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The first public newspaper is published in Boston by John Campbell.
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21 people are executed as a result of the slaves revolting in New York.
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New England colonists and the Wabanaki Confederacy of New France go to war.
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The trial of John Peter Zenger led to New York's recognition of freedom of the press. The trial was due to his remarks against the British government in his journal.
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Benjamin Franklin invents the lightning rod in correlation with his proving that lightning is electricity.
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The Sugar Act placed taxes on many goods that were sent to the colonies. This would be the first of a number of acts that would push the colonists towards rebellion.
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Nine colonies come together to form a Declaration of Rights against the Stamp Act. They argued taxation without representation.
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Josiah Quincy and Samuel Adams led a group on board English ships docked in Boston and threw 342 chests of tea off the ship. This was in rebellion to the Tea Act.
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The Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson is passed by the Second Continental Congress of the United States.
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British Parliament recognizes the United States as an independent country and signs the Treaty of Paris.
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George Washington is elected unanimously by the Electoral College as the first president of the United States under the newly adopted Constitution.
