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The End of the French and Indian War
The French and Indian War ended because of the treaty of Paris. -
Writ of Assistance
The colonists were smuggling goods to avoid taxes so Parliament made a writ of assistance, which allowed the British to look search a person for stolen or smuggled goods without a warrant. -
Sugar Act
Parliament lowered the tax on sugar and molasses, hoping it would decrease the amount of smuggling the colonists were doing. This act also allowed British officers to take goods from people accused of smuggling, without having to go to court. -
The Stamp Act
The Stamp Act taxed colonists for every bit printed paper they used. This included letters, newspapers, legal documents, etc. This act was not repealed until March 1766. -
The Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts taxed imported goods before they came to the colonies. These acts led to the colonists boycotting buying British goods, which made the British lose money. -
Trouble in Massachusetts
The British officials told Britain that the colonists were going to have a rebellion soon so Britain sent redcoats, or British soldiers, to control the colonists. The redcoats in Boston were rude, stole, and got in fights with the colonists. -
The Boston Masacre
The Bostonians and redcoats got into a fight. There was lots of yelling, and the colonists were throwing sticks and stones at the redcoats. One of the soldiers got struck down, so they fired. Five colonists were shot, and they called it the Boston Massacre so they could use it as propaganda against the redcoats. -
Boston Tea Party
The Sons of Liberty dressed up as Native Americans and in the middle of the night, they boarded three of the royal ships and threw the boxes of tea overboard. They threw 324 boxes over. -
The Intolerable Acts
The laws that Parliament passed after the Boston Tea Party to punish the colonists. The four Intolerable Acts are the Boston Port Bill, the Massachusetts Government Act, the Administration of Justice Act, and the Quartering Act. These acts closed the Boston harbor, made the British send more troops to Boston, and gave them control over the colonists' government. -
Olive Branch Petition
A request the colonists sent to King George III, assuring him that they wanted peace and asking for him to protect their rights. -
Jefferson Writes the DOI
During the summer of 1776, Jefferson had to write a formal document that declared the 13 colonies taking their independence from Britain. -
Manumission
1776-1778. Slaves would get manumised if they were loyal to their masters and had good behavior. -
Battle of Trenton, New Jersey
Washington and his troops attacked and shot down the leader of the Hessian force, Colonel Johann Rall. Soon after losing their leader, the Hessians surrendered. -
America and British Battle of Saratoga
Two very important battles fought eighteen days apart in the second year of the American Revolution, the Continental Army won. -
State Constitutions
1777-1778. Each state was asked to make a constitution to state how they would govern themselves. -
Articles of Confederation
The first constitution of the United States. They focused on the states being very independent and made a weak central government. -
Howe captures Philadelphia
General Howe outsmarted General Washington and the British took over Philadelphia. They stayed there until spring the next year. -
Congress prohibits enslaved people imported to the US
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Winter at Valley Forge
The Continental Army spent the harsh, cold winter in Valley Forge with very little food and resources. Many of the troops could not fight because they didn't have shoes or clothes, and a lot of people got diseases and died. -
Spain declares war on Great Britain
Spain declared war on Great Britain, thus became allies with the United States. -
John Paul Jones & Serapis
John Paul Jones captained the U.S. ship, Bonhomme Richard, when they fought and defeated the British ships, Serapis and Countess of Scarborough. -
British forces capture Charles Town
This was the worst defeat for the Americans. The British captured over 3,000 Patriots and Major General Benjamin Lincoln had to surrender. -
Plans for first Federal Tax
1781 and 1783. The people were not happy when the government started taxing them because they had just gotten away from England because of that. -
British surrender at Yorktown
British General Lord Cornwallis gave in 8,000 soldiers and seamen to the Patriots. This is what ended the American Revolution. -
Treaty of Paris
Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay made the peace treaty with spokesmen of King George III. It is a formal document stating that the British accept that America is independent and that the Revolutionary War is over. -
Spain closed lower Mississippi River to American Western Settlers
Western settlers were furious and threatened to go to war against Spain. -
The Ordinance of 1785
Confederation Congress passed this law to sell land north of the Ohio River. The land was divided into townships and then sections that the government auctioned off. -
Shay's Rebellion
Former Revolutionary War soldiers attacked courthouses and government properties in Massachusetts because they did not agree with the economic policies of the state. -
The Northwest Ordinance
The Northwest Ordinance made a territory north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River and east of the Mississippi River that was divided into smaller territories which became states when they got 60,000 residents. -
Constitutional Convention
State delegates gathered in Philadelphia to discuss what they needed to amend from the Articles of Confederation because the weak central government was becoming a problem. This convention is where the Constitution was made and signed. -
Signing of the Constitution
38 out of the 41 delegates at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia signed the Constitution. -
Delaware is the first state to approve the Constitution
All 30 delegates ratified the Constitution, so Delaware became the first state of the new United States of America. -
New Hampshire ratifies the Constitution
New Hampshire was the ninth state to approve the Constitution, which meant that the government would begin operating under the Constitution. -
Land Act of 1800
People could now purchase land straight from the government. They needed to buy at least 320 acres for at least $2 per acre.
