Declaration of Independence

Join or Die

1754

Benjamin Franklin put a cartoon in the newspaper he was working at. This cartoon, that is now infamous, was encouraging colonists to join the war. This was one of the first acts of any rebellion in the colonists. https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/the-story-behind-the-join-or-die-snake-cartoon

The Stamp Act

1765

The Stamp Act passed an tax on printed materials and this angered many colonists. "The Story Behind The Join Or Die Snake Cartoon - National Constitution Center". National Constitution Center – Constitutioncenter.Org, 2021, https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/the-story-behind-the-join-or-die-snake-cartoon

Boston Massacre

1770

The Boston Massacre is a dark period of time during the 1700s. Some colonists were protesting against some British soldiers. T Soon colonists were throwing rocks and cursing at the soldiers. The soldiers, as "defense", started to raise their guns and threaten the protesters. Things escalated even more when the soldiers shot at the protestors. 5 colonists died. https://ap.gilderlehrman.org/resource/paul-revere%27s-engraving-boston-massacre-1770

Boston Tea Party

1773

Britain started to tax the colonists on ridiculous things. This angered the colonists greatly and some decided to fight back. A group of protestors went on a supply ship and started to toss British tea into the sea. $1.7 million (in today's money) was tossed into the sea. https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/the-boston-tea-party

Declaration of Independence

1777

The Declaration of Independence was written in Philadelphia on July 4th, 1777. It was written by Thomas Jefferson mainly, and signed by many important members of the future new US government. This declared America's independence from Great Britain. https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript