Road to the United States Constitution

  • The French and Indian War

    A battle for interior land between the British and the French, with the French having support from the Natives.
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    Road to the United States Constitution

  • The Proclamation of 1763

    The Appalachian Mountains became the border for British Settlements.
  • The Sugar Act

    British began to tax the colonies for sugar, tea, and coffee.
  • The Stamp Act

    British impose taxes on stamps, as well as required the colonies to purchase stamps.
  • The Sons of Liberty

    A result of unfair British policies, a secret society that would discuss and try to work the unfair British policies.
  • Reforms to the Sugar and Stamp Acts

    The British began to reform some of the unfair policies.
  • The Boston Massacre

    Disputes began to arise in the City of Boston, which resulted in British troops firing upon colonists. 5 colonists were killed.
  • The Committies of Correspondence

    An assortment of committees in various colonies would communicate with one another. Discussions were in relation to the opposition to British Rule.
  • The Tea Act

    Enabled for the British to establish a monopoly over the colonies.
  • The Boston Tea Party

    Colonists boarded British merchant ships and dumped over 92,000lbs of tea into Boston Harbor.
  • The Creation of the Continental Congress

    Members of the colonies came together to discuss their deteriorating relationship with the British.
  • The Intolerable Acts

    Punishment from the British in response to the Boston Tea Party.
  • The Shot Heard Around the World

    The first shot in Lexington, starting the Revolutionary War.
  • The Draft of the Articles of Confederation

    The beginning works of the Constitution were drafted.
  • The Townshend Acts

    The Britsh put taxes on imported goods, which had to be paid at the port.
  • "Common Sense" by Thomas Paine

    Thomas Payne wrote "Common Sense" as a call to action in order to gain the support of the colonies who oppose the British Rule.
  • Freedom Has Come

    The Declaration of Independence was signed, resulting in the colonies being freed from British rule. The colonies became the United States of America.
  • The War Is Ending

    The British had lost a key battle in the Siege of Yorktown.
  • Rattification of the Articles of Confederation

    The Articles of Confederation were ratified as the newly independent state's form of government.
  • The Treaty of Paris

    Marked the end of the land battles of the Revolutionary War.
  • Shays Rebellion

    A protest in response to the economic policies and political corruption under the Articles of Confederation
  • The Northwest Ordinance

    Established policies for the creation and inclusion of 5 new states into the Confederation, in which slavery would be abolished in those new states.
  • The Constitutional Convention

    55 state delegates, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and James Madison all met in order to revise the failed Articles of Confederation. This led to the creation of the United States Constitution.
  • The Signing of the Constitution

    The Constitution was signed by 11/13 states and became the law of the land.
  • The Bill of Rights

    The Bill of Rights was added to the U.S. Constitution, which gave certain unalienable rights to those in the United States.