WORLD HISTORY · 18TH CENTURY 日本語
Events of the 1780s1780–1789
What happened in the 1780s?
In the 1780s (1780–1789), the Constitutional Convention met in the United States, and George Washington was elected the first president. In France, the storming of the Bastille began the Revolution, while in Japan Mount Asama's great Tenmei eruption occurred and, after Tanuma Okitsugu's dismissal, Matsudaira Sadanobu launched the Kansei Reforms.
- British army besieged at YorktownEurope
- Mount Asama's great Tenmei eruptionAsia
- Tanuma Okitsugu dismissed as senior councilorAsia
- Constitutional Convention opens in PhiladelphiaNorth America
- Matsudaira Sadanobu takes office, launches Kansei ReformsAsia
- Britain begins settling AustraliaOceania
- Washington elected first presidentNorth America
- Storming of the Bastille starts French RevolutionEurope
Summaries are written by the site editors.
The 1780s in AP history courses
| AP World History | Unit 5–6 (Revolutions; Consequences of Industrialization) |
|---|---|
| AP U.S. History | Period 3 |
Events of the 1780s (timeline · 202)
Tip: the PC view is best for studying
On a computer, each region has its own vertical line, so you can follow the flow of events and see what was happening in different parts of the world at the same time.
American Revolutionary War: Spanish forces capture Fort Charlotte in Mobile, Alabama, the last British frontier post capable of threatening New Orleans.
American Revolutionary War: In the largest defeat of the Continental Army, Charleston, South Carolina is taken by British forces.
The Cumberland Compact is signed by leaders of the settlers in the Cumberland River area of what would become the U.S. state of Tennessee, providing for democratic government and a formal system of justice.
New England's Dark Day, an unusual darkening of the day sky, is observed over the New England states and parts of Canada.
American Revolutionary War: At the Waxhaws Massacre, the British continue attacking after the Continentals lay down their arms, killing 113 and critically wounding all but 53 that remained.
American Revolution: Battle of Springfield fought in and around Springfield, New Jersey (including Short Hills, formerly of Springfield, now of Millburn Township).
American Revolutionary War: Battle of Camden: The British defeat the Americans near Camden, South Carolina.
James Cook's ship HMS Resolution returns to England (Cook having been killed on Hawaii during the voyage).
American Revolutionary War: Sugarloaf massacre: A small detachment of militia from Northampton County, Pennsylvania, are attacked by Native Americans and Loyalists near Little Nescopeck Creek.
American Revolutionary War: John André, a British Army officer, is hanged as a spy by the Continental Army.
American Revolutionary War: American militia defeat royalist irregulars led by British major Patrick Ferguson at the Battle of Kings Mountain in South Carolina, often regarded as the turning point in the war's Southern theater.
The Great Hurricane of 1780 finishes after its sixth day, killing between 20,000 and 24,000 residents of the Lesser Antilles.
American Revolutionary War: The British-led Royalton raid is the last Native American raid on New England.
American Revolutionary War: In the Battle of Fishdam Ford a force of British and Loyalist troops fail in a surprise attack against the South Carolina Patriot militia under Brigadier General Thomas Sumter.
Founding Father Alexander Hamilton marries Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton at the Schuyler Mansion in Albany, New York.
American Revolutionary War: One thousand five hundred soldiers of the 6th Pennsylvania Regiment under General Anthony Wayne's command rebel against the Continental Army's winter camp in Morristown, New Jersey in the Pennsylvania Line Mutiny of 1781.
American Revolutionary War: Richmond, Virginia, is burned by British naval forces led by former American general Benedict Arnold.
In the Battle of Jersey, the British defeat the last attempt by France to invade Jersey in the Channel Islands.
American Revolutionary War: Battle of Cowpens: Continental troops under Brigadier General Daniel Morgan defeat British forces under Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton at the battle in South Carolina.
American Revolutionary War: British forces seize the Dutch-owned Caribbean island Sint Eustatius.
Fourth Anglo-Dutch War: Captain Thomas Shirley opens his expedition against Dutch colonial outposts on the Gold Coast of Africa (present-day Ghana).
The British under Charles Cornwallis defeat American forces under Nathanael Greene in the battle of Guilford Court House.
American Revolutionary War: British and French ships clash in the Battle of Fort Royal off the coast of Martinique.
Jack Jouett begins his midnight ride to warn Thomas Jefferson and the Virginia legislature of an impending British raid.
Fourth Anglo-Dutch War, a fleet of six East India Company ships sets sail from Fort Marlborough to raid the Dutch VOC factories on the West coast of Sumatra including the major port of Padang.
American Revolutionary War: A small force of Pennsylvania militia is ambushed and overwhelmed by an American Indian group, which forces George Rogers Clark to abandon his attempt to attack Detroit.
Los Angeles is founded as El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora La Reina de los Ángeles (The Village of Our Lady, the Queen of the Angels) by 44 Spanish settlers.
Battle of the Chesapeake in the American Revolutionary War: The British Navy is repelled by the French Navy, contributing to the British surrender at Yorktown.
American Revolutionary War: The Battle of Groton Heights takes place, resulting in a British victory.
American Revolutionary War: The Battle of Eutaw Springs in South Carolina, the war's last significant battle in the Southern theater, ends in a narrow British tactical victory.
American Revolution: French and American forces backed by a French fleet begin the siege of Yorktown.
The Battle of Raft Swamp marks the last battle fought in North Carolina during the American Revolutionary War with a Patriot victory. It occurred four days before the British surrender at Yorktown.
American Revolutionary War: British General Charles, Earl Cornwallis surrenders at the Siege of Yorktown.
The crew of the British slave ship Zong murders 54 Africans by dumping them into the sea to claim insurance, beginning the Zong massacre.
Superintendent of Finance Robert Morris addresses the U.S. Congress to recommend establishment of a national mint and decimal coinage.
American Revolutionary War: The House of Commons of Great Britain votes against further war in America.
Gnadenhutten massacre: Ninety-six Native Americans in Gnadenhutten, Ohio, who had converted to Christianity, are killed by Pennsylvania militiamen in retaliation for raids carried out by other Indian tribes.
The Second Rockingham ministry assumes office in Great Britain and begins negotiations to end the American War of Independence.
King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke (Rama I) of Siam (modern day Thailand) establishes the Chakri dynasty.
American Revolution: A Royal Navy fleet led by Admiral George Rodney defeats a French fleet led by the Comte de Grasse at the Battle of the Saintes off Dominica in the Caribbean Sea.
John Adams secures Dutch recognition of the United States as an independent government. The house which he had purchased in The Hague becomes the first American embassy.
The city of Rattanakosin, now known internationally as Bangkok, is founded on the eastern bank of the Chao Phraya River by King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke.
Construction begins on the Grand Palace, the royal residence of the King of Siam in Bangkok, at the command of King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke.
Raid on Lunenburg: American privateers attack the British settlement of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.
George Washington orders the creation of the Badge of Military Merit to honor soldiers wounded in battle. It is later renamed to the more poetic Purple Heart.
American Revolutionary War: Battle of Blue Licks: The last major engagement of the war, almost ten months after the surrender of the British commander Charles Cornwallis following the Siege of Yorktown.
British forces under Edward Despard complete the reconquest of the Black River settlements on the Mosquito Coast from the Spanish.
American Revolutionary War: Franco-Spanish troops launch the unsuccessful "grand assault" during the Great Siege of Gibraltar.
American Revolutionary War: Review of the French troops under General Rochambeau by General George Washington at Verplanck's Point, New York.
American Revolutionary War: Treaty of Paris: In Paris, representatives from the United States and Great Britain sign preliminary peace articles (later formalized as the 1783 Treaty of Paris).
The Montgolfier brothers first test fly an unmanned hot air balloon in France; it floats nearly 2.5 km (1.6 mi).
British East India Company: Muharram Rebellion: Hada and Mada Miah lead the first anti-British uprising in the subcontinent against Robert Lindsay and his contingents in Sylhet Shahi Eidgah.
The Kingdom of Great Britain signs preliminary articles of peace with the Kingdom of France, setting the stage for the official end of hostilities in the American Revolutionary War later that year.
In an emotional speech in Newburgh, New York, George Washington asks his officers not to support the Newburgh Conspiracy. The plea is successful, and the threatened coup d'état never takes place.
American Revolutionary War: Colbert's Raid: A Spanish garrison under Captain Jacobo du Breuil defeat British irregulars at Arkansas Post.
Three-Fifths Compromise: The first instance of black slaves in the United States of America being counted as three-fifths of persons (for the purpose of taxation), in a resolution of the Congress of the Confederation. This was later adopted in the 1787 Constitution.
First United Empire Loyalists reach Parrtown (later called Saint John, New Brunswick), Canada, after leaving the United States.
A Great Jubilee Day held at North Stratford, Connecticut, celebrates the end of fighting in the American Revolutionary War.
Laki, a volcano in Iceland, begins an eight-month eruption which kills over 9,000 people and starts a seven-year famine.
A poisonous cloud caused by the eruption of the Laki volcano in Iceland reaches Le Havre in France.
