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The Colonies Switch Calendar Systems
Britain and the British colonies switch from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar. -
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The French and Indian War
This war was over the ongoing struggle between the British and French for control of eastern North America. This conflict ended when the British won a decisive victory over the French on the Plains of Abraham outside Quebec. -
The Treaty of Paris
With the Treaty of Paris, the British formally gained control of Canada and all the French possessions east of the Mississippi. -
Parliament Passes the Sugar Act
A law that attempted to curb the smuggling of sugar and molasses in the colonies by reducing the previous tax rate and enforcing the collection of duties. -
Parliament Passes the Stamp Act
The Stamp Act imposed a direct tax on the colonists. Specifically, the act required that all legal documents and printed materials must bear a tax stamp provided by commissioned distributors who would collect the tax in exchange for the stamp. -
Parliament Passes the Townshend Revenue Act
The Townshend Acts were a series of measures that taxed goods imported to the American colonies. -
The Boston Massacre
In a protest responding to the Townshend Revenue Acts, British troops fired into the mob of protesters killing five men and leading to intense public protests. -
The Boston Tea Party
A group of colonial patriots disguised as Indians board three ships in Boston harbor and dump more than 300 crates of tea overboard as a protest against the British Tea Tax. -
The First Continental Congress
First Continental Congress meets in Philadelphia, with 56 delegates representing every colony except Georgia. Delegates include Patrick Henry, George Washington, and Samuel Adams. -
Parliament Passes The "Intolerable" Acts
Boston Harbor was closed to trade until the owners of the tea were compensated. Town meetings were banned, and the authority of the royal governor was increased. General Gage, the British commander of North American forces, was appointed governor of Massachusetts. British troops and officials would be tried outside Massachusetts for crimes of murder. Greater freedom was granted to British officers who wished to house their soldiers in private dwellings. -
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The American Revolutionary War
The war of independence fought between Great Britain and the 13 Colonies on the eastern seaboard of North America. Battles of Lexington and Concord, Mass., between the British Army and colonial minutemen, mark the beginning of the war. On Oct. 19, 1781, British Gen. Charles Cornwallis surrenders to Gen. George Washington at Yorktown, Va. Great Britain formally acknowledges American independence in the Treaty of Paris, which officially brings the war to a close. -
Independence Day
Independence was formally declared on July 2, 1776. On July 4, 1776, Congress approved the final text of the Declaration. It wasn't signed until August 2, 1776. -
The Articles of Confederation
Continental Congress adopts the Articles of Confederation, the first U.S. constitution. -
The Ratified U.S. Constitution
U.S. Constitution goes into effect, having been ratified by nine states. -
Washington's First Inauguration
Washington is inaugurated as president at Federal Hall in New York City. -
First President
George Washington is unanimously elected president of the United States in a vote by state electors. -
Bill of Rights
The first ten amendments to the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights, are ratified. -
Washington's Second Inauguration
Washington's second inauguration is held in Philadelphia. -
The Cotton Gin
Eli Whitney's invention of the cotton gin greatly increases the demand for slave labor. -
The Second President
John Adams is inaugurated as the second president in Philadelphia.