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New Jersey Colonies Established
In 1702, the British Queen Anne established the royal colony of New Jersey by combining the American provinces of East Jersey and West Jersey. -
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Queen Annes war
In 1700, the king of Spain Charles II died. He had no heirs, so there was a dispute over who should succeed him as king. This eventually led to a war in which the major European powers participated on one side or the other. Britain fought against France and Spain. The war spread to North America as well in 1702 where the British and French fought against each other. -
North and South Carolina become royal colonies
North Carolina and South Carolina were originally established by independent British colonists. This meant that the government of the colonies was done by these independent colonists. But people didn’t like their government and by 1729, the British king purchased the colonies from the colonists. These colonies now became a possession of the crown and directly came under British rule. -
Britain passes the Iron Act
The British parliament passed the Iron Act in 1750. This act eliminated the taxes paid by Britain on the iron imported from its American colonies. It also said that the American colonies should not use iron for production and export it in raw form to Britain. The Iron Act was one of the main causes that angered the Americans and led to the American Revolution. -
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French and Indian War
In 1754, the French and Indian War began. This war was fought between British colonies in North America and the French colonies as well as their allies. -
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Pontiacs War
The Native American tribes in the Ohio River Valley didn’t appreciate British victory in the French and Indian War. They didn’t like the fact that the British colonists and soldiers stayed on in the Valley. This eventually led to a new war by a Native American chief named Pontiac. -
King George II issues the Royal Proclamation of 1763
After the French and Indian War had ended, the King George II of Britain issued a Royal Proclamation. This proclamation was aimed at protecting the rights of the Native Americans. It said that the colonists should not settle on the lands west of the Appalachian Mountains. The colonists didn’t like this angered the colonists and became one of the reasons why colonists eventually rebelled against British rule. -
British Parliament passes the Sugar Act
In the Sugar Act, the parliament reduced the taxes of the Molasses Act but said that the tax will now be strictly enforced. This took place at a time when the economic conditions of North American colonies were not good. So the colonists were angry about this Act. -
British Parliament passes the Stamp Act
The British parliament wanted to collect this money from the colonists. So it imposed a new tax through the Stamp Act. The Act said that if anyone wanted to print any material in North American colonies, they should do so on the embossed papers imported from London. This Act became one of the main causes of the American Revolution. -
Boston Massacre takes place
In 1770, a group of protestors gathered around 8 British soldiers. They hurled abuse at the soldiers and threatened them with clubs and stones. The soldiers opened fire and killed three people, with another two later dying of wounds. This became known as the incident of the Boston Massacre. -
British Parliament passes the Tea Act
At the time, more than 80% of the tea consumed in American colonies was smuggled, to avoid the high amount of import duties. The Tea Act aimed to end this and help out the East India Company at the same time which was in debt. The Act was very unpopular with the colonists and lead to the incident of the Boston Tea Party. -
Boston Tea Party takes place
The Boston Tea Party was a protest launched by an organization known as Sons of Liberty. This organization was formed by the thirteen American colonies to protest against the economic policies of Britain towards the colonies. -
First Continental Congress convenes
In 1774, the First Continental Congress took place. This was a meeting of the delegates from the Thirteen Colonies. The meeting was convened to discuss the Intolerable Acts passed by the British Parliament. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord are fought
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first armed engagement between British forces and the American revolutionaries. In 1774, the British government had dissolved the Massachusetts colonial government but the colonial government continued to operate on a provisional basis. It also overlooked the creation and training of a militia force. -
Battle of Bunker Hill results in a costly British victory
The Battle of Bunker Hill took place as part of the Siege of Boston during the American Revolutionary War. The British decided to occupy the hills surrounding the city of Boston. The colonial forces learned about this plan and occupied Breed’s Hill with the intent of opposing the British advance. When the British tried to occupy the hill, the colonial forces took them by surprise and attacked them. -
Declaration of Independence is adopted by the Second Continental Congress
The Declaration of Independence was a very important declaration adopted by the Second Continental Congress in 1776. This declaration said that the 13 American colonies were no longer under British rule and considered themselves as independent entities. -
Siege of Yorktown results in decisive British surrender
Most of these engagements resulted in British defeats, and the British troops were eventually forced to take refuge in Yorktown. But the joint American and French forces laid a land and sea siege of Yorktown. Ultimately, the British army was forced to surrender and nearly 7500 British troops were captured. This effectively marked the end of the Revolutionary War as the Surrender at Yorktown became the last major engagement of the War. -
Treaty of Paris ends the American War of Independence
With the Surrender at Yorktown, the British realized that they could no longer win the war. So they decided to sue for peace. These efforts led to the Treaty of Paris signed in 1783. According to this treaty, Great Britain officially accepted its defeat and recognized the independence of the United States of America. The treaty also stated that the western boundary of the USA was the Mississippi River, although the newly born nation soon expanded beyond this boundary. -
Constitution of the United States is composed at the Constitutional Convention
The Constitutional Convention took place from May to September, 1787. This was an event where delegates from all the Thirteen Colonies participated. They came together to discuss what sort of government they should create now that they were free from the British rule. They also discussed how the states will exist under this government and how independent will be the states. -
Bill of Rights
These amendments took place in 1791. They were collectively known as the Bill of Rights and comprised of a total of 10 amendments. The amendments were approved in 1789 by Congress. These amendments were mainly concerned with the basic rights of U.S. citizens such as the right to assembly, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and legal rights. -
Whiskey Rebellion
After the American Revolution, nearly all the states in the USA had a large debt. To repay this debt, the federal government decided to impose a whiskey tax. This tax was imposed on the producers of whiskey. It adversely affected the small producers in Virginia and Pennsylvania who started protesting against the tax.