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Common Sense called for independence from Britain, arguing monarchy was corrupt and that America should form a republic where people govern themselves. It helped sway public opinion toward revolution. -
The French and Indian War was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. -
The Sons of Liberty were a grassroots group of instigators and provocateurs in colonial America. -
seven British soldiers fired into a crowd of volatile Bostonians, killing five, wounding another six, and angering an entire colony. -
The Boston Tea Party was an American political and mercantile protest -
a series of four laws passed by the British Parliament to punish the colony of Massachusetts Bay for the Boston Tea Party. -
The American patriots were defeated. -
Delegates from twelve of Britain's thirteen American colonies met to discuss America's future under growing British aggression. -
The Second Continental Congress met inside Independence Hall -
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military clashes of the American Revolution. British troops attempted to seize colonial weapons and arrest rebel leaders in Concord. They were met by colonial militia in Lexington, where the first shots were fired. The British then retreated to Boston, facing growing resistance from colonial forces along the way. These battles marked the start of open conflict between the colonies and Britain. -
The Olive Branch Petition was a final attempt by the Continental Congress in 1775 to avoid full-scale war with Britain. It offered an olive branch, symbolizing peace, and asked King George III to address colonial grievances and restore harmony. However, the petition was rejected, and the king declared the colonies in rebellion, pushing the two sides closer to war. -
first British parliamentary attempt to raise revenue through direct taxation of all colonial commercial and legal papers, newspapers, pamphlets, cards, almanacs, and dice. -
The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. -
initiated taxes on glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea. -
The Battle of Trenton took place on December 26, 1776, when George Washington and his Continental Army crossed the Delaware River to launch a surprise attack on the Hessian forces in Trenton, New Jersey. The battle was a significant victory for the Americans, boosting morale after a series of defeats. Washington's bold and strategic move helped reinvigorate the revolutionary cause. -
The Articles of Confederation were created in 1777 by the Continental Congress. They served as the first constitution of the United States, establishing a weak central government with most powers reserved for the states. The Articles were ratified in 1781, but they proved ineffective due to the lack of strong federal authority, leading to their replacement by the U.S. Constitution in 1789. -
The U.S. Constitution was ratified on June 21, 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth state to approve it, meeting the threshold required for it to take effect. This marked the end of the Articles of Confederation and the beginning of a stronger federal government. The Constitution would officially go into effect in 1789, with the new government taking shape under the framework it provided. -
The Battle of Camden took place on August 16, 1780, during the American Revolution in South Carolina. The American Continental Army, led by General Horatio Gates, was decisively defeated by the British forces under Lord Cornwallis. The battle was a major setback for the Continental Army, with many American troops fleeing the field. It weakened the American position in the southern colonies, though the tide would eventually turn in favor of the revolutionaries in subsequent battles. -
Victory at Yorktown led directly to the peace negotiations that ended the war in 1783 and gave America its independence. -
The Treaty of Paris was signed by U.S. and British Representatives on September 3, 1783, ending the War of the American Revolution. -
three out of every five slaves was counted when determining a state's total population for legislative representation and taxation. -
a met between May and September of 1787 to address the problems of the weak central government that existed under the Articles of Confederation. -
The Great Compromise created a two-house Congress: the Senate (equal representation) and the House (based on population), balancing the needs of large and small states. -
The Bill of Rights was adopted on December 15, 1791, securing the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, which guaranteed fundamental rights like freedom of speech, religion, and the press.