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Britain's unofficial 18th century policy of loosely enforcing laws in its American colonies, allowing them self-governance and economic freedom
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aka 7 Years War between France and England. In the colonies, it was called the French Indian War because the colonists fought with British soldiers against France the Indians who were on side of France. Because of the war, England had a massive war debt began to tax the people in the 13 colonies. -
Mercantilism was the economic system in Western Europe from the 16th to the 18th century. Based on the principle that a nation's power is directly linked to its wealth. -
The Quartering Act was a series of British laws enacted to compel the American colonists to provide housing and provisions for British troops. These acts, particularly enforced in 1765 and 1774, were deeply resented by colonists, as they were seen as an infringement on their rights and economic burdens. The Quartering Act is regarded as one of the major grievances that led to the American Revolution. -
Passed by British Parliament on March 22, 1765, the Stamp Act was a direct tax on the American colonies to fund defense, requiring, for the first time, all legal documents, newspapers, playing cards, and dice to bear a royal stamp
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The Townshend Acts were a series of British laws passed in 1767 that imposed duties on goods imported into the American colonies. These goods included items such as tea, glass, paper, and lead. The acts aimed to raise revenue to pay for the administration and defense of the colonies, but they were met with strong resistance from colonists who viewed them as a violation of their rights. -
The Boston Massacre was a deadly confrontation on March 5, 1770, in which British soldiers shot and killed five American colonists in Boston. It is widely considered one of the most significant events leading up to the Revolutionary War, as it galvanized colonial resistance against British rule -
The Boston Tea Party was a political protest that took place on December 16, 1773, at Griffin’s Wharf in Boston, Massachusetts. It was the first major act of defiance by American colonists against British rule and a direct catalyst for the American Revolution. -
The Intolerable Acts (known in Britain as the Coercive Acts) were a series of four punitive laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774. They were a direct retaliation for the Boston Tea Party and were intended to make an example of Massachusetts, isolate it from the other colonies, and reassert British authority. -
The Olive Branch Petition was the final, desperate attempt by the American colonies to avoid a full-scale war with Great Britain. Adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 5, 1775—months after the first shots were fired at Lexington and Concord—it was a direct appeal to King George III to intervene and restore peace. -
The Second Continental Congress was the meeting of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that essentially served as America's first national government during the Revolutionary War. -
The Battle of Lexington and Concord, fought on April 19, 1775, marked the official start of the American Revolutionary War. It famously began with "the shot heard 'round the world," transforming a political dispute into an armed military conflict. -
Common Sense was a groundbreaking 47-page pamphlet written by Thomas Paine and published on January 10, 1776. It is widely credited with shifting American public opinion from seeking reconciliation with Britain to demanding full independence. -
The Declaration of Independence is the founding document of the United States, adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. It was more than just a "breakup letter" to King George III; it was a formal legal document that explained to the world why the colonies had the right to form their own nation. -
The Articles of Confederation served as the first constitution of the United States. Drafted in 1777 but not fully ratified until 1781, they created a government that was essentially a "firm league of friendship" rather than a single, unified nation. -
The Annapolis Convention, held from September 11 to 14, 1786, was a pivotal "pre-game" meeting that set the stage for the creation of the U.S. Constitution. -
Shays’ Rebellion was an armed uprising in Western Massachusetts that served as the final straw for the failing Articles of Confederation. -
The Constitutional Convention took place from May to September 1787 in the same room in Philadelphia where the Declaration of Independence had been signed 11 years earlier.