1760
|
King George III ascends to the throne of England.
Treaty signed between England and France ending the French and Indian War. Canada and the continent east of the Mississippi River added to Great Britain's growing empire. Parliament passes The Stamp Act as a means to pay for British troops on the American frontier. Colonists violently protest the measure. March 18. Stamp Act repealed, but on the same day parliament passes the Declaratory Act asserting its right to make laws binding on the colonies. October. British troops arrive in Boston to enforce customs laws. January. The Privy Council reprimands Benjamin Franklin in London for leaking letters damaging to the Royal Governor of Massachusetts. September. First Continental Congress convenes in Philadelphia. April. Shots fired at Lexington and Concord. "Minute Men" force British troops back to Boston. George Washington takes command of the Continental Army. January. Thomas Paine's Common Sense published. Becomes an instant best seller and pushes the colonies closer to independence. July 4. Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence ratified by the Congress. July. A huge British force arrives in New York harbor bent on crushing the rebellion February. France signs a treaty of alliance with the United States and the American Revolution becomes a world war. 1786-'87 Shay's Rebellion, an armed insurrection of debt-ridden farmers in Massachusetts, quashed by the state militia. December. A Bill of Rights passed by the 1st Congress of the United States. |