1. End of the Seven Years War- The Seven Years War ended on February 10 of 1763. The Treaty of Paris marked the ending of the Seven Years War. The British had lots of debt that built up over the many wars that they had participated in and they needed help from the colonists to help pay off their debts.
2. Proclamation of 1763- This was issued on October 7 of 1763. This was issued by Britain after the Seven Years War ended. The British declared that the colonists could not settle towards the west of the Appalachian Mountains. The colonists ignored this proclamation.
3. Sugar Act- The Sugar Act was passed by the British Parliament to put taxes on sugar and molasses, so they would get more money from the colonists. This act was passed on April 11 of 1764.
4. Quartering and Stamp Act- The Quartering Act required colonists to provide supplies for the British army. The Stamp Act required colonists to pay for taxes on stamps and legal documents that must be stamped, which was put in place by the British. These acts were set in place on April 11 of 1765.
5. Boston Massacre- The Boston Massacre took place in Boston, Massachusetts on March 5 of 1770. British soldiers fired first on colonists, killing 5 colonists.
6. Start of the Revolutionary War- The Revolutionary War started on April 19 of 1775 when the British and the colonists first started their battle.
7. Battles of Lexington and Concord- The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements that contributed to the Revolutionary War. The Battles of Lexington and Concord occurred on April 19 of 1775.
8. Bunker Hill- This battle was between the British and the colonists on Breed’s Hill on June 17 of 1775. The goal was to get onto Bunker Hill, but the British won with many losses, while the colonists lost, but with few losses. Since the colonists didn’t have many dead, this showed the British that the colonists are not going to back down.
9. The Declaration of Independence- This was a declaration that was written by Thomas Jefferson that declared freedom of the 13 colonies from Britain. This declaration was signed on July 4 of 1776.
10. Battle of Trenton- George Washington lead his soldiers across the Delaware River to Trenton, New Jersey on December 25 of 1776. He lead a surprise attack by surrounding the Hessian Garrison, which sparked more rebels to join the colonists.
11. Battle of Saratoga- This battle is known as the turning point in the Revolutionary War. This battle occurred on September 19 of 1777. British General Burgoyne's army was captured at Saratoga after retreating from the Battle of Bemis Heights. This victory helped spark France to join the colonists in the war and Spain to give them supplies.
12. Articles of Confederation- The Articles of Confederation were ratified by all 13 colonies. The Articles of Confederation pushed for states rights and a weak central government. The Articles of Confederation was the original Constitution on March 1 of 1781, but was later replaced by the official U.S. Constitution in 1789.
13. Battle of Yorktown- This battle was the last battle of the Revolutionary War. The Minutemen pushed British General Cornwallis to George Washington with the colonists army waiting for him. General Cornwallis was hoping that his British army would back him up, but they were stopped by France, which sparked General Cornwallis to surrender and end the Revolutionary War. This battle occurred on October 19 of 1781.
14. Annapolis Convention- Virginia had passed a resolution which called for the 13 different delegates from each of the colonies to meet in Annapolis to discuss the problems of the Nation. At the end of the day they tried to amend the Articles of Confederation so that the national government could be more effective. Sadly, only five members had shown, so they planned another convention the next year. This occurred on January 1, 1786.
15. Shay’s Rebellion- This was a huge uprising that occurred in Massachusetts by a man named Daniel Shay. Daniel Shay was mad because the state government was pushing for taxes to be paid by the people who fought a war because of having to pay a lot of taxes. This uprising sparked the people to see the weakness of the Articles of Confederation. This event occurred on August 21 of 1786.
16. People began to Realize- After Shay’s Rebellion, people had started to realize America actually would need a stronger national government. This occurred on August 27, 1786.
17. Constitutional Convention- All delegates except Rhode Island gathered in Philadelphia. They all decided that the states would use Connecticut Compromise which called for a bicameral legislature or Congress. One of the two houses would be elected. The other house would give equal voice to each state no matter what size they were. These was agreed upon by everyone. This occurred on May 14, 1787.
18. Signing of the Constitution- The Constitution was signed by 33 out of 55 delegates. Many of them didn’t sign because they were unsure of the documents ability to rule the nation. It wasn’t final, seeing it still had to be passed by the 13 states. Only 9 out of 13 could approve for the document to be put in action. This event occurred on September 17 of 1787.
19. Whiskey Rebellion- In 1791, the new United States government imposed on excise tax on whiskey, it was commanded by Alexander Hamilton. This beverage was depended on by most farmers. Soon, many people gave their opinions on this and there weren’t nice things to be said riots soon broke out and that even led to death of an officer. In August, George Washington signed a proclamation requiring the governors of bordering states to arrange their militia. The negotiations failed in October and militia was sent in and the rebellion was quietly subdued. People were arrested but this was pardoned by George Washington. This showed the
real power of the federal government and its law enforcement powers. This happened in the year 1791.
20. Chisholm vs. Georgia- The supreme court was glad to accept jurisdiction on the case of Alexander Chisholm, of South Carolina, against the state of of Georgia. This had angered Georgia and it also bothered the rest of the states. Jurisdiction was right under Article 3, Section 2, but the states were still not okay with this idea of being sued in the federal courts. This decision almost immediately resulted in the rapid passage and ratification of the 11th Amendment by 1775. This happened in the year 1793.
