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As the number of enslaved people increased in New York City, fears and tensions mounted-and occasionally exploded. In 1712, several dozen enslaved people revolted; they started fires, then killed Whites as they fought the blaze. New York officials thereafter passed a citywide black code that strictly regulated the behavior of both free and enslaved Blacks. -
During the early 1730s, worries about the erosion of religious fervor helped spark a series of revivals known as the Great Awakening. The Awakening was the first popular movement before the American Revolution that affected all thirteen colonies, and as such, it helped create ties across the colonies that would later help coordinate revolutionary activities against the British Government.
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To sustain high levels of immigration to British America, Parliament in 1740 passed the Naturalization Act. It announced that immigrants living in America for seven years would become subjects in the British Empire after swearing a loyalty oath and providing proof that they were Protestants. -
To raise more money from the colonists, George Greenville put through the Sugar Act. It added taxes on goods such as sugar, wines, coffee, and spices imported into America. Greenville believed it would help pay for "the necessary expenses of defending, protecting, and securing, the said colonies." However, colonists were angry because they claimed that the Sugar Act taxed them without their consent. -
The Stamp Act required colonists to purchase paper from London embossed with a government revenue stamp. Only British currency could be used to purchase the stamped paper. It affected all colonists because it applied to paper for virtually every possible use. The Stamp Act was the first effort by Parliament to place a tax directly on American goods and services rather than levying an "external" tax on imports and exports, and it offended just about everyone. -
In Boston, the presence of British Soldiers had become a constant source of irritation. On the evening of March 5, 1770, Boston rowdies- teens,Irishmen, and sailors- began harassing Hugh White, a British soldier. A squad of soldiers arrived to help White. When someone knocked a soldier down, he arose and fired his musket. Others joined in. In the end, there were five men dead/dying, and eight more wounded. Nine British soldiers were arrested and jailed. -
The Americans, with help from Spain, the Netherlands and France, defeated the British during the Revolutionary War. On September 3, 1783, the warring nations signed the Treaty Of Paris. This agreement officially ended the Revolutionary War. Its provisions were surprisingly favorable to the United States. Great Britain recognized the independence of the thirteen former colonies and agreed that the Mississippi River was Americas's western boundary. -
On March 4, 1789, the new Congress convened in New York City. A few weeks later, the presiding officer of the senate certified that George Washington, with 69 Electoral College votes, was the nation's unanimous choice for president. In his inaugural address, Washington appealed for unity, pleading with Congress to abandon "local prejudices" and "party animosities" to create the "national" outlook necessary for the fledgling republic to thrive. -
To address concerns raised by opponents of the new federal government, James Madison presented to Congress a set of constitutional amendments intended to protect individual rights. After considerable debate, Congress approved twelve amendments in September 1789. By the end of 1791, the necessary three-fourths of the states had approved ten of the twelve proposed amendments, now known as the Bill of Rights. -
In the election of 1800, Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr emerged with seventy-three electoral votes each. When Burr refused to withdraw in favor of Jefferson, the tie vote in the Electoral College required a deciding vote in the House of Representatives. After thirty-six ballots, a majority of House members chose Jefferson over Burr.