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French and Indian War
Britain and France emerged as powerful rivals. They clashed in Europe, North America, Africa, and Asia. In North America, war between the two powers erupted in 1754. This turned into a worldwide struggle known as the Seven Years' War , which spread to Europe in 1756 and then to India and Africa. -
Sugar Act
The first attempt to finance the defence of the colonies by the British Government. In order to deter smuggling and to encourage the production of British rum, taxes on molasses were dropped; a levy was placed on foreign Madeira wine and colonial exports of iron, lumber and other goods had to pass first through Britain and British customs. The Act established a Vice-Admiralty Court in Halifax, Nova Scotia to hear smuggling cases without jury and with the presumption of guilt. -
The Boston Tea Party
Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty boarded three ships in the Boston harbor and threw 342 chests of tea overboard. They did this to protest tax on tea. This resulted in the passage of the punitive Coercive Acts in 1774 and pushed the two sides closer to war. -
Declaration of Independence
By issuing the Declaration of Independence, adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, the 13 American colonies severed their political connections to Great Britain. The Declaration summarized the colonists motivations for seeking independence. American leaders adopted the Declaration, pledging "our lives, our fortunes, and our scared honor" to creating and protecting the new United States of America. -
the Constitution became the supreme law of the land
It became the nation's fundamental law. The new republic was a symbol of freedom to European countries and reformers in Latin America. Its constitution would be copied or adopted by many lands throughout the world. In 1789, a revolution in France toppled the monarchy in the name of liberty and equality.
