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The Stamp Act
On March 22, 1765, the British Parliament passed the Stamp Act to help pay for the British troops that were staying at the colonies in the Seven Years War. The Stamp Act forced the colonists to pay tax on items marked with a stamp, these items consisted of documents, papers, and playing cards. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre began on March 5, 1770 with an argument between British Private Hugh White and some colonists. The argument began to escalate and more colonists gathered around and began to harass and throw things at the the Private. In a matter of minutes there were 50 colonists there. Armed British soldiers were sent to maintain order. After one of the soldiers was struck, a different Private shot into the crowd and a few seconds later the other soldiers started firing too. -
The Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a political protest that happened on December 16, 1773, in Boston Massachusetts. The American Colonists were angry at Britain for imposing “taxation without representation,” and dumped 342 boxes of tea, imported by the British East India Company into the water at the harbor. -
Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts were five laws that were passed in Boston by the British Parliament against the American colonies in 1774. They were given the name “Intolerable Acts” by American Patriots who believed that the laws were too unfair to tolerate. The British passed these acts to punish the Patriots for the Boston Tea Party. -
The Declaration of Independence
After being at War with Britain for a around a year, the thirteen colonies decided that it was time for them to officially declare their independence. This meant that they would no longer be under the rule of the British Empire. On June 11, 1776 they appointed five leaders (The Committee of Five) to write a document explaining why they were declaring independence.The five members decided that Thomas Jefferson should write the first draft. The final draft was presented on June 28, 1776 -
Battle of Yorktown
General Greene (the commander of the American Army) was against The British in a battle, using his tactics and skills he forced the British Army retreat to Yorktown. At the same time George Washington had won his battle and was retreating to Yorktown. The British Army was surrounded when they arrived, they were greatly outnumbered and were being bombarded. On October 19, 1781 General Cornwallis ended up surrendering his army. This was a big Victory for the Patriots. -
Treaty of Paris
After surrendering in their army the Battle of Yorktown, the British could no longer continue the war. Peace negotiations took place in France and after signing the Treaty of Paris the war came to an end on September 3, 1783 -
Signing of The New Constitution
On September 17, 1787, 39 of the 55 delegates signed the new document for the Constitution. The ones who refused did so because of the lack of a Bill of Rights. The US Constitution is the oldest written constitution and is still used in the world today.