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The Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason, was a philosophical movement in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries. At its core was a belief in the use and celebration of reason, the power by which humans understand the universe and improve their own condition.
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The French and Indian War was fought between 1754 and 1763 in British North America and French North America. They fought over land that is now in the United States and Canada. The French had some Native American allies, while the British had others.
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The British Parliament passed the “Stamp Act” to help pay for British troops stationed in the colonies during the Seven Years' War. The act required the colonists to pay a tax, represented by a stamp, on various forms of papers, documents, and playing cards. -
The Sons of Liberty rallied support for colonial resistance through the use of petitions, assemblies, and propaganda, and they sometimes resorted to violence against British officials. Instrumental in preventing the enforcement of the Stamp Act, they remained an active pre-Revolutionary force against the crown. -
The Townshend Acts, passed in 1767 and 1768, were designed to raise revenue for the British Empire by taxing its North American colonies. They were met with widespread protest in the colonies, especially among merchants in Boston. -
British Soldiers stationed in Boston shot into a crowd of civilians and killed 3 and injured 8. The civilians were throwing snowballs and stones at the soldiers. -
The First Continental Congress was a key link in the chain of events that led to our nation gaining its independence from England. This brief convention brought together most of the influential leaders from colonial America to determine an answer to Parliament's recently enacted Coercive Acts.Oct 19, 2023 -
American colonists were upset about the British's "Taxation without representation" and as a political protest, dumped 342 chests of tea into the harbor. -
The famous 'shot heard 'round the world', marked the start of the American War of Independence (1775-83). Politically disastrous for the British, it persuaded many Americans to take up arms and support the cause of independence. -
British victory. The battle was a tactical victory for the British, but it was a sobering experience. The British sustained twice as many casualties as the Americans and lost many officers. After the engagement, the patriots retreated and returned to their lines outside the perimeter of Boston. -
The Olive Branch Petition was a petition sent by the citizens of British colonies in America to the British government and King George III. Its main purpose was to appease the British government and create reconciliation between the colonies and the British government. -
The Articles of Confederation served as the written document that established the functions of the national government of the United States after it declared independence from Great Britain. It established a weak central government that mostly, but not entirely, prevented the individual states from conducting their foreign diplomacy. -
Supported by the French army and navy, Washington's forces defeated Lord Charles Cornwallis' veteran army dug in at Yorktown, Virginia. Victory at Yorktown led directly to the peace negotiations that ended the war in 1783 and gave America independence. -
The Great Compromise promised the creation of a bicameral legislature composed of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House of Representatives would grant states a number of representatives proportionate to the population, while the Senate would grant two representatives for each state. -
On October 2, 1789, President Washington sent copies of the 12 amendments adopted by Congress to the states. By December 15, 1791, three-fourths of the states had ratified 10 of these, now known as the “Bill of Rights.”