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Passed on April 5, 1764. The French and Indian war left Britain with a huge war debt. So, the Sugar Act was imposed on the American colonies to support Britain’s mercantilist policy. This placed a tax on sugar and other imports from non-British colonies. This act was placed by the Parliament of Great Britain. -
The British Government issued many taxes to help pay for the war efforts, one of which being The Stamp Act. This act required colonists to pay a tax (shown as a stamp) on numerous forms of papers, documents, and playing cards. The American colonists were angered by this act and quickly acted to oppose it. King George III became more unpopular and many people cried “No taxation without representation!”. In 1765, this act was ratified by the British Parliament under King George III -
The new British Prime Minister, Lord North, was willing to carry out King George’s policies and issued the Coercive Acts, or “Intolerable Acts” (referred to by colonists). This was four acts passed by the British Parliament to punish the colony of the Massachusetts Bay for the Boston Tea Party. The acts included the Boston Port Act, The Massachusetts Government Act, The Administration of Justice Act, the Quebec Act, and the Quartering Act. This law was passed on June 2, 1774. -
On July 4th, 1776, the 2nd Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. This was drafted by Thomas Jefferson which main purpose was to establish the United States as an independent nation. We can see the philosophy of John Locke present in this declaration, such as “Life, Liberty, pursuit of happiness”, Government exists to protect individual rights, and that people can overthrow government when it does not do so. This was signed in Independence Hall. -
From September 19, 1777- October 17,1777, This battle was a major turning point in the war. The colonists defeated Burgoyne’s British troops. After seeing this victory, this led France, the Netherlands, and Spain to enter the war on the side of the Americans. This battle took place on the fields in upstate New York. This battle occurred because General John Burgoyne was attempting to invade New England from Canada with a goal of isolating New England from the US. -
In October of 1781, Washington marched his troops from New York to Virginia with a goal to trap the British southern army under the command of General Charles Cornwallis. This battle occurred because America needed a victory and this was the way. Continental and French armies quickly came and arrived before that and circles Cornwallis’s forces, which forced him to surrender. This led to difficulties for the British because they lost another army and didn’t have public support to continue the war -
This Treaty was created to bring an end to the American Revolution between the American colonies and Great Britain. The chief negotiator was Benjamin Franklin and territory larger than thirteen colonies was acquired. This treaty recognized American independence and established borders for the new nation. This treaty was signed of September 3, 1983. This treaty was signed at the Hotel d’York in Paris. It was signed by Franklin, Adams, and Jay -
Many Americans weren’t happy about this new government under the Articles of Confederation, this led to this convention. The main goal of this convention was to decide how America would be governed. George Washington was chosen as the presiding officer. The federal system was created and the three branch system which would allow for a string central government and some power to remain in the states. This convention was in Philadelphia and took place May 14- September 17,1787.