Main Page/Historical events
3-23-1775 – Patrick Henry says, "Give me Liberty, or give me Death!" in a speech at St. John's Church in Richmond, Virginia. 4-18-1775 – Paul Revere and William Dawes, ride from Boston to Lexington warning that "The British are coming" to seize John Hancock, Sam Adams and the colonial guns and ammo in Concord. 5-10-1775 - The Second Continental Congress meets, elects John Hancock president, raises the Continental Army under George Washington as commander and authorizes the colonies to adopt their own constitutions. 6-14-1775 - The Continental Congress selects George Washington as commander of the Continental Army. 7-5-1775 - The Continental Congress offers the Olive Branch Petition, in hopes of reconciliation with the British. 7-6-1775 - The Continental Congress issues the Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms, stating: "...Our cause is just... being with one mind resolved to die freemen rather than to live slaves...". 8-23-1775 - Refusing to even look at the Olive Branch Petition, King George issues a Proclamation of Rebellion against the American colonies.
1-10-1776 - Thomas Paine publishes his pamphlet Common Sense arguing for independence from British rule in the Thirteen Colonies. 3-9-1776 - Adam Smith publishes The Wealth of Nations in London. 5-4-1776 - Rhode Island is the first colony to renounce allegiance to King George III of Great Britain. 7-2-1776 - The Declaration of Independence is completed by the Continental Congress. The Lee Resolution is passed declaring the colonies to be independent of the British Empire. 7-9-1776 - An angry mob in topples a statue of George III of Great Britain in Bowling Green, NY. 12-23-1776 - Thomas Paine begins publishing The American Crisis, which includes the famous phrase, "These are the times that try men's souls."
1-3-1783 – Great Britain acknowledges the independence of the United States. 4-15-1783 – Preliminary articles of peace ending the American Revolutionary War are ratified.
1-14-1784 – The Congress of the United States ratifies the Treaty of Paris with Great Britain officially ending the Revolutionary War.
11-28-1785 – The Treaty of Hopewell is signed between the United States of America and the Cherokee Nation. 1-3-1786 – The third Treaty of Hopewell is signed between the United States of America and the Choctaw. 9-11–1786 – Annapolis Convention held, resulting in scheduling of the Philadelphia Convention.
2-4-1787 – Shays' Rebellion in Massachusetts. 5-14-1787 – In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, delegates begin arriving for a Constitutional Convention 9-17-1787 – The United States Constitution is adopted by the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. 10-27-1787 – The first of the Federalist Papers, a series of essays calling for ratification of the U.S. Constitution, is published in a New York paper. 12-7-1787 – Delaware ratifies the Constitution and becomes the first U.S. state. 12-18-1787 – New Jersey becomes the third U.S. state.
12-12-1787 – Pennsylvania becomes the second state to ratify the United States Constitution, five days after Delaware became the first.
4-7-1795 – Adoption of the metric system in France. 8-3-1795 – Signing of the Treaty of Greenville puts an end to the Northwest Indian War. 8-22-1795 – The French Constitution of 1795 is ratified by the National Convention. 10-27-1795 – The United States and Spain sign the Treaty of Madrid, which establishes the boundaries between Spanish colonies and the U.S.
12-30-1816 – The Treaty of St. Louis (1816) between the United States and the united Ottawa, Ojibwa, and Potawatomi Indian tribes is proclaimed. 12-30-1825 - The Treaty of St. Louis (1825) between the United States and the Shawnee Nation is proclaimed.
12-12-2000 – The United States Supreme Court releases its decision in Bush v. Gore.
