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Parliament imposed the Stamp Act on the colonies which required certain printed material such as legal documents and newspapers to carry a stamp showing that a tax had been paid to Britain.
Violent widespread opposition ensued. -
The stamp act was repealed, which ended the immediate crisis but did not resolve the dispute.
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The colonies organized the First Continental Congress, which met in Philedelphia, to counteract British actions.
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Fighting erupted between the colonists and the British army in Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts.
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The Second Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence which was written by Thomas Jefferson.
The formal start of the American Revolution. -
The British decided to end the war when General Cornwallis was forced to surrender to the American and French forces under Washington at Yorktown.
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The Treaty of Paris recognized the independence of the American colonies. Granted Americans control of the western territory from the Appalacians to the Mississippi River.
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Delegates met in Philedelphia at the Constitutional Convention to revise the Articles of Confederation. They decided to plan for an entirely new government.
