-
Britain and the British colonies switch from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar
-
British troops fire into a mob, killing five men and leading to intense public protests.
-
"The shot heard round the world" is a phrase that refers to the opening shot of the battles of Lexington and Concord which began the American Revolutionary War.
-
August 2, 1776, is one of the most important but least celebrated days in American history when 56 members of the Second Continental Congress started signing the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia.
-
British general Charles Cornwallis surrenders to Gen. George Washington at Yorktown, Va.
-
Great Britain formally acknowledges American independence in the Treaty of Paris, which officially brings the war to a close.
-
Washington is inaugurated as the very first president of the united states at Federal Hall in New York City.
-
First ten amendments to the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights, are ratified.
-
Eli Whitney created a cotton gin a machine for separating cotton seeds from fibers While it was true that the cotton gin reduced the labor of removing seeds, it did not reduce the need for slaves to grow and pick the cotton. In fact, the opposite occurred. Cotton growing became so profitable for the planters that it greatly increased their demand for both land and slave labor