -
Period: to
The American Revolution
The American Revolution was basically the war in which the American colonists demanded freedom from Great Britain. King George III of course was not happy about his newest addition breaking away from him, and gave British soldiers permission to arrest as many Patriotic leaders as possible. The first real battle was the Battle of Lexington and Concord on April 16, 1775 and the marked end of the war was on September 3, 1783, when the Treaty of Paris was officialy signed. -
The Declaration of Independence
A vote in favor of the independence from Britain was placed on July 2nd, 1776, and the adoption of the Declaration of Independence was made two days after. America had declared war. -
The Articles of Confederation
Thought the Declaration was strong and important, it failed to establish any sort of mechanism for the union to follow. Thus, the Articles of Confederation were developed. The first draft was brought to Congress on July 12, 1776. The full unanimous ratification of the document did not occur until March 1.1781. Under terms of the document, each state was to retain its role as an independent entity. For taxing, each state was to meet a quota determined by the value of granted or surveyed land. -
The Constitutional Convention
The Constitutional Convention was a sort of meeting/celebration of the Declaration of Independence. It brought delegates from every state, each with their own particular concerns. It was actually the delegates' differences rather than similarities that influenced the convention's deliberations. Included in the convention were 42 delegates to the Constitutional Congress, eight signers of the Dec of Independence, six signers of the draft of the Articles of Confederation, and two future Presidents.
