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A European movement that highlighted reason and individualism instead of tradition. The movement explored new ideas about god, reason, nature, humanity, etc. It contributed to major changes and revolutions in Europe and the Americas, as well as to the development of modern science and social sciences.
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The French and Indian War was a North American conflict in a larger war between Great Britain and France. The war started from competing colonial claims in North America, particularly the Ohio River Valley. Ultimately, Britain gained significant territory, but the war's aftermath, including increased taxation and tensions with Native Americans which contributed to the American Revolution.
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The Sons of Liberty were a group of American colonists who protested British rule and taxation in the years leading up to the American Revolution. They were a secret society that used various methods, including boycotts, protests, and even violence, to oppose British policies they saw as unfair. Their actions, like the Boston Tea Party, helped contribute to the start of the Revolutionary War. -
A British law that required colonists to pay a tax on printed materials like legal documents, newspapers, and playing cards by purchasing a special stamp. This act was controversial because it was a direct tax imposed by the British Parliament without the consent of the colonists, who lacked representation in Parliament. -
The Boston Massacre was a deadly confrontation between British soldiers and American colonists in Boston, Massachusetts. A crowd of colonists harassed a British soldiers, which escalated into a fight with other soldiers, which resulted in the death of five colonists. This event increased tensions between the colonists and British authorities, growing the movement for American independence. -
Protesters, some disguised as Native Americans, boarded three British ships in Boston Harbor and threw 342 chests of East Indian Company tea into the water. -
British troops, sent to take colonial weapons and arrest revolutionary leaders, clashed with colonial militia at Lexington and then Concord, Massachusetts. These battles are often referred to as the "shot heard 'round the world" and marked a turning point for independence. -
Was an early conflict in the American Revolutionary War. And although the British forces ultimately won the hill, they suffered heavy casualties, which showed the colonists' courage to fight and boosting Patriot morale. -
Announced the 13 American colonies' separation from Great Britain. It stated the reasons for independence, declaring the colonies free and independent states with the power to wage war, make peace, and form alliances. -
Ended the American Revolutionary War between the United States and Great Britain. It recognized the United States as an independent nation and established its borders. -
Was an agreement during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that created a two-house legislature. It resolved the dispute between large and small states over representation in Congress. The compromise established a House of Representatives with representation based on population and a Senate with equal representation for each state (two senators per state). -
The Constitutional Convention was a meeting where delegates from 12 states gathered in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation. Instead, they ended up creating a whole new document, the United States Constitution. This new constitution established a stronger federal government with three branches and included compromises on issues like representation and slavery. -
During the Constitutional Convention determined that three out of every five enslaved people would be counted when determining a state's population for representation in the House of Representatives and for taxation. -
After a process where state conventions voted to accept it. Nine out of thirteen states needed to ratify it for it to become the official framework of the US government. -
Containing the first 10 amendments in the U.S. Constitution, it was adopted to guarantee fundamental rights and freedoms to all citizens. It protects essential liberties like freedom of religion, speech, press, and the right to bear arms, while also protecting people from government overreach.