1780
12 May - Charlestown, South Carolina captured by the British
16 August - Gates defeated by Cornwallis at the Battle of Camden, South Carolina.
23 September - Benedict Arnold's Plot to Hand over West Point to the British discovered.
2 October - Major Andre, hanged for his part in the Arnold Treason.
7 October - Battle of Kings Mountain. Patrick Ferguson is Killed in this British defeat.
Rochambeau arrives with a French Force of 5,500 men to assist the Americans in their cause.
1781
Articles of Confederation go into effect; were drafted in 1777
Robert Morris becomes the Superintendent of Finance in the Continental Congress.
French Admiral de Grasse arrives with his powerful French fleet in American waters.
17 January - The Battle of Cowpens, South Carolina.
15 March - Battle of Guilford Courthouse. This is a costly victory for the British despite the fact that they won.
25 April - Battle of Hobkirk's Hill.
8–12 May The Siege of Fort Motte, South Carolina. Editor's Note: Fort Motte (Fort Motte Station) was a plantation commandeered by the British as a temporary military outpost in what is now South Carolina during the American Revolutionary War. See This post on our Facebook page about Fort Motte
22 May - 20 June - Siege of Ninety - Six
General Nathaniel Greene pacifies the interior of South Carolina and Georgia by driving out the British forces.
6 September - British Brigadier General Benedict Arnold, a former Patriot officer already infamous and much maligned for betraying the United States the previous year, adds to his notoriety by ordering his British command to burn New London, Connecticut.
8 September - Battle of Eutaw Springs
28 September - The Battle of Yorktown begins.
6 - 20 October Siege of Yorktown- Cornwallis surrenders to the Americans that ends the War for Independence.
1782
19 April - John Adams secures the Dutch Republic's recognition of the United States as an independent government. The house which he had purchased in The Hague, Netherlands becomes the first Diplomatic missions of the United States (American embassy).
30 November - Provisional Peace; In Paris, representatives from the United States and the Kingdom of Great Britain sign preliminary peace articles (later formalized as the 1783 Treaty of Paris).
1783
15 March - Newburgh Conspiracy: George Washington stops a revolt among his officer corps by simply taking a pair of glasses out of his pocket to read a letter.
15 April - Preliminary articles of peace ending the American Revolutionary War are ratified.
June - Most of the Continental Army disbands
Loyalists and British evacuate New York. The Loyalist began to evacuate in April of that year and the British would finally be gone by November.
Pennