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In the 1600s, the Navigation Acts were passed by parliament to regulate colonial trade and manufacturing. These acts were not rigorously enforced, so smuggling was common and not considered a crime to the colonists.
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As a result of the war, Britain gained all of French Canada, as well as the rich islands in the Caribbean. Britain believed that the colonists should pay their share in taxes.
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The Stamp act was created by parliament to put taxes on newspapers and pamphlets. The colonists took this as a threat to their rights, and then got violent.
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The taxes that parliament created angered many colonists. As a result, they protested by pelting British soldiers with stones and snowballs. The soldiers then opened fire on the crowd and killed 5 of the protesters.
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Taxes on tea were now in place, so in December, many colonists got together and hurled a cargo of recently arrived British tea into the harbor to protest these taxes on tea.
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The Tea Act made sure that tea was shipped directly to the colonies without passing through England. Tea was then cheaper, and duties were reduced. The colonists disapproved this act because they thought that this act validated the new tax on tea.
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Tensions brought along with the new taxes caused representatives from each of the 12 colonies to gather. In Philadelphia, this gathering, known as the First Constitutional Congress, occurred so that the representatives could discuss what they wanted to do about Britain's harsh moves against Massachusetts.
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After the Boston Tea Party, the colonists were punished when the Coercive/Intolerable Acts were published. They were passed by parliament to punish the colonists for their defiance in the Tea Party and their reactions to the new taxes.
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The opening shots of the American Revolution were fired. This caused the Second Continental Congress to gather to set up a Continental Army with George Washington in command.
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The crisis between the colonists and the British turned into a war at Lexington and Concord. Colonists clashed with the British troops, and the first shot was fired. This is the start of the American Revolution.
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Congress took a momentous step to declare independence from Britain. In Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence, he declared that the people have the right to abolish and choose the government of their liking. The document also outlined that people were given their natural rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
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The Battle of Saratoga was the first turning point in the war. The Americans triumphed over the British, and in return, France was persuaded to join the Americans in the war against the British. The French also brought weapons, soldiers, and warships with them.
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Brutal winters made Continental troops suffer with the cold, hunger, and disease. However, George Washington was patient and determined, and he held the run-down army together.
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Washington never gave up, and with the help of a French fleet, he forced the surrender of a British army in Yorktown, Virginia. with this defeat, the British war effort crumbled.
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During the hot summer, the nations leaders gathered to write the Constitution. The framework for a strong, flexible government has remained in place for more than 200 years.
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The U.S. Constitution was signed in 1787. When it was signed, it was brought into action, and has been in place for more than 200 years. It states how the government should work and what can and can't be done by the government.
