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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.
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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 volunteers converge—called "Minute Men"—on Cambridge, Mass. These are the beginnings of the Continental Army.
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Following a decade of agitation over taxes and a year of war, representatives make the break with Britain
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As a result of the patriot victory at Saratoga and American diplomatic efforts, France allies itself with the new American government.
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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).