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The French and Indian War took place between 1754 and 1763. It is the North American theater of the Seven Years' War, a larger global conflict involving Britain and France. The war in North America officially began in 1754 with skirmishes over land in the Ohio Valley, even though war was not formally declared until 1756.
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The Sons of Liberty were a political group of American colonists. They organized in opposition to British rule, particularly the Stamp Act and other taxes. They were instrumental in the events leading up to the American Revolution, known for their protests, boycotts, and acts of defiance like the Boston Tea Party.
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The Townshend Acts of 1767 were a series of British laws that placed taxes on goods imported into the American colonies, including glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea. These acts also aimed to increase British control over colonial trade and governance. That had lead to widespread resistance and ultimately contributing to the American Revolution.
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The Boston Massacre was a deadly confrontation between British soldiers and a group of Boston colonists on March 5, 1770. A crowd of colonists harassed and taunted the British soldiers, throwing snowballs, rocks, and other objects. The soldiers fired into the crowd, killing five colonists and injuring several others. The event intensified anti-British sentiment in the colonies and became a key moment leading up to the American revolution. -
The Boston Tea Party was a pivotal event in American history, occurring on December 16, 1773, at Griffin's Wharf in Boston, Massachusetts. One of the causes were because, Colonists were angry at Britain for imposing taxes on them without their consent or representation in Parliament. In retaliation, Britain passed these punitive measures, which included closing Boston Harbor until the destroyed tea was paid for. -
the Olive Branch Petition was a document adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 5, 1775, and sent to King George III in a final attempt to avert a war between Great Britain and its American colonies. Drafted primarily by John Dickinson, the petition professed the colonists' loyalty to the Crown and sought a peaceful resolution to the escalating conflict. However, King George III refused to even receive the petition and declared the colonies to be in a state of rebellion.
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The Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. This adoption signified the thirteen American colonies' declaration of their independence from Great Britain, according to the National Archives. The actual signing of the document, which was engrossed on parchment, occurred on the date of August 2, 1776. -
The Battle of Trenton, a pivotal moment in the American Revolutionary War. It took place on December 26, 1776, in Trenton, New Jersey. General George Washington's Continental Army launched a surprise attack on Hessian (German mercenary) forces garrisoned there, achieving a crucial victory that boosted American morale after a string of defeats. -
The Battle of Yorktown, a decisive victory for the American and French forces. It had effectively ended major fighting in the American Revolutionary War. General Cornwallis's British army, trapped in Yorktown, Virginia, was surrounded and forced to surrender to the combined forces of General George Washington and the Comte de Rochambeau after a siege that lasted several weeks. This victory led to peace negotiations and ultimately American independence. -
The Battle of Yorktown, also known as the Siege of Yorktown, was the decisive land battle of the American Revolutionary War. It concluded with the surrender of British General Lord Charles Cornwallis and his army to the combined American and French forces, effectively marking the end of major military operations in the war. The victory at Yorktown led to peace negotiations and the eventual recognition of American independence by Great Britain. -
The Treaty of Paris, specifically referring to the one signed in 1783, officially ended the American Revolutionary War and recognized the United States as an independent nation. It also defined the borders of the new country, granting the U.S. significant western territory. This treaty was part of a larger series of treaties signed in Paris that year, which also established peace between Great Britain and other allied nations like France, Spain, and the Netherlands. -
The Constitutional Convention, held in Philadelphia in 1787, was a pivotal event where delegates from twelve of the thirteen original states (Rhode Island did not attend) convened to address the shortcomings of the Articles of Confederation. The convention resulted in the drafting of the United States Constitution, a document that established a new framework for the federal government. The primary goal was to revise the Articles of Confederation. -
The Three-Fifths Compromise, reached during the 1787 Constitutional Convention, was an agreement that counted three out of every five enslaved people as part of a state's population for purposes of taxation and representation in the House of Representatives. This compromise aimed to balance the interests of both slaveholding and non-slaveholding states. While it addressed the immediate need for unity, it had reflected and perpetuated the institution of slavery and its impact on political power. -
The U.S. Constitution was ratified, meaning officially approved and adopted, on June 21, 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify it. This event made the Constitution the official framework for the government of the United States. n 1787, delegates met in Philadelphia to address the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, the existing governing document. The convention resulted in the proposal of a new Constitution, establishing a federal system with three branches. -
The Bill of Rights was a joint House and Senate Conference Committee settled remaining disagreements in September. On October 2, 1789, President Washington sent copies of the 12 amendments adopted by Congress to the states. By the date of December 15, 1791, three-fourths of the states had approved 10 of these.