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French and Indian War ends
England and the colonies won against French and the Native Americans. This resulted in Britain thinking that the. Colonists should pay what was lost in the war. -
Navigation Acts
These acts weren’t enforced, but Parliament controlled colonial trade and manufacturing. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act taxed newspapers and pamphlets. Colonists were not happy with this since they had no representatives in Parliment. -
Boston Massacre
British soldiers shot at colonists that were throwing snow and rocks at them. 5 protesters were killed. -
Tea Act
Parliament taxed the Colonists on tea, resulting in The Boston Tea Party. -
Boston Tea Party
Colonists threw a load of tea into the harbor as a response of protest from the tax on tea. -
Coercive/Intolerable Acts
Parliament was unhappy with the colonists because of the Boston Tea Party. In return, Parliament punished them with harsh laws. -
First Continental Congress
George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, etc gather together to figure out how to deal with Britain. -
Second Continental Congress
The group met up again after Lexington and Concord. They decided to make the continental army, with Washington leading. -
Lexington and Concord
In Massachusetts, war broke out between the colonists and the British. This started the American Revolution. -
Declaration of Independence adopted
Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, and then had American leaders sign it. This guaranteed “our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor” to the United States. -
Battle of Saratoga
The first turning point in the war, when America defeated the British. This convinced the French to ally with America. -
Winter at Valley Forge
Troops in the Continental Army were agonized by the harsh winter of 1777-1778. -
Battle of Yorktown
Washington forced the British to surrender at Yorktown, Virginia. Because of this the British army collapsed. -
U.S. Constitution written
The Constitution is written by James Madison. They used the same ideas as Locke, Montesquieu, and Rousseau to inspire them. -
U.S. Constitution adopted
It gives the citizens many rights and freedoms, but it also gives them more responsibility. The Constitution also produced a federal republic, so that no branch of government could become too powerful.