-
First Continental Congress
Delegates from 12/13 colonies met at Carpenter's Hall to discuss matters concerning all the colonies. They sent George III the Declaration of Resovles that demanded an end to British military occupation and also decided to boycott British goods. -
Second Continental Congress
All 12/13 delegates from the colonies started to continuously meet in the summer of 1775 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They managed the coloniel war effort by organizing militia around Boston making George Washington the commander of them. Soon after, the Revolutionary War began. -
Publication of Common Sense
A pamphlet/ book that was written by Thomas Paine that persuaded and inspired his readers to declare to fight for their independence and encouraged partiotism nationwide. -
Signing of the The Declaration of Independence
Stated that the 13 colonies were at war with Great Britian and no longer under Britain's rule, but 13 newly independent states. First original copy written by Thomas Jefferson which was very influenced by the Virgina Declaration of Rights which was written a month earlier. After it was written it was then later improved and passed by the Congress. -
Articles of Confederation
Created by the Continental Congress during the second Continental Congress meeting.The commitee appointed a delegate from each former colony.They then developed the first draft of the Constitution. -
Treaty of Paris
Articles of peace which formally ended the Revolutionary war between Great Britian and the U.S. The Treaty of Paris recognized American independence and established borders for the new nation. After the realization that the Articles of Confederation wasn't enough this motivates the Congress to improve it. -
Shay's Rebellion
Shays's Rebellion is a series of protests led by the former Revolutionary War captian named Daniel Shays. He lead farmers to attack courthouses and prevent judges from foreclosing farms. His rebellion against state and local taxations and the judgements for debt. -
Constitutional Convention
The intention was to revise the Articles of Confederation but decided that instead of trying to fix the government they would create a new one. They elected George Washington to preside over the convention and it was at this convention that the new Constitution was formed. -
Federalist Papers
A collection of 85 articles and essays written by James Madison Alexander Hamilton and John Jay under an alias named Publius that defended the principles in the Constitution and argued how it would balance the factions who attempt to bend the government to their own will and not for the common good. -
Ratification of the Constitution
This document created the fundamentals for our government today. The consittution split the government into 3 branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. It also consisted of a president and a Supreme Court. The president is to be ellected by the people and this document set the standards for how a democracy should be. -
Bill of Rights
James Madison encouraged the other legislators to make a bill of rights which was the government's next top priority. COngress proposed 12 amendments and by December 1791 the states had ratified 10. This bill of rights protects our rights as freedom of speech, press, and religion.
