APUSH Period 3 Dates

1754

Albany Congress – Benjamin Franklin proposes the Albany Plan of Union; French and Indian War begins.

1763

Treaty of Paris – Ends the French and Indian War; France loses North American mainland territories.

1763

Pontiac’s Rebellion – Native coalition attacks British forts in the Great Lakes region.

1763

Proclamation of 1763 – King George III prohibits Anglo-American settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains.

1764

Sugar Act & Currency Act – Parliament imposes strict duties on molasses and restricts colonial paper money.

1765

Stamp Act – Parliament levies the first direct internal tax on the colonies, sparking widespread protest.

1765

Stamp Act Congress – Colonial delegates meet in New York to declare "no taxation without representation."

1766

Declaratory Act – Parliament repeals the Stamp Act but asserts absolute authority to bind the colonies.

1767

Townshend Acts – Taxes external goods like glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea; strengthens customs enforcement.

1770

Boston Massacre – British troops fire into a crowd in Boston, killing five civilians; Townshend duties repealed (except tea).

1772

Committees of Correspondence – Intercolonial communication networks formed to coordinate resistance.

1773

Tea Act & Boston Tea Party – Sons of Liberty dump British East India Company tea into Boston Harbor in protest.

1774

Coercive / Intolerable Acts – Parliament closes Boston Port and restricts Massachusetts self-government.

1774

First Continental Congress – Delegates assemble in Philadelphia and institute the Continental Association to boycott British imports.

1775

Battles of Lexington and Concord – "Shot heard 'round the world"; armed conflict breaks out in Massachusetts.

1775

Second Continental Congress – Meets in Philadelphia to establish the Continental Army and appoint George Washington commander.

1776

Thomas Paine’s Common Sense – Pamphlet published urging immediate American independence from monarchy.

1776

Declaration of Independence – Adopted on July 4; formally severs political ties with Great Britain.

1777

Battle of Saratoga – American victory marks the military turning point, leading to the Franco-American alliance.

1781

Battle of Yorktown – Combined American and French siege forces General Cornwallis to surrender.

1781

Articles of Confederation Ratified – First official Constitution of the United States goes into effect.

1783

2nd Treaty of Paris – Great Britain formally recognizes U.S. independence and sets national boundaries at the Mississippi River.

1784

Treaty of Fort Stanwix – First treaty between the United States and Native Americans after the Revolution.

1785

Land Ordinance of 1785 – Establishes a standardized grid system for surveying and selling western public lands.

1786-1787

Shays’s Rebellion – Armed uprising of indebted western Massachusetts farmers exposes the weaknesses of the Confederation government.

1787

Northwest Ordinance – Sets up a process for admitting new states, guarantees civil liberties, and bans slavery in the Northwest Territory.

1787-1788

Publication of The Federalist Papers – Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay write essays urging constitutional ratification.

1788

U.S. Constitution Ratified – Ninth state (New Hampshire) ratifies, legally replacing the Articles of Confederation.

1791

Bill of Rights Ratified – First ten amendments added to protect individual liberties and state powers.

1791

Hamilton’s Bank of the United States – First National Bank chartered, sparking split between Federalists and Democratic-Republicans.

1794

Whiskey Rebellion – President Washington uses military force to suppress anti-tax uprising in western Pennsylvania.

1794

Jay’s Treaty – Avoids war with Great Britain over commerce and remaining forts in the Northwest Territory.

1795

Pinckney’s Treaty (Treaty of San Lorenzo) – Spain grants the U.S. navigation rights on the Mississippi River and access to New Orleans.

1796

Washington’s Farewell Address – Warns against entangling foreign alliances and political factionalism.

1798

Alien and Sedition Acts & Virginia/Kentucky Resolutions – Federalists restrict immigrant rights and free speech; Jefferson and Madison assert state nullification doctrine.