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"hands off approach by Great Britain; British policy of loosely enforcing laws and regulations in the American colonies, allowing them to govern themselves -
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. -
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 -
The Stamp Act of 1765 was a British tax on the American colonies requiring a stamp on all legal documents, newspapers, and other paper goods to help pay for the French and Indian War. Colonists protested with the slogan "No taxation without representation," arguing that Parliament could not tax them without their consent. The widespread colonial opposition, including riots and the formation of the Stamp Act Congress, led to the act's repeal in 1766 -
The Quartering Acts were British parliamentary laws requiring American colonists to provide housing, supplies, and other accommodations for British soldiers stationed in the colonies, particularly after the French and Indian War -
The Townshend Acts were a series of laws passed by the British Parliament in 1767 to raise revenue from the American colonies by taxing imports of glass, paint, paper, and tea. Named for Chancellor of the Exchequer Charles Townshend, the acts also sought to strengthen enforcement by creating a new customs commission and punishing New York for not fully complying with the Quartering Act. -
The Boston Massacre, known in Great Britain as the Incident on King Street, was a confrontation, on March 5, 1770, during the American Revolution in Boston in what was then the colonial-era Province of Massachusetts Bay. -
The Boston Tea Party was a political demonstration in 1773 where American colonists, protesting the Tea Act and taxation without representation, boarded British ships and dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. This act of defiance by the Sons of Liberty led to Parliament's Intolerable Acts, which punished Boston and further fueled the movement for American independence and the subsequent Revolutionary War -
The Intolerable Acts, known as the Coercive Acts in Britain, were a series of four laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774 to punish the American colony of Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party. The goal was to isolate Massachusetts and force obedience, but instead, the acts unified the other colonies against British rule, leading to the First Continental Congress and the American Revolution -
The Battle of Lexington and Concord, which took place on April 19, 1775, marked the beginning of the American Revolutionary War, earning the nickname "The Shot Heard Around the World". After the first clash in Lexington, colonial militia in Concord, believing British troops were burning the town, engaged them at the Old North Bridge, leading to a larger battle -
The Second Continental Congress was the governing body of the American colonies from 1775 to 1781, acting as an interim government during the Revolutionary War. Convening after the first battles of the war, it established the Continental Army, appointed George Washington as its commander, and eventually issued the Declaration of Independence in 1776, leading to the formation of the United States -
The Olive Branch Petition was a final plea from the Second Continental Congress to King George III in 1775, seeking a "happy and permanent reconciliation" to avoid war by appealing for the repeal of oppressive parliamentary acts. Drafted by John Dickinson, it affirmed American loyalty to the Crown but highlighted the tyrannical actions of Parliament. -
"Common Sense" is the title of a widely influential pamphlet written by Thomas Paine and published anonymously in 1776. The pamphlet used simple, persuasive language to argue for the American Colonies' independence from Great Britain and advocated for a republican form of government. Its publication ignited revolutionary spirit, sold an unprecedented number of copies, and was a crucial factor in convincing colonists to support the American Revolution -
The Declaration of Independence, adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, is the founding document announcing the thirteen American colonies' separation from Great Britain. Penned largely by Thomas Jefferson as part of a Committee of Five, the document asserts the right to self-governance, individual rights like life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and lists grievances against King George III. -
The Articles of Confederation were the first constitution of the United States, establishing a "league of friendship" among sovereign states from 1781 to 1789. It created a weak central government with a unicameral Congress where each state had one vote, but lacked the power to tax, regulate trade, or enforce laws, leading to significant national weaknesses. The Articles were eventually replaced by the U.S. Constitution in 1789, which created a stronger federal government -
Shays' Rebellion was an armed uprising in western Massachusetts from 1786–1787 led by Revolutionary War veteran Daniel Shays, protesting unfair taxes, high debts, and an unresponsive government under the Articles of Confederation. The rebellion highlighted the weakness of the national government, demonstrating the need for a stronger federal system, and significantly contributed to the call for the Constitutional Convention of 1787 -
The Annapolis Convention of 1786 was a meeting of delegates from five states (New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Virginia) in Annapolis, Maryland, to discuss interstate trade barriers and economic problems under the Articles of Confederation -
The Constitutional Convention (or Philadelphia Convention) was a meeting in Philadelphia in 1787 where delegates drafted the United States Constitution to replace the weak Articles of Confederation. Presided over by George Washington, the convention resolved major issues, such as representation in the legislature, through compromises like the Great Compromise and Three-Fifths Compromise, ultimately creating a new frame of government with three branches and a stronger federal system