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Navigation Acts
Parliament passed the Navigation Acts to regulate colonial trade and manufacture, but these acts were not strongly enforced. Because they weren’t strongly enforced, the colonists often did activities like smuggling, and the colonists didn’t even consider these kinds of activities to be crimes. -
French and Indian War ends
The war was between the French and the British, and it was fought in North America. The signing of the Treaty of Paris officially concluded the war. As a result, it ensured British dominance in North America. Britain gained all of French Canada, as well as rich islands in the Caribbean. -
Stamp Act
Parliament passed this act, and this act taxed items such as newspapers and pamphlets. The colonists didn’t like this, so they protested against it, believing that it was an attack against their rights and saying that it was “taxation without representation.” -
Boston Massacre
In Boston, Massachusetts, a crowd of protesters was pelting British soldiers with stones and snowballs, so the British soldiers opened fire on a crowd and ended up killing five of the protesters. This heightened the colonists’ anger even more. -
Tea Act
The British East India Company had a monopoly on British tea imports, and many members of Parliament held shares in the company, so Parliament allowed the company to sell tea directly to the colonies without colonial middlemen. This created cheaper tea for the colonists. This act led to the Boston Tea Party. -
Boston Tea Party
A group of colonists threw a relatively new shipment of British tea into the harbor in Boston, Massachusetts as a way to protest the tax on tea that the colonists had to pay. This led to the colonies rallying together to help Massachusetts when Parliament passed harsh laws in order to punish Massachusetts, which led to the First Continental Congress. -
First Continental Congress
Representatives from twelve of the thirteen colonies gathered together in Philadelphia to discuss how they were going to deal with Britain’s harsh actions against Massachusetts. This later led to an increase in rivalry between the British and the colonists, which led to the battles at Lexington and Concord. -
Coercive/Intolerable Acts
These acts included the Port Bill, which closed down Boston until the British were compensated, the Quartering Act, which allowed British soldiers to stay in unoccupied buildings, and the Administration of Justice Act, in which charged British officials were given the privilege trial in England. These acts led to even worse tensions between the colonists and the British, which led to the battles at Lexington and Concord. -
Lexington and Concord
The dilemma between the colonists and the British exploded, so the colonists fought with British troops at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts. This led to the start of the American Revolution, which led to the Second Continental Congress. -
Second Continental Congress
The people from the First Continental Congress gathered together again and set up a Continental Army led by George Washington. This led to the Americans declaring their independence from Britain in the Declaration of Independence. -
Declaration of Independence adopted
American leaders signed the Declaration of Independence, pledging “our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor” to the cause of the United States of America. This resulted in the colonies becoming officially independent of Britain. -
Winter at Valley Forge
Led by George Washington, Continental troops suffered from cold, hunger, and disease during this winter. This led to the Battle of Yorktown, in which Washington forced the surrender of a British army. -
Battle of Saratoga
The Americans fought with the British, and the Americans won. This persuaded France to join the Americans against its long-time rival, Britain. This helped the Americans by providing them with supplies, trained soldiers, and French warships that they desperately needed. France’s action inspired the Netherlands and Spain to add their support as well. -
Battle of Yorktown
The Continental Army fought with the British, and, with the help of a French fleet, Washington forced the surrender of a British army. This caused the British war effort to fall apart. -
U.S. Constitution written
America’s leaders gathered together to draft the Constitution of the United States. This laid the foundation for a strong and flexible government that would be in place for over 200 years. -
U.S. Constitution adopted
New Hampshire was the ninth of thirteen states to ratify the Constitution, so the Constitution was adopted. This resulted in it becoming the framework for future American government. It also portrayed America as a symbol of freedom.