Founding Father Timeline

  • The Boston Tea Party

    The Boston Tea Party
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    The Boston Tea Party was a political protest that occurred on December 16, 1773, at Griffin's Wharf in Boston, Massachusetts. American colonists, frustrated and angry at Britain for imposing “taxation without representation,” dumped 342 chests of tea, imported by the British East India Company into the harbor.
  • The Battles of Lexington and Concord

    The Battles of Lexington and Concord
    The Battles of Lexington and Concord on 19 April 1775, the famous 'shot heard 'round the world', marked the start of the American War of Independence (1775-83). Politically disastrous for the British, it persuaded many Americans to take up arms and support the cause of independence.
  • The Declaration of Independence is Signed

    The Declaration of Independence is Signed
    The US signed the Declaration of Independence officially wanting to split with Great Britain
  • The Winter at Valley Forge

    The Winter at Valley Forge
    The particularly severe winter of 1777-1778 proved to be a great trial for the American army, and of the 11,000 soldiers stationed at Valley Forge, hundreds died from disease. However, the suffering troops were held together by loyalty to the Patriot cause and to General Washington, who stayed with his men.
  • Article of Confederation are Ratified

    Article of Confederation are Ratified
    Rare Book and Special Collections Division. The Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation, the first constitution of the United States, on November 15, 1777. However, ratification of the Articles of Confederation by all thirteen states did not occur until March 1, 1781.
  • The Battle of Yorktown

    The Battle of Yorktown
    The siege of Yorktown, also known as the Battle of Yorktown, the surrender at Yorktown, or the German battle, beginning on September 28, 1781, and ending on October 19, 1781
  • The Constitution is Ratified

    The Constitution is Ratified
    the Constitution became the official framework of the government of the United States of America when New Hampshire became the ninth of 13 states to ratify it.
  • Presidential Inauguration of George Washington

    Presidential Inauguration of George Washington
    The first inauguration of George Washington as the first president of the United States was held on Tuesday, April 30, 1789 on the balcony of Federal Hall in New York City, New York. The inauguration was held nearly two months after the beginning of the first four-year term of George Washington as president.
  • Washington’s Farewell Address

    Washington’s Farewell Address
    Washington's Farewell Address is a letter written by American President George Washington as a valedictory to "friends and fellow-citizens" after 20 years of public service to the United States. He wrote it near the end of his second term of presidency before retiring to his home at Mount Vernon in Virginia.
  • The Death of George Washington

    The Death of George Washington
    George Washington passed away of a throat infection. He was buried four days later in the family vault at Mount Vernon.
  • Election Day, 1800

    Election Day, 1800
    On February 17, 1801, presidential candidate Thomas Jefferson won support of a majority of congressional Representatives displacing incumbent John Adams. Jefferson's triumph brought an end to one of the most acrimonious presidential campaigns in U.S. history and resolved a serious Constitutional crisis.
  • Marbury vs. Madison

    Marbury vs. Madison
    Madison, legal case in which, on February 24, 1803, the U.S. Supreme Court first declared an act of Congress unconstitutional, thus establishing the doctrine of judicial review. The court's opinion, written by Chief Justice John Marshall, is considered one of the foundations of U.S. constitutional law.
  • The Great Oklahoma Land Race

    The Great Oklahoma Land Race
    Oklahoma Land Run of 1889 quickly led to the creation of Oklahoma Territory under the Organic Act of 1890 and ultimately to the formation of the forty-sixth state of the Union, Oklahoma, in 1907.
  • Ellis Island Opens to Process Immigrants

    Ellis Island Opens to Process Immigrants
    The first Ellis Island Immigration Station officially opens on January 1, 1892, as three large ships wait to land. Seven hundred immigrants passed through Ellis Island that day, and nearly 450,000 followed over the course of that first year.