American Revolution

  • Salutary Neglect

    "hands off approach by Great Britain; British policy of loosely enforcing laws and regulations in the American colonies, allowing them to govern themselves.
  • French Indian War

    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

    Beginning in 1763 economic policy England followed when it came to the 13 colonies. England saw the colonies as a market for English goods wanted to get money (taxes) natural resources from the colonies.
  • Quartering Act

    British laws required American colonists to open their homes and supply British troops.
  • Stamp Act

    It was the British first direct tax on the American colonies, requiring a purchased, tax stamp on legal documents, newspaper, playing cards, and pamphlets
  • Townshend Acts

    Forced duties of British glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea imported to the American colonies to raise revenue.
  • Boston Massacre

    It was a deadly riot on King Street where British soldiers killed five colonists and injured six others, acting as a major catalyst for the Revolutionary War
  • Boston Tea Party

    It was a political protest by the Sons of Liberty. American colonists, some disguised as Mohawk Indians, destroyed 342 chests of tea belonging to the British East India Company to protest the Tea Act.
  • Intolerable Acts

    It was a series of four strict punitive laws passed by the British Parliament to punish the Massachusetts colony for the Boston Tea Party. They aimed to isolate Boston, tighten control, and restore order, but instead triggered widespread colonial resistance and unity, directly leading to the First Continental Congress.
  • Battle of Lexington & Concord

    It was the opening military engagement of the American Revolutionary War, marking the start of armed conflict between 13 British colonies and Great Britain.
  • Olive Branch Petition

    It was the Second Continental Congress's final attempt to reconcile with King George III, affirming colonial loyalty while pleading for peace and fairer treatment against Parliament's oppressive acts, but King George III rejected it, viewing the colonies as in open rebellion, effectively sealing the path to the Declaration of Independence.
  • Second Continental Congress

    The Second Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that convened in Philadelphia, to act as the de facto national government during the Revolutionary War. It managed the war effort, created the Continental Army, and adopted the Declaration of Independence.
  • Declaration of Independence

    It is the foundational U.S. document announcing the 13 colonies' separation from British rule. Primarily drafted by Thomas Jefferson, it justified this revolution by asserting universal rights—life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—and listing grievances against King George III.
  • "Common Sense"

    It was a 47-page pamphlet advocating for American independence from Britain through clear, logical, and plain-language arguments.
  • Articles of Confederation

    It served as the first U.S. constitution, establishing a weak central government and a "league of friendship" among the 13 sovereign states to manage the Revolutionary War. It provided Congress power to declare war, negotiate treaties, and manage Indian affairs, but lacked authority to tax, regulate commerce, or enforce laws. The inability to handle national debt, economic disputes, and foreign relations led to its replacement by the US Constitution.
  • Annapolis Convention

    It was a pivotal meeting of delegates from five states (NY, NJ, PA, DE, VA) called to address trade disputes under the weak Articles of Confederation.
  • Daniel Shays’ Rebellion

    It was an armed uprising of Massachusetts farmers, led by Revolutionary War veteran Daniel Shays, protesting debt-related, high taxes and economic instability. The rebellion sought to stop court foreclosures on farms, peaking when rebels tried to seize a federal arsenal before being suppressed.
  • Constitutional Convention

    Constitutional Convention

    The Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia was a pivotal gathering where 55 delegates from 12 states met to replace the weak Articles of Confederation with a new, stronger federal system.