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Navigation Acts
They were created to regulate colonial trade and manufacturing. They were not enforced often, so smuggling was common. (1600s) -
French and Indian War Ends
Britain gained all of French Canada and the rich Caribbean Islands. -
Stamp Act
Taxed things such as newspapers and pamphlets. Colonists resented new taxes because they viewed it as an attack on their rights. They said “ No taxation without representation” because they had no one representing them on the Parliament, so they felt it was unfair to not have a say in their taxes. It was eventually appealed. -
Boston Massacre
5 colonists were shot down by British soldiers after they opened fire on a crowd that was throwing rocks and snowballs at them -
Tea Act
Parliament passed the tea act that granted the company the right to ship its tea directly to the colonies without first landing it in England, and to commission agents who would have the sole right to sell tea in the colonies. -
Boston Tea Party
Colonists threw imported British tea into the harbor to protest taxes on tea. Parliament placed harsh laws on Massachusetts as a punishment and the other colonies rallied to helped them -
Intolerable Acts
A series of punitive laws passed by the British Parliament in after the Boston Tea Party. They punished the defiant people of Massachusetts. -
First Continental Congress
Delegates met in Carpenters Hall, Philadelphia from September 5 to October 26, 1774 to discuss the future of the colonies in relation to Britain. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress met inside Independence Hall beginning in May 1775 (a month after Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts) and the Congress was preparing for war. They established a Continental army and elected George Washington as Commander-in-Chief. In addition the delegates also drafted the Olive Branch Petition and sent it to King George III. -
Lexington and Concord Battles
These battles kicked off the war after many years of tensions. -
Declaration of Independence Adopted
Written by Thomas Jefferson, leaders signed the declaration that declared the United States independence from Britain, pledging “our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor”. The document used the political principle of popular sovereignty which is the idea that all government power comes from the people. -
Battle of Saratoga
In this particular battle the Americans won over the British. The victory convinced France to join forces with the Americans which provided them with supplies, warships, and trained soldiers. Spain and Netherlands joined the Americans as well. -
Winter at Valley Forge
The brutal winter at Valley Forge from 1777-1778 caused troops to suffer from disease, hunger, and cold. This weakened both armies. -
Battle of Yorktown
With the aid of the French fleet, Washington lead America to victory by forcing the surrender of the British at Yorktown, Virginia. From then on the British war efforts were deteriorated and two years later the Treaty of Paris was signed. -
U.S. Constitution is Written
In the summer of 1787 the nation’s leaders such as George Washington, James Madison, and Benjamin Franklin, gathered to write the constitution. -
U.S. Constitution is Adopted
It was officially adopted and signed by all 13 colonies.