2. Proclamation of 1763- This was issued on October 7 of 1763. This was issued by Britain after the Seven Years War ended. The British declared that the colonists could not settle towards the west of the Appalachian Mountains. The colonists ignored this proclamation.
3. Sugar Act- The Sugar Act was passed by the British Parliament to put taxes on sugar and molasses, so they would get more money from the colonists. This act was passed on April 11 of 1764.
4. Quartering and Stamp Act- The Quartering Act required colonists to provide supplies for the British army. The Stamp Act required colonists to pay for taxes on stamps and legal documents that must be stamped, which was put in place by the British. These acts were set in place on April 11 of 1765.
5. Boston Massacre- The Boston Massacre took place in Boston, Massachusetts on March 5 of 1770. British soldiers fired first on colonists, killing 5 colonists.
6. Start of the Revolutionary War- The Revolutionary War started on April 19 of 1775 when the British and the colonists first started their battle.
7. Battles of Lexington and Concord- The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements that contributed to the Revolutionary War. The Battles of Lexington and Concord occurred on April 19 of 1775.
8. Bunker Hill- This battle was between the British and the colonists on Breed’s Hill on June 17 of 1775. The goal was to get onto Bunker Hill, but the British won with many losses, while the colonists lost, but with few losses. Since the colonists didn’t have many dead, this showed the British that the colonists are not going to back down.
9. The Declaration of Independence- This was a declaration that was written by Thomas Jefferson that declared freedom of the 13 colonies from Britain. This declaration was signed on July 4 of 1776.
10. Battle of Trenton- George Washington lead his soldiers across the Delaware River to Trenton, New Jersey on December 25 of 1776. He lead a surprise attack by surrounding the Hessian Garrison, which sparked more rebels to join the colonists.
11. Battle of Saratoga- This battle is known as the turning point in the Revolutionary War. This battle occurred on September 19 of 1777. British General Burgoyne's army was captured at Saratoga after retreating from the Battle of Bemis Heights. This victory helped spark France to join the colonists in the war and Spain to give them supplies.
12. Articles of Confederation- The Articles of Confederation were ratified by all 13 colonies. The Articles of Confederation pushed for states rights and a weak central government. The Articles of Confederation was the original Constitution on March 1 of 1781, but was later replaced by the official U.S. Constitution in 1789.
13. Battle of Yorktown- This battle was the last battle of the Revolutionary War. The Minutemen pushed British General Cornwallis to George Washington with the colonists army waiting for him. General Cornwallis was hoping that his British army would back him up, but they were stopped by France, which sparked General Cornwallis to surrender and end the Revolutionary War. This battle occurred on October 19 of 1781.
14. Annapolis Convention- Virginia had passed a resolution which called for the 13 different delegates from each of the colonies to meet in Annapolis to discuss the problems of the Nation. At the end of the day they tried to amend the Articles of Confederation so that the national government could be more effective. Sadly, only five members had shown, so they planned another convention the next year. This occurred on January 1, 1786.
15. Shay’s Rebellion- This was a huge uprising that occurred in Massachusetts by a man named Daniel Shay. Daniel Shay was mad because the state government was pushing for taxes to be paid by the people who fought a war because of having to pay a lot of taxes. This uprising sparked the people to see the weakness of the Articles of Confederation. This event occurred on August 21 of 1786.
16. People began to Realize- After Shay’s Rebellion, people had started to realize America actually would need a stronger national government. This occurred on August 27, 1786.
17. Constitutional Convention- All delegates except Rhode Island gathered in Philadelphia. They all decided that the states would use Connecticut Compromise which called for a bicameral legislature or Congress. One of the two houses would be elected. The other house would give equal voice to each state no matter what size they were. These was agreed upon by everyone. This occurred on May 14, 1787.
18. Signing of the Constitution- The Constitution was signed by 33 out of 55 delegates. Many of them didn’t sign because they were unsure of the documents ability to rule the nation. It wasn’t final, seeing it still had to be passed by the 13 states. Only 9 out of 13 could approve for the document to be put in action. This event occurred on September 17 of 1787.
19. Whiskey Rebellion- In 1791, the new United States government imposed on excise tax on whiskey, it was commanded by Alexander Hamilton. This beverage was depended on by most farmers. Soon, many people gave their opinions on this and there weren’t nice things to be said riots soon broke out and that even led to death of an officer. In August, George Washington signed a proclamation requiring the governors of bordering states to arrange their militia. The negotiations failed in October and militia was sent in and the rebellion was quietly subdued. People were arrested but this was pardoned by George Washington. This showed the
real power of the federal government and its law enforcement powers. This happened in the year 1791.
20. Chisholm vs. Georgia- The supreme court was glad to accept jurisdiction on the case of Alexander Chisholm, of South Carolina, against the state of of Georgia. This had angered Georgia and it also bothered the rest of the states. Jurisdiction was right under Article 3, Section 2, but the states were still not okay with this idea of being sued in the federal courts. This decision almost immediately resulted in the rapid passage and ratification of the 11th Amendment by 1775. This happened in the year 1793.