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The Navigation Acts
After English shipping was threatened by the rise in Dutch carrying trade, the Navigation Acts increased colonial revenue by taxing the goods going to and from British colonies. -
The French and Indian War Ends
The French and Indian War started when the British Empire couldn’t decide on whether the upper Ohio river valley belonged to them. After the British won the war they were provided with enormous territorial gains in North America. -
The Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was created to help the British pay the debt from the French and Indian War. This act taxed all papers and official documents in the colonies. The colonists ended up boycotting British goods. -
The Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was a riot that occurred one night King Street in Boston. It began as a street brawl between American colonists and one British soldier. It soon ended with the death of five colonists. -
The Tea Act
The Tea Act was meant to help bailout the East India Company from debt which then permitted the tea to be directly imported to America. Colonists were upset because now the East India Company had control of tea sales and they still had to pay a tax for their tea. The Tea Act resulted in the Boston Tea Party. -
The Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a political protest that occurred in Boston, Massachusetts. Frustrated American colonists dumped chests of tea into the harbor because they didn’t want to be taxed for the tea directly imported to America. Because of this protest, Great Britain designed the Coercive Acts. -
The Coercive/Intolerable Acts
After the Boston Tea Party an act called the Coercive Acts also known as the Intolerable Acts were created to punish the colony of Massachusetts. These acts resulted in the closing of Boston Harbor until all the dumped tea had been paid for. -
The First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress had delegates from twelve of Britain's thirteen American colonies. Georgia was not present. They met to discuss America's future under growing Great Britain. In this Congress the colonies created the Article of Confederation which stated how the country would be governed. -
Lexington and Concord
The battles of Lexington and Concord were the first battles of the American Revolutionary War. Both the colonists and the British were greatly impacted. 49 of the colonists were killed and 73 British were killed. -
Second Continental Congress
In the Second Continental Congress delegates from all thirteen colonies met to discuss the idea of independence. Soon the Congress would adopt the Declaration of Independence. -
The Declaration of Independence adopted
The Declaration of Independence is a document that announced the separation of the 13 North American British colonies from Great Britain. This document put forth the doctrines of natural rights under the social contract. This let every colonists have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. -
The U.S. Constitution Written
The Constitution was written to create a government with enough power to act on a national level, but without so much power that fundamental rights would be at risk. It would soon be adopted by the federalists. -
The Battle of Saratoga
The Battle of Saratoga was the turning of the revolution. France joined the side of the Americans which helped them move closer to gaining independence. -
The winter at Valley Forge
With the lack of supplies the winter at Valley Forge was harsh. Out of the 11,000 soldiers many died from diseases. But General Washington reshaped his troops into a unified force that was more capable of defeating the British. -
The Battle of Yorktown
The Battle of Yorktown was the last battle of the Revolutionary War, and the start of America’s independence. The British surrendered when the realize they were lacking resources in order to build a new army. The Treaty of Paris would later be signed which would bring the war to an end. -
The U.S. Constitution Adopted
The Constitution of the United States was created to limit the power of the federal government by establishing America's national government and laws. It also guaranteed certain basic rights for its citizens.