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a British policy in the 17th and 18th centuries where the crown intentionally allowed its American colonies to develop a sense of autonomy and self-governance by laxly enforcing British trade laws and regulations -
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. -
a deadly confrontation on March 5, 1770, when British soldiers fired into a crowd of angry colonists, killing five people and wounding others -
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 -
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. -
most commonly refers to the first shot fired during the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, which signaled the start of the American Revolution. Fun Fact: the phrase has also been applied to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the event that triggered World War I. -
a political protest that took place on December 16, 1773, in Boston, Massachusetts, where American colonists, disguised as Indigenous people, dumped 342 chests of tea from British ships into Boston Harbor. -
a set of four punitive British laws passed in 1774 in response to the Boston Tea Party, aiming to punish and control Massachusetts. They included the Boston Port Act to close the port, the Massachusetts Government Act to restrict self-ruling kings. -
a final plea from the Second Continental Congress to King George III in 1775, seeking reconciliation with Great Britain and a peaceful resolution to the escalating conflict with the colonies -
the governing body of the American colonies from 1775 to 1781, serving as a de facto government during the American Revolutionary War. -
the practical, basic judgment or knowledge needed to navigate everyday situations, allowing people to make sound, reasonable decisions based on experience and shared understanding. -
the founding document that announced the thirteen American colonies' separation from Great Britain -
the United States' first constitution, established between 1781 and 1789 -
a significant meeting where delegates from five U.S. states (Virginia, Delaware, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania) met in Annapolis, Maryland, to discuss regulating interstate trade under the weak Articles of Confederation -
an uprising by western Massachusetts farmers from 1786–1787, led by veteran Daniel Shays, protesting high taxes, economic hardship, and unresponsive government under the weak Articles of Confederation -
a gathering of delegates from May 14 to September 17, 1787, in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation