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First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was a meeting consisting of 12 of the 13 colonies. Georgia was the only colony that did not attend. The delegates of these colonies met in Philadelphia on September 5, 1774. The meeting was in response Intolerable Acts where they created a list of demands which included a repeal of these acts and to also grant the power of taxation to the 13 colonies. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress was a meeting of all the colonies. They met in Philadelphia in the summer of 1775. The meeting declared the American Revolutionary War had begun. It also adopted the United States Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The Second Continental Congress managed the colonial war effort. -
Publication of Common Sense
Common Sense was a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in the years of 1775 - 1776. It advocated for independence from Great Britain to the people of the colonies. Thomas Paine encouraged common people in the Colonies to fight for a better government. It became an immediate sensation. -
Signing of the Declaration of Independence
The signing of the United States Declaration of Independence was said to have occurred on July 4,1776, following the approval by 56 delegates of the Second Continental Congress. The declaration said that the thirteen American colonies who were at war with Great Britain were now sovereign states. The signing date has been disputed. Most historians now believe that it was signed nearly a month after on August 2, 1776. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation was an agreement that served as the first constitution. It was formally the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union. It allowed the Continental Congress to direct the American Revolutionary War, handle diplomacy with Europe, and deal with native American relations. The government that this provided was suspended in 1789 to provide a federal form of government. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris was signed in September 3, 1783, and ended the American Revolutionary War between the US and Great Britain. Britain acknowledged the US as independent. The treaty also set territorial boundaries. These boundaries were very generous to the United States. Other details were fishing rights, restoration of property, and prisoners of war. -
Shays Rebellion
Shays Rebellion was a series of armed protests between 1786 and 1787. It was against economic injustices and suspensions of civil rights by Massachusetts. It caused reforms for a stronger national government to suppress future rebellions. It drew George Washington back into public life. -
Constitutional Convention
The Constitutional Convention took place in Philadelphia from May 25 to September 17, 1787. It was intended to revise the Articles of Confederation but it resulted in the creation of the United States Constitution. It was one of the most significant events in the history of the US. -
Federalist Papers
The Federalist Papers is a assortment of 85 articles and essays. These articles and essays were written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. It was trying to promote ratification of the United States Constitution. -
Ratification of the Constitution
The Constitution of the United States of America was signed by 38 of 41 delegates in Philadelphia at the Constitutional Convention. George Washington took an active role in the ratification. The The Constitution could only be ratified after 9 of the original 13 states voted for it. The Constitution became heavily debated in some states. -
Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights is the name for the first 10 amendments of the Constitution of the United States. It gave the people of the US guarantied personal freedoms and rights and gave the government clear limitations on its power.