American Revolutionary War: The war's last action, the Siege of Cuddalore, is ended by a preliminary peace agreement.
Mount Asama erupts in Japan, killing about 1,400 people (Tenmei eruption). The eruption causes a famine, which results in an additional 20,000 deaths.
American Revolutionary War: The war ends with the signing of the Treaty of Paris by the United States and the Kingdom of Great Britain.
The Montgolfier brothers' hot air balloon makes the first human ascent, piloted by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Symphony No. 36 is performed for the first time in Linz, Austria.
In Paris, Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes make the first untethered hot air balloon flight.
American Revolutionary War: The last British troops leave New York City, three months after the signing of the Treaty of Paris.
At Fraunces Tavern in New York City, U.S. General George Washington bids farewell to his officers.
William Pitt the Younger becomes the youngest Prime Minister of the United Kingdom at 24.
George Washington resigns as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army at the Maryland State House in Annapolis, Maryland.
American Revolutionary War: Ratification Day, United States: Congress ratifies the Treaty of Paris with Great Britain.
The Emerald Buddha is moved with great ceremony to its current location in Wat Phra Kaew, Thailand.
The Treaty of Paris, ratified by the United States Congress on January 14, 1784, is ratified by King George III of the Kingdom of Great Britain, ending the American Revolutionary War. Copies of the ratified documents are exchanged on May 12, 1784.
Élisabeth Thible becomes the first woman to fly in an untethered hot air balloon. Her flight covers four kilometres (2.5 mi) in 45 minutes, and reaches an estimated 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) in altitude.
Russian colonization of North America: Awa'uq Massacre: The Russian fur trader Grigory Shelikhov storms a Kodiak Island Alutiit refuge rock on Sitkalidak Island, killing 500+ Alutiit.
Classical composer Luigi Boccherini receives a pay rise of 12,000 reals from his employer, the Infante Luis, Count of Chinchón.
Western North Carolina (now eastern Tennessee) declares itself an independent state under the name of Franklin; it is not accepted into the United States, and only lasts for four years.
Frenchman Jean-Pierre Blanchard and American John Jeffries travel from Dover, England, to Calais, France, in a gas balloon.
Invading Siamese forces attempt to exploit the political chaos in Vietnam, but are ambushed and annihilated at the Mekong river by the Tây Sơn in the Battle of Rạch Gầm-Xoài Mút.
The University of Georgia is founded, the first state-chartered public university in the United States.
The Boston King's Chapel adopts James Freeman's revised prayer book, without the Nicene Creed, establishing it as the first Unitarian congregation in the United States.
The first Treaty of Hopewell is signed, by which the United States acknowledges Cherokee lands in what is now East Tennessee.
A landslide dam on the Dadu River created by an earthquake ten days earlier collapses, killing 100,000 in the Sichuan province of China.
Alexander Macdonell and over five hundred Roman Catholic highlanders leave Scotland to settle in Glengarry County, Ontario.
Mont Blanc on the French-Italian border is climbed for the first time by Jacques Balmat and Dr. Michel-Gabriel Paccard.
Shays' Rebellion, an armed uprising of Massachusetts farmers, begins in response to high debt and tax burdens.
The mine of Huancavelica in the Peruvian Andes collapses, killing more than two hundred people. The event was a major setback for mercury production in the Spanish Empire.
The oldest musical organization in the United States is founded as the Stoughton Musical Society.
The Grand Duchy of Tuscany, under Pietro Leopoldo I, becomes the first modern state to abolish the death penalty (later commemorated as Cities for Life Day).
The nationally known image of the Black Nazarene in the Philippines is transferred from what is now Rizal Park to its present shrine in the minor basilica of Quiapo Church. This is annually commemorated through its Traslación (solemn transfer) in the streets of Manila and is attended by millions of devotees.
Shays' Rebellion: The rebellion's largest confrontation, outside the Springfield Armory, results in the killing of four rebels and the wounding of twenty.
Militia led by General Benjamin Lincoln crush the remnants of Shays' Rebellion in Petersham, Massachusetts.
After a delay of 11 days, the United States Constitutional Convention formally convenes in Philadelphia after a quorum of seven states is secured.
Oliver Ellsworth moves at the Federal Convention to call the government the 'United States'.
The Congress of the Confederation enacts the Northwest Ordinance establishing governing rules for the Northwest Territory. It also establishes procedures for the admission of new states and limits the expansion of slavery.
Sixty proof sheets of the Constitution of the United States are delivered to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Sultan Abdul Hamid I declares war against the Russian Empire in an effort to regain territories lost in previous conflicts, starting the Russo-Turkish War of 1787–1792.
The United States Constitution is signed at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, bringing the Constitutional Convention to an end.
