-
British troops land in Boston to enforce the Townshend duties (taxes on paint, paper, tea, etc..., passed in June 1767) and clamp down on local radicals. The troops' presence doesn't sit well with locals and leads to street fights. One clash between soldiers and a mob in March 1770 will leave five dead. Radicals will call it the Boston Massacre, while the British will call it the incident on King Street.
-
The history of American Revolution
-
The first shots of the Revolutionary War are fired at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts. The news of the bloodshed rockets along the eastern seaboard, and thousands of volounteers convege called "Minute Men" on Cambridge, Mass. These are the beginnings of the Continental Army.
-
The declaration of Independence is adopted by the Secind Continental Congress. Following a decade of agitation over taxes and a year of war representatives make the break with Britain. King George III isn't willing to let his subjects go without a fight, and loyalist sentiment remains strong in many areas. Americans' primary allegiance is to their states; nationalism will grow slowly.
-
The Treaty of Paris ratifies the independence of the 13 North American states. Canada remains a British province, beginning its separate development as a US neighbor. Another war with England (1812 - 1815) will be necessary to truly secure the American nation.
-
A convention of states in Philadelphia proposes the Constitution to replace the much looser central government operating under the Articles of Confederation (adopted in 1777). With amendments the Constitution remains the framework of government in the US.