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A series of acts were passed by the British government that were meant to regulate colonial trade and manufacturing. This angered the colonists who felt that they were entitled to the same rights as English citizens.
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England defeated France along with her Native American allies. This costly war caused Britain to go into debt and look to its colonies to repay it.
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This act taxed all commercial and legal documents. It angered the colonists and was repealed, but raised the questions of who should represent the colonies and if parliament had the right to tax them.
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Five colonists were killed when British soldiers in Boston opened fire on a crowd that was throwing rocks at them. As a result, the Committees of Correspondence was formed, which broadened the resistance movement.
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This act permitted the British East India Tea Co. to sell directly to the colonies without a middleman. These colonists lost their livelihoods, protesting with the Boston Tea Party as a result.
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Colonists threw a cargo of British tea into the Boston harbor as a protest. The coercive/intolerable acts were passed afterwords to punish them and make them pay for the damages.
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These acts were passed to punish the colonists and force them to pay reparations for the Boston Tea Party. They closed Boston Harbor until compensated, allowed soldiers to live in the homes of colonists, and allowed British officials to only be tried for crimes in England. The First Continental Congress was held to discuss how to respond to the Coercive/Intolerable Acts.
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Fifty-five delegates from twelve colonies met in Philadelphia to discuss how to respond to the intolerable acts. A declaration that stated the rights of the colonists was drafted.
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The British clashed with colonists in Massachusetts.These became the opening shots of the revolution. Soon after, the Second Continental Congress met.
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The Continental Congress met for a second time, resulting in the forming of a continental army with George Washington in command.
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The declaration of independence was signed by American leaders on July 4 of 1776. In signing this, the leaders pledged their lives, fortunes, and “sacred honor” to the cause of the United States of America.
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The brutal winter caused troops at Valley Forge to suffer from cold, hunger, and disease. This tested the army like it had never been before, but it was held together by George Washington.
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The Americans beat the British, which became the first turning point of the war. It convinced France to become an ally, providing supplies, soldiers, and war ships. This eventually led to the Netherlands and Spain adding their support as well.
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With French allies, Washington forced a British army to surrender in Yorktown, Virginia. The British war effort fell apart after this loss and it ended two years later.
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The second attempt at drafting an effective ruling document led to the writing of the U.S. Constitution in the summer of 1787. This created the framework for a strong flexible government that is adopted the next year.
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The constitution was recognized in 1788. It created a federal republic and implemented a checks-and-balances system. Certain legal ideas and rights of the American citizens were affirmed as well.
