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Revolutionary War
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Revolutionary War
In 1778, United States of America and France signed a pact of trade and commerce and this allowed them to depend on France as an ally. On behalf of America, France declared a war on Great Britain under the leadership of Louis XVI. That signaled for caution on the British part and after a war between them, Great Britain Slowly started pulling their troops away from America. The House of Commons in Great Britain voted to end the war in 1782 after 4 years of starting the war. -
Declaration of Independence
Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence. The congressional revision process took all of July 3rd and most of July 4th.Finally, in the afternoon of July 4th, the Declaration was adopted.Gave America the freedom and independence they so desperately needed and wanted before Great Britain took control. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation were made after America won their independence from Great Britain. A group of elite men got together to create what would become America's rights. This lasted from 1776-1777. Powers granted by The Articles of Confederation were that Congress could raise armies, and could also declare war. Powers that were withheld by The Articles of Confederation was the congress could not raise revenue through taxes and congress could not regulate trade and collect tariff. -
Shay's Rebellion
The rebellion started on August 29, 1786, over financial difficulties and by January 1787, over one thousand Shaysites had been arrested. A militia that had been raised as a private army defeated an attack on the federal Springfield Armory by the main Shaysite force on February 3, 1787, and four rebels were killed in the action. There was a lack of an institutional response to the uprising, which energized calls to reevaluate the Articles of Confederation and gave strong impetus to Philadelphia. -
Constitutional Conventions
Delegates from the various states met in the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia. The main business of the Convention began four days later when Governor Edmund Randolph of Virginia presented and defended a plan for new structure of government The Virginia Plan called for a strong national government with both branches of the legislative branch apportioned by population. The plan gave the national government the power to legislate in all cases in which the separate States are incompetent. -
Ratification of the Constitution
On September 17, 1787, the Constitution was completed, followed by a speech given by Benjamin Franklin. Franklin urged unanimity, although the Convention had decided that only nine states were needed to ratify. The Convention submitted the Constitution to the Congress of the Confederation. Massachusetts’s Rufus King assessed the Convention as a creature of the states, independent of the Articles Congress, submitting its proposal to Congress only to satisfy forms. -
Bill of Rights Ratification
In September 1789, the first Congress of the United States approved 12 amendments to the U.S. Constitution and sent them to the states for ratification. The amendments were designed to protect the basic rights of U.S. citizens, guaranteeing the freedom of speech, press, assembly, and exercise of religion; the right to fair legal procedure and to bear arms; and that powers not delegated to the federal government would be reserved for the states and the people.
