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Navigation Acts
- Passed by Parliament during the years 1651 and 1660
- Colonial trade was restricted to Britain
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French and Indian War ends
- Britain defeated the French and the Native Americans, but gained debt
- Began to tax the colonies to repay what was spent on the war
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Stamp Act
- Created a tax for every page of printed paper in the colonies
- The colonists were upset that their right to not be taxed without consent was being violated
- “No taxation without representation!”
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The Boston Massacre
- A group of patriots fought with a group of British soldiers, resulting in the death of five colonists
- Created higher tensions between the colonists and Britain
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Tea Act
- Because of this act, the British East India Company gained a monopoly on tea in the colonies
- The colonists were not happy about the monopoly, causing the Boston Tea Party
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Boston Tea Party
- In protest of the Tea Act and unfair taxation, colonists threw 342 chests of imported tea into the harbor.
- One of the first impactful acts of defiance against Britain
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Coercive/Intolerable Acts
- Included the Boston Port Act (March 31, 1774), the Administration of Justice Act (May 20, 1774), the Massachusetts Government Act (May 20, 1774), and the Quartering Act (June 2, 1774)
- Colonists considered these acts unfair and a violation of their rights, especially the quartering act, which allowed British soldiers to legally live in your house
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First Continental Congress
- Delegates from 12 of the colonies came together to discuss the future of the colonies with their tensions with Britain
- Georgia was not represented
- Ended October 26, 1774
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Battle of Saratoga
- A decisive turning point for the colonists, their victory stopped Britain’s attempts at controlling the Hudson River
- Resulted in France signing an official alliance treaty with the colonists
- Ended October 7, 1777
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Lexington and Concord
- The first battles of the Revolutionary War
- Tensions between the colonies and Britain finally exploded into war
- The Second Continental Congress met after Lexington and Concord to prepare for the revolution
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Period: to
The Revolutionary War
- The war officially ended when the Treaty of Paris was signed on September 3, 1783
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Second Continental Congress
- Representatives from the 13 colonies met to create a new government and prepare for the revolution
- Created Continental Army led by George Washington
- The Olive Branch Petition was sent to King George III during this congress to hopefully reach a peaceful conclusion, although it failed
- Adopted the Declaration of Independence
- Ended March 1, 1781
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Declaration of Independence adopted
- Thomas Jefferson was the main author of the Declaration of Independence
- Influenced by the thinkers of the Enlightenment
- Created a government of the people
- Signed on July 4, 1776
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Winter at Valley Forge
- Led by George Washington, the Continental Army combatted disease, hunger, and cold while surviving the winter of 1777-78
- Washington held the Continental Army together with his courage and patience
- “The birthplace of the American Army”
- Ended Jun 19, 1778
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The Battle of Yorktown
- With the support of the French, the British army surrendered to George Washington on October 19, 1781
- The United States had won the war
- The war officially ended when the Treaty of Paris was signed on September 3, 1783
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U.S. Constitution Written
- George Washington, James Madison, and Benjamin Franklin met during the summer of 1787 to write the Constitution
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U.S. Constitution Adopted
- Signed by 39 of the 55 present delegates
- Created a federal republic and set up checks and balances
- The Bill of Rights put limits on the government to ensure the rights of its citizens
- Created a freedom-based, functioning government for the new country