-
It was the first major act of defiance. It showed Great Britain that Americans wouldn't take taxation and tyranny sitting down. -
It marked the start of the American War of Independence (1775-83). -
a document that officially records the proclamation that the United States is an independent country from Great Britain. -
The American Revolution was a period of great adversity for the new nation. The particularly severe winter of 1777-1778 proved to be a great trial for the army, resulting in hundreds of deaths. General Washington stayed with his men at Valley Forge and inspired them with hope for the future. -
On March 1, 1781, the Articles of Confederation are finally ratified. This act established the government structure of the United States under which the states formed a confederacy or union of sovereign states. -
The Battle of Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781, was the final major battle in the American Revolutionary War; the principal armed engagement in the conflict leading to the independence of the United States from Great Britain. -
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. -
On April 30, 1789, New York Governor Robert Livingston administered the oath of office to George Washington at Federal Hall, in New York City. This inauguration established an official government for the United States under the Constitution of 1787. -
In his "Farewell Address," Washington encouraged the public to use the change in their political system to encourage good government and warned against political parties. He also expressed concern about foreign conflicts and urged Americans to continue celebrating their achievements -
He passed away from throat infection. -
In 1800, Democratic-Republican Thomas Jefferson defeated Federalist John Adams by a margin of seventy-three to sixty-five electoral votes. When presidential electors cast their votes, however, they failed to distinguish between the office of president and vice president on their ballots. This mixup left no one candidate in the White House who had won a majority of electoral votes. -
In 1803, when the U.S. Supreme Court declared unconstitutional a portion of the Judiciary Act passed by Congress, the authority of the federal courts to review legislative acts was firmly established.