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hands off approach by Great Britain; British policy of loosely enforcing laws and regulations in the American colonies, allowing them to govern themselves. -
a North American conflict between Britain and France, part of the larger global Seven Years' War, fought over control of the Ohio Valley and other territories in North America -
a 1765 British tax on the American colonies requiring a tax stamp on legal documents, newspapers, playing cards, and other paper goods to help pay for British troops after the French and Indian War -
The Townshend Acts were a 1767 series of British laws named for Chancellor of the Exchequer Charles Townshend that imposed taxes on colonial imports like glass, lead, paper, paint, and tea, and also established new customs officials and courts to collect these taxes and punish smugglers. The acts aimed to raise revenue for Great Britain by taxing the colonies for the purpose of governing them and to assert parliamentary authority. These measures led to colonial protests, boycotts -
The Boston Massacre was a deadly confrontation on March 5, 1770, when British soldiers fired into a crowd of angry colonists, killing five people and wounding others. Fueled by growing anti-British sentiment over taxation and military occupation, the event on King Street became a powerful symbol of colonial resistance, with figures like Paul Revere producing inflammatory propaganda to rally support against the Crown. -
The Boston Tea Party was a political protest on December 16, 1773, when American colonists, disguised as Native Americans, dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor to protest the British government's Tea Act and the principle of "taxation without representation" -
The Quartering Acts were a series of British parliamentary acts in the 18th century that required American colonies to provide lodging and supplies for British troops, which led to widespread colonial opposition. Colonists had to provide barracks or, if insufficient, other public buildings and accommodations, such as inns and stables, to house the soldiers. These acts fueled resentment, contributing to tensions that ultimately led to the American Revolution. -
The Intolerable Acts, known as the Coercive Acts in Britain, were a series of four laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774 to punish the American colony of Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party. The goal was to isolate Massachusetts and force obedience, but instead, the acts unified the other colonies against British rule, leading to the First Continental Congress and the American Revolution. -
The Declaration of Independence is the founding document by which the 13 American colonies declared their separation from Great Britain, adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, asserting the colonies' right to form their own government based on principles of equality, liberty, and consent of the governed. -
The Battles of Lexington and Concord, fought on April 19, 1775, were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War, where colonial minutemen clashed with British troops who were sent to confiscate arms. After a skirmish at Lexington Green where eight militiamen died, the British moved on to Concord, but were met by a larger militia force at the Old North Bridge. -
a document created by the Second Continental Congress on July 5, 1775, as a final attempt to reconcile with King George III of Great Britain and avoid war. Primarily written by John Dickinson, it expressed the colonies' loyalty to the Crown, but also sought the repeal of parliamentary statutes and regulations that had inflamed colonial unrest. -
the de facto government of the American colonies during the American Revolution, assembling in Philadelphia to coordinate the war effort, organize the Continental Army under George Washington, and eventually issue the Declaration of Independence in 1776 -
In US history, "Common Sense" refers to the influential 1776 pamphlet written by Thomas Paine, which argued for the American colonies' independence from Great Britain in straightforward, understandable language. -
The Annapolis Convention of 1786 was a pivotal meeting of delegates from five states to address the significant problems with interstate trade and the weak central government under the Articles of Confederation. Although it failed to accomplish its original goal of commercial regulation due to poor attendance, delegates like Alexander Hamilton drafted a report that recognized the broader flaws in the Articles and called for a larger convention in Philadelphia. -
The Constitutional Convention of 1787 was a landmark event where delegates from 12 states met in Philadelphia to address the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, ultimately drafting the U.S. Constitution. Held in secret from May 25 to September 17, the convention established a stronger federal government through major compromises on congressional representation
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Shays's Rebellion was an armed uprising in western Massachusetts from 1786 to 1787, led by veteran Daniel Shays, protesting heavy taxes and economic hardships that were driving farmers into debt and leading to farm seizures. Farmers attacked courthouses to prevent foreclosures, but the revolt was crushed by the state militia. The rebellion highlighted the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, particularly the federal government's -
The Articles of Confederation was the United States' first constitution, established between 1781 and 1789, creating a weak central government with most power residing in the individual states. Lacking key functions like a power to tax or regulate commerce, and a separate executive or judicial branch, the national government struggled to operate effectively, leading to the creation of the U.S. Constitution in 1787. -
Beginning in 1763 economic policy England followed when it came to the 13 colonies. England saw the colonies as a market for English goods wanted to get money (taxes) natural resources from the colonies.