Documents
America's first written constitution, creating a loose union of sovereign states with a weak central government
Articles of Confederation
A tax revolt by farmers in Pennsylvania against the federal excise tax on whiskey, which was suppressed by federal troops, this source explains.
Whiskey Rebellion
Commander of the Continental Army and the first U.S. President.
George Washington
Britain's first direct tax on American colonies.
Stamp Act
Beginning of the French and Indian War
1754
A collection of 85 essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay.
The Federalist papers
An indigenous uprising led by Pontiac against British occupying forces in the Great Lakes region following the French and Indian War.
Pontiac's Rebellion
Principal author of the Declaration of Independence and leader of the Democratic-Republican Party.
Thomas Jefferson
British parliamentary laws requiring American colonists to house and supply British troops
Quartering Act
1776
Consists of the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1791 to guarantee individual liberties and limit government power
Bill of Rights
A deadly confrontation between British soldiers and a Boston mob.
Boston Massacre
A principal author of the Federalist Papers and first Secretary of the Treasury.
Alexander Hamilton
A series of 17th and 18th-century British laws designed to promote mercantilism by restricting colonial trade to English ships and markets.
Navigation Acts
Boston Massacre
1770
A 47-page, widely distributed pamphlet that used plain language to argue that American independence from British
Thomas Paine´s Common Sense
A political protest by the Sons of Liberty against the Tea Act.
Boston Tea Party
Known as the "Father of the Constitution" and a key figure in the creation of the Bill of Rights.
James Madison
A series of British laws that imposed duties on imported goods—glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea—to pay for colonial administration and increase crown control
Townshend Acts
Ratification of AOC
1781
The official peace agreement between the United States and Great Britain that ended the Revolutionary War.
Treaty of Paris
An uprising of Massachusetts farmers against debt collection and state taxes, highlighting the weakness of the Articles of Confederation.
Shays Rebellion
First Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and co-author of the Federalist Papers.
John Jay
Established the structure of the U.S. federal court system, fulfilling the requirements of Article III of the Constitution.
Judiciary Act of 1789
Northwest Ordinance
1786