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French and Indian War
A war involving France, Britain and Spain, unique in its battleground - the American colonies. The French allied with natives to fight the British, but the British ended up winning and claiming lots of northwest territory as well as French Canadian territory. -
Pontiac's Rebellion
After multiple native Americans reported harsh treatment as a result of the British occupying their lands (formerly occupied by the French), Pontiac, an Ottawa chieftain, led a large group of Native Americans and attacked forts and towns, leading to British Army intervention. -
Proclamation Line of 1763
In response to Native American tensions, the British forbid settlers from living west of the Appalachians, angering bitter French and Indian war veterans and prospective frontiersmen from the colonies. -
Stamp Act
The third of three British acts passed by minister George Grenville on the colonies, the Stamp Act angered the colonists by placing expensive, luxury stamps on almost all official documents, directly squeezing revenue from the colonists. -
Declaratory Act
With the replacement of George Grenville and the repealing of the Stamp Act, Parliament sneakily passed the Declaratory Act – sneakily declaring that they had the right to tax and make laws for the colonies in all cases. -
Tea Act
Hoping to prop up the floundering British East India Company, Britain implemented an act making taxed tea cheaper than smuggled Dutch tea. The colonists were hesitant to buy the tea because doing so would be tantamount to accepting taxes. -
Boston Tea Party
As an East India Company ship entered the Boston Harbor, colonists dressed as Native Americans snuck aboard and dumped chests of tea into the harbor in a revelry. This angered the British crown and Parliament, and they passed the Intolerable Acts to punish the colonies. -
First Continental Congress
Delegates from every state except Georgia met in September 1774 not to discuss independence but to mend relationships with Britain. Galloway's proposed reunification plan failed to pass and a preliminary deal was drafted, with a promise to meet again in 1775 if need be. -
Second Continental Congress
After the Battle of Bunker Hill, the Continental Congress met once again to talk about the pressing matter of independence. While they were divided on whether to reconcile or rebel, they passed a call to arms, asking for men to form a Continental Army and Navy, while still hoping for a contradictory resolution. -
Declaration of Independence
After almost a year of meetings and the rise of Enlightenment ideals throughout the US, the Congress began to favor, somewhat reluctantly, a more independent point of view. Multiple delegates such as Thomas Jefferson and Richard Henry Lee drafted a resolution depicting the colonies as independent, listing specific grievances and declaring that all men are created equal (importantly excluding women at this time.) -
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Articles of Confederation
In 1776 John Dickinson began drafting the first constitution of the United States (the Articles of Confederation.) The document was adopted by the congress in 1777 and left to be ratified by states, but was stalled until 1781 due to territorial disputes. Many issues with the Articles, such as the limited centralized income and low power of the central government, caused it to be abolished in 1789. -
Treaty of Paris
Due to the steady unpopularity of the war in Britain and the strain it took on the economy, many hoped to end the war. After Cornwallis's defeat, some legislation was drafted, and a treaty was finalized in 1783 - stating that the US would be an independent nation with certain border claims. -
Northwest Ordinance
This policy managed the territory in between the Great Lakes and Ohio River Valley by setting up rules for the creation of new states – it granted limited self-government to those in the territory and prohibited slavery there. -
Constitutional Convention
Benjamin Franklin and other Founding Fathers met in 1787 to discuss numerous issues with the Articles of Confederation. These meetings were instrumental in defining what a frame of government needed to include - and what would be necessary to add to the upcoming Constitution. -
Ratification
After 17 weeks of debate, the Philadelphia convention approved a draft - anticipating opposition, they declared that if nine out of thirteen states were to ratify, the Constitution would be passed. After a couple years of debate, the necessary nine states finally ratified the Constitution. -
The Constitution
The Constitution would help to expand the central government's power and create "checks and balances" on power through the creation of different branches of government (Executive, Judicial, and Legislative) with different purposes that complement each other. The Presidency was established along with term length. -
Whiskey Rebellion
Federalists pushed a bill to tax whiskey and whiskey distilleries. Angry farmers rebelled, citing the fact that this was a very British thing to do, and Washington mobilized a militia to stop them. This decision was supported by Federalists and opposed by Democratic-Republicans. -
Jay's Treaty
To deter British impressment, the US signed a treaty to keep Britain out of the western frontier. It was unpopular but maintained Washington's neutral policies and maintained peace between the two nations - for a time. -
Pinckney's Treaty
The Spanish negotiated with the US to allow them to freely use the port of New Orleans and the Mississippi River for trade. This revolutionized the international US economy. -
Washington's Farewell Address
As Washington left the position of presidency, he asked the future US government to not get involved in foreign affairs or make political parties - two things the US would slowly begin doing. -
XYZ Affair
Seeking a remedy to the seizure of US merchant ships by the French, the US initiated discussion but were met by a desire for bribes postulated by anonymous French ministers (X, Y, Z.) People were outraged and clamored for war, but Adams said that the US was not ready to fight abroad. -
Alien and Sedition Acts
Adams and the Federalists took advantage of their majority in both areas of Congress to pass some acts that restricted their political opponents. These included the Alien Act, which authorized the government to deport foreigners and detain them in wartime, and the Sedition Act, which criminalized criticism of the government, threatening fines or imprisonment. -
Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions
Dem-Reps argued that the Alien and Sedition Acts violated rights, so states such as Kentucky and Virginia passed nullifying laws, stating that the "compact" they had entered with the federal government allowed them to nullify federal laws they deemed unconstitutional. -
Election of 1800
The Federalists lost popularity in the late 18th century due to the Alien and Sedition Acts as well as new taxes meant to build up the army. Jefferson, a Dem-Rep, thus won the election, which was called the "peaceful resolution" due to the fact that it set a standard for a peaceful transition of power.