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Navigation Acts
The Navigation Acts were a series of laws passed by the English Parliament to regulate shipping. The Acts increased colonial revenue by taxing the goods going to and from British colonies. The Navigation Acts were one of the direct economic causes of the American Revolution. -
French and Indian War ends
English colonists ran out of land in which they were forced to move west. French and English both claimed the Ohio river valley and the Native Americans and French were upset that the English colonists moved onto their land. The War costs were expensive in which the country had to pay for soldiers, supplies, weapons and all costs associated to the war -
Stamp Act
A tax on every sheet of every legal document. Britain needed money because they were in debt from the war so they taxed the colonists. The colonists then boycotted British goods and organized the Sons of Liberty and the Daughters of Liberty -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre occurred on March 5, 1770 in Boston, Massachusetts on King Street. It started as a fight between the colonists and British soldiers. The colonists were angry over the Townshend Acts, which led to riots. It was important because it was a turning point in America’s quest for independence -
Tea Act
Tea Act of 1773 was a law made by the Parliament of Great Britain. The law gave the Company the right to directly ship its tea to North America and the right to the duty-free export of tea from Britain. The tax imposed by the Townshend Acts and collected in the colonies remained in force -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party, created by colonialists in protest of British government action which was the key event for revolution in America. With the British East Indian Company becoming broke, the British government introduced laws which could allow the company to export tea directly from China to America, without passing through Britain and by doing this, the company could make more profits. -
Coercive/Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts were severe laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774 after the Boston Tea Party. In Great Britain, these laws were referred to as the Coercive Acts. The acts took away self-governance and historic rights of Massachusetts, triggering anger and resistance in the Thirteen Colonies. -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress took place between September 5, 1774 - October 26, 1774. They developed the Continental Association and that they also developed the Declaration of Independence. The members demanded an end to the Intolerable Acts. They also called for the organization of militias and the printing of paper money. -
Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord, the famous ‘shot heard ’round the world’, marked the start of the American War of Independence. Politically a disaster for the British, it persuaded many Americans to take up arms and support the cause of independence. -
Second Continental Congress
Second Continental Congress organized Continental Army, named George Washington as commander. The Revolutionary War began as colonists requested independence from Britain. -
Declaration of Independence adopted
The Declaration of Independence stated that if a government does not protect the rights of the people, the people can create a new government. For this reason, the colonists separated from their British rulers. On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence today can be seen within the United States of America through life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness -
Battle of Saratoga
The Americans defeated the British which was the first turning point in the war at the Battle of Saratoga. This victory persuaded France to join the American's against Britain which brought the American's well needed supplies, trained soldiers and French warships. -
Winter at Valley Forge
Valley Forge lead to Camp Followers. American soldiers died due to a lack of nutrition and the freezing winter. The wives, sisters, and children helped them survive the winter, which earned them the name Camp Followers. Washington was courageous and held the ragged army together -
Battle of Yorktown
Cornwallis surrendered to George Washington as French and American forces trapped the British at Yorktown. The British surrender at the Battle of Yorktown which ended the American Revolutionary War. -
U.S. Constitution Written
Written in secret by members of the Constitutional Convention during the summer of 1787, this four-page document, signed on September 17, 1787, established the government of the United States and has served for a model of freedom and independence. -
U.S. Constitution adopted
On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the Constitution. That day, the Constitution was officially adopted, and the new government officially started operating on March 4, 1789 to secure a more stable and safer government.