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Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
1215 - The great charter of english liberty -
Mayflower Compact
The first document of self governments in North america -
The French and Indian War
The war between the frenchsettlers and the indians over the fur trade businessm and slave trade -
The Sugar Act
1764 Act that put a three-cent tax on foreign refined sugar and increased taxes on coffee, indigo, and certain kinds of wine. It banned importation of rum and French wines. These taxes affected only a certain part of the population, but the affected merchants were very vocal. Besides, the taxes were enacted (or raised) without the consent of the colonists. This was one of the first instances in which colonists wanted a say in how much they were taxed. -
The Stamp Act
First direct British tax on American colonists. Instituted in November, 1765. Every newspaper, pamphlet, and other public and legal document had to have a Stamp, or British seal, on it. -
Townshend Acts
Series of 1767 laws named for Charles Townshend, British Chancellor of the Exchequer (Treasurer). These laws placed new taxes on glass, lead, paints, paper, and tea. -
The Boston Massacre
Shooting of five American colonists by British troops on March 5, 1770. One person, an African-American man named Crispus Attacks, was killed. Nearly every part of the story is disputed by both sides. Did the colonists have weapons? The British say rocks and other such weapons were hurled at them. But the British had guns, and they did open fire. The Boston Massacre deepened American distrust of the British military presence in the colonies. -
The Boston Tea Party
Angry and frustrated at a new tax on tea, American colonists calling themselves the Sons of Liberty and disguised as Mohawk Native Americans boarded three British ships (the Dartmouth, the Eleanor, and the Beaver) and dumped 342 whole crates of British tea into Boston harbor on December 16, 1773. Similar incidents occurred in Maryland, New York, and New Jersey in the next few months, and tea was eventually boycotted throughout the colonies. -
The first Continental Congress
Two groups of people from all over the 13 Colonies who came together to discuss liberty. The First Continental Congress was a group of 56 delegates from 12 colonies (all except Georgia) who met in Philadelphia in September of 1774. They came together to act together in response to the Intolerable Acts. They met in secret because they didn't want Great Britain to know that they were united. -
The rides of Paul Revere and William Dawes
Famous silversmith who rode through the countryside to warn the American colonists that the British were coming. He didn't actually make his destination because he was captured by British "Redcoats," but one of his companions, Dr. Samuel Prescott, got the message through. When the British arrived, the Americans were ready. -
The Battle of Lexington and Concord
First shots fired between American and British troops, on April 19, 1775. The British chose to march to Concord because it was an arms depot. This meant that the Americans had stockpiled weapons there. British troops had occupied Boston and were marching on Concord as they passed through Lexington. No one is still sure who fired first, but it was the "Shot Heard 'Round the World." -
The second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress met in 1775, when the Revolutionary war had started. Things were going badly, and the armed forces were disorganized. The Continental Congress created the Continental Army and named George Washington as commander-in-chief. The Congress continued through the summer. Out of the discussions came the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Marines Corps. -
George Washington named commander and chief
First president of the United States, he also fought (for the British) in the French and Indian War and was the commanding officer of the victorious American forces in the Revolutionary War. He was named president of the Constitutional Convention. He served two terms as president, during which he invented the Cabinet, his advisers, and tried to calm the bickering between the two new political parties, the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans. After his second term, Washington retired to h -
The Battle of Bunker Hill
Two-day engagement between British forces under the command of General William Howe and American forces under Colonel William Prescott. The Americans had occupied Breed's Hill in Charlestown on June 16, 1775, in order to protect the shipyard of nearby Boston. The next day, the British attacked. They took the hill but suffered heavy losses. The Americans fired until they were out of ammunition, then quickly retreated. To conserve ammunition, Prescott told his men, "Don't fire until you see the wh -
Benedict Arnolds failed attack on Quebec
Brilliant general who won several battles against the British and then joined them. He won at Lake Champlain and helped Ethan Allen take Fort Ticonderoga. He played a major part in the American victory at Saratoga. Yet, he joined the British and tried to help them win the war. He had planned to deliver his own keys to West Point, site of the U.S. army, to Britain's Major John Andre. Andre was captured and hanged. Arnold escaped and actually commanded British troops later in the war. He died in -
Declaration of Independance adopted
Document declaring the 13 American Colonies independent from Great Britain. Written by Thomas Jefferson and declared in effect by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. Many prominent Americans signed it, including John Hancock, John Adams, and Samuel Adams. Great Britain's response was to continue the war. -
The declaration of independence signed
Document declaring the 13 American Colonies independent from Great Britain. Written by Thomas Jefferson and declared in effect by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. Many prominent Americans signed it, including John Hancock, John Adams, and Samuel Adams. Great Britain's response was to continue the war. -
The French Alliance
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British General William Hoe replaced by henry Clinton
British general who commanded troops at the Battle of Bunker Hill and replaced General Thomas Gage as commander of British troops in America in October 1775, when Gage was called home to Britain. Howe commanded the British to victory in the Battles of Brooklyn and Brandywine and managed to escape with most of his army intact from the trap set for him at Germantown. His decision to go to Philadelphia, not Albany, doomed General John Burgoyne's grand plan for the occupation of New York, leading to -
Washington fights to draw at Battle of Monmouth
Indecisive battle near Monmouth Courthouse, New Jersey, on June 28, 1778. American troops under General George Washington fought British troops under General Henry Clinton. The British had left Philadelphia en route to New York. The Americans were pursuing from Valley Forge, their goal to stop the British advance. It was a very hot day, and the heat took its toll on both sides. Exhausted, both sides stopped the fighting. Under cover of darkness, the British slipped away. -
Bristish win victory at guilford courthouse
British victory near a courthouse in North Carolina in March, 1781. Together with the American victory at Cowpens, the engagement at Guilford Courthouse weakened the British forces in the South. General Charles Cornwallis, the commander of the southern British forces, decided to abandon North and South Carolina and march to Virginia. -
Lord North resigned as British prime minister
Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1770 to 1782. A former Lord of the Treasury, he focused on economic problems for the first part of his reign. He thought to make an example of Massachusetts by coming down hard on the insurrection there. An example was the Tea Act, which so angered American colonists that they dumped 342 crates of tea into Boston Harbor. -
Congress ratifies preliminry peace treaty
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Treaty of Paris
Treaty that officially ended the Revolutionary War on September 3, 1783. It was signed in Paris by Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay. Under the terms of the treaty, Britain recognized the independent nation of the United States of America. Britain agreed to remove all of its troops from the new nation. -
U.S. constitution ratified
Document detailing our form of government. Ratified by a majority of states and declared in effect in 1787. Form of government outlined largely resembles the Virginia Plan, an idea of James Madison's that focused on a strong central government. Madison also insisted on a Bill of Rights, which became the First Ten Amendments.