The Congress of the Confederation votes to send the newly written United States Constitution to the state legislatures for approval.
The first edition of The Times of London, previously The Daily Universal Register, is published.
The first elements of the First Fleet carrying 736 convicts from Great Britain to Australia arrive at Botany Bay.
The third and main part of First Fleet arrives at Botany Bay, beginning the British colonization of Australia. Arthur Phillip decides that Port Jackson is a more suitable location for a colony.
The British First Fleet, led by Arthur Phillip, sails into Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour) to establish Sydney, the first permanent European settlement on Australia. Commemorated as Australia Day.
Settlers establish Marietta, Ohio, the first permanent settlement created by U.S. citizens in the recently organized Northwest Territory.
King Louis XVI of France attempts to impose the reforms of Étienne Charles de Loménie de Brienne by abolishing the parlements.
French Revolution: Day of the Tiles: Civilians in Grenoble toss roof tiles and various objects down upon royal troops.
New York ratifies the United States Constitution and becomes the 11th state of the United States.
The Congress of the Confederation sets the date for the first presidential election in the United States, and New York City becomes the country's temporary capital.
Nguyễn Huệ proclaims himself Emperor Quang Trung, in effect abolishing on his own the Lê dynasty.
The first American novel, The Power of Sympathy or the Triumph of Nature Founded in Truth by William Hill Brown, is printed in Boston.
Georgetown College, the first Catholic university in the United States, is founded in Georgetown, Maryland (now a part of Washington, D.C.) when Bishop John Carroll, Rev. Robert Molyneux, and Rev. John Ashton purchase land for the proposed academy for the education of youth.
Tây Sơn forces emerge victorious against Qing armies and liberate the capital Thăng Long.
George Washington is unanimously elected as the first President of the United States by the U.S. Electoral College.
In New York City, the first Congress of the United States meets, putting the United States Constitution into effect.
In New York City, the United States House of Representatives achieves its first quorum and elects Frederick Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania as its first Speaker.
George Washington arrives at Grays Ferry, Philadelphia, while en route to Manhattan for his inauguration.
George Washington's reception at Trenton is hosted by the Ladies of Trenton as he journeys to New York City for his first inauguration.
The Mutiny on the Bounty occurs, with the ship's captain, Lieutenant William Bligh and 18 sailors, set adrift, and the rebel crew setting sail for Tahiti. Eventually the majority of rebels sail for Pitcairn Island.
On the balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York City, George Washington takes the oath of office to become the first President of the United States.
James Madison introduces twelve proposed amendments to the United States Constitution in Congress.
Mutiny on the Bounty: HMS Bounty mutiny survivors including Captain William Bligh and 18 others reach Timor after a nearly 7,400 km (4,600 mi) journey in an open boat.
In Versailles, the National Assembly reconstitutes itself as the National Constituent Assembly and begins preparations for a French constitution.
Jacques Necker is dismissed as France's Finance Minister sparking the Storming of the Bastille.
In response to the dismissal of the French finance minister Jacques Necker, the radical journalist Camille Desmoulins gives a speech which results in the storming of the Bastille two days later.
Storming of the Bastille in Paris. This event escalates the widespread discontent into the French Revolution. Bastille Day is still celebrated annually in France.
French Revolution: Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, is named by acclamation Colonel General of the new National Guard of Paris.
The first U.S. federal government agency, the Department of Foreign Affairs, is established (it will be later renamed Department of State).
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen is approved by the National Constituent Assembly of France.
The United States "Department of Foreign Affairs", established by law in July, is renamed the Department of State and given a variety of domestic duties.
Battle of Rymnik: Alexander Suvorov's Russian and allied army defeats superior Ottoman Empire forces.
The United States Congress passes the Judiciary Act, creating the office of the Attorney General and federal judiciary system and ordering the composition of the Supreme Court.
The United States Congress passes twelve constitutional amendments: the ten known as the Bill of Rights, the (unratified) Congressional Apportionment Amendment, and the Congressional Compensation Amendment.
The United States Department of War first establishes a regular army with a strength of several hundred men.
French Revolution: The Women's March on Versailles effectively terminates royal authority.
French Revolution: King Louis XVI is forced to change his residence from Versailles to the Tuileries Palace.
North Carolina ratifies the United States Constitution and is admitted as the 12th U.S. state.
A national Thanksgiving Day is observed in the United States as proclaimed by President George Washington at the request of Congress.
Source: Wikipedia date pages ("January 1" … "December 31") / CC BY-SA 4.0. Regions are assigned by the site editors.
Dates and events are based on Wikipedia and other references. Summaries and regions are written by the site editors.