Historical Events
Ashlyn Naylor
Boston Massacre
March 5, 1770 is the day 5 colonists died and 6 were injured by British troops. The 5 were shot by British troops because they were anti-British demonstrators. This massacre happened right in front of the Old State House in Boston, Massachusetts. Crisps Attucks was believed to be the first American casualty of the American Revolution. He his also very well known not just for the casualty but also because he was an African American. This was only the beginning.
Boston Tea Party
This event was a protest against tea taxation. This whole ordeal started in 1773 when the Tea Act was passed by the British. December 16, 1773 is when Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty boarded the ships ( dressed like indians) and threw tons of tea right into the Boston harbor. By them doing this it showed the colonist rebellion and caused a resistance through all colonies. This event was pretty much the last straw before war broke out.
Lexington and Concord
The Revolutionary War started here. The "Minuteman" in Massachusetts fought a very brief skirmish with the British. What really pushed the colonist to fight was all the measures Britain was taking to tax the citizens. The Sugar Act, Stamp Act, and Townshend Act were all being enforce by the British and the colonist were sick of it. This place part of the war was where everything started.
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation came into place in 1781 and we stayed with that system till 1787. American political leaders were scared of a powerful central government due England's government. Articles of Confederation did no good. All states had their own government, we had no Executive or Judicial branch, we were all pretty much on our own. After years of having it we finally replaced it with the Constitution.
Three-Fifths Compromise
The Tree-Fifths compromise was proposed by James Wilson and Roger Sherman, who were delegates for the Constitution Convention. The compromise means every slave counts as Three-Fifth of a white person. When they were deciding this they were trying to figure out how representatives should be distributed to each group. The delegates faced how to count slaves, since it was still legal at the time, for the purpose of representation of each state. 1787 is when the Three-Fifths compromise ended.
Virginia Plan
The Virginia Plan was created 1787 at the Constitutional Convention. This plan favored large states and didn't really care for the smaller states. When Madison wrote this plan He wrote that he wanted 3 branches: Legislative, Executive, and and Judicial. We had those # branches so we wouldn't have a too-powerful government. He also wanted two house Legislative. We did take two out of the three ideas and put it into our Constitution.
Editorials
George Washington
George Washington was the leader who lead the colonists during the Revolutionary War. Washington was the president of the Convention. While he was at the Convention he did not choose sides though he did participate in the debates. The people did decided to have him be the first president of the United States as soon as they put the Constitution in place. Washington had so many peoples liking that the people decided to have him for another term.
Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine is mostly known for writing the Common Sense in 1776. It stated independence for the colonies from Britain. This document gave the colonist the confidence to break away and stand up for themselves. Paine was the first person to speak out about breaking away from Britain. By him doing all this the colonist ended up somewhat shooting sides: Patriots, Loyalists, And Neuturals.