-
Charter of Privileges
William Penn gives Pennsylvania its first constitution, called the Charter of Privileges.The document guaranteed religious freedom, strengthened the separation of church and state, granted popularly-elected officials the ability to enact laws, and balanced power between the offices of the governor, legislature, and judiciary. -
Queen Anne’s War (The War of Spanish Succession) begins.
Queen Anne's War was the second in a series of French and Indian Wars fought in England's Thirteen American Colonies during the reign of Anne, Queen of Great Britain. Queen Anne’s War (The War of Spanish Succession) begins when England declares war on Spain and France. Later in the year, the Spanish settlement at St. Augustine falls to Carolina forces. -
The Virginia Black Code of 1705 is passed
The Virginia Black Code of 1705 is passed, restricting the travel of enslaved persons and naming them officially as "real estate. -
Thomas Newcomen Invents the First Atmospheric Steam Pumping Engine
The English use a steam powered device to pump water out of a mine. It is the first commercially successful engine. -
First Enslaved Africans Brought into Louisiana
Two ships of African slaves arrive in Louisiana, carrying rice farmers from the West Coast of Africa, the first enslaved Africans brought into the colony. -
Poor Richard’s Almanack is published
Benjamin Franklin of Philadelphia first published Poor Richard’s Almanack. The book, filled with proverbs preaching industry and prudence, was published continuously for 25 years and became one of the most popular publications in colonial America, selling an average of 10,000 copies a year. -
French and Indian War
It was the final conflict in the ongoing struggle between the British and French for control of eastern North America. The British win a decisive victory over the French on the Plains of Abraham outside Quebec in 1763. -
Boston Tea Party
A group of colonial patriots disguised as Mohawk Indians board three ships in Boston harbor and dump more than 300 crates of tea overboard as a protest against the British tea tax. -
American Revolution
It was a war of independence fought between Great Britain and the 13 British colonies on the eastern seaboard of North America. Battles of Lexington and Concord, Mass., between the British Army and colonial minutemen, mark the beginning of the war. The war ends in 1783. -
Declaration of Independence Adopted
Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. It was made as a declaration of separation from Great Britain. -
First United States President
George Washington is unanimously elected president of the United States in a vote by state electors