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French and Indian War Begins
This war was fought between British colonies in North America and the French colonies as well as their allies.The French and Indian War began is considered a smaller part of the Seven Years’ War. George Washington was a young man of 22 at the time and he participated in this war as part of the British militia from Virginia. Soldiers arrived from Britain and the British colonists were able to defeat the French and their Indian allies. As a result, they gained control of the Ohio River Valley. -
Pontiac War
They didn’t like the fact that the British colonists and soldiers stayed on in the Valley. This eventually led to a new war by a Native American chief named Pontiac. During this time, the Native American warriors killed a large number of British soldiers and white settlers. The British also killed a large number of Native Americans. In the end, both sides agreed to resolve the matter through negotiations and the Native Americans left the lands claimed by the British. -
Boston Massacre
In 1768, British government ordered that British soldiers should be stationed in Boston. This was because most of the protests against new taxes imposed by the British government took place in Boston. In 1770, a group of protestors gathered around 8 British soldiers. They hurled abuse at the soldiers and threatened them with clubs and stones. The soldiers opened fire and killed three people, with another two later dying of wounds. This became known as the incident of Boston Massacre. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a protest launched by an organization known as Sons of Liberty. This organization was formed by the 13 American colonies to protest against the economic policies of Britain towards the colonies. After the British Parliament passed the Tea Act in 1773, they strongly protested against the Act. As part of their protests, they boarded British ships carrying tea and destroyed the shipment by throwing the tea chests into the harbor. This became known as the Boston Tea Party. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first armed engagement between British forces and the American revolutionaries. British forces were confronted by the militia men and the first shots of the American Revolution were fired. The militia men kept attacking the British force during its search for supplies and then during its march back to Boston. Then the militia army laid siege to Boston. -
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Revolutionary War
The main reason for war was the rejection of the British government and an opposition to their rule without consent. The Americans formed their own Congress and declared that they were not controlled by the British government or by its laws. This is how the Americans declared the independence and called the new nation, the United States of America. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was a very important declaration adopted by the Second Continental Congress. This declaration said that the 13 American colonies were no longer under British rule and considered themselves as independent entities. -
Battle of Saratoga
Two battles were fought between the American and British forces in Saratoga County, New York. These were known as the First Battle of Saratoga and the Second Battle of Saratoga. In the first battle, British were victorious but they couldn’t break through American lines to achieve their actual objective. The whole British army was surrounded and forced to surrender. This was an important event of the Revolutionary War because the British defeat convinced France to form an alliance with America. -
Composition of the Constitution
This was an event where delegates from all the Thirteen Colonies participated. They came together to discuss what sort of government they should create now that they were free from the British rule. They also discussed how the states will exist under this government and how independent will be the states. Another important matter they discussed was the powers of the President of United States. George Washington presided over this convention. -
First President Elected
The commander of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, George Washington, was elected to be the first president of the United States. -
Washington D.C. becomes the capital of the USA
In the 1780s, it was decided that the capital of the newly-born USA will eventually be moved to a new city. From 1790 onwards, work began to construct new buildings at the site of the Washington D.C. city. In 1800, President John Adams took up his seat at the White House in Washington D.C. At the same time, Washington also became the new capital of USA. -
Bill of Rights
Some states didn’t like the new constitution. They wanted to change it and agreed to vote in its favor only if the constitution would be amended soon after. These amendments took place in 1791. They were known as the Bill of Rights, comprised of a total of 10 amendments. The amendments were approved in 1789 by the Congress. These amendments were mainly concerned with basic rights of U.S. citizens such as the right to assembly, freedom of religion, freedom of speech and legal rights.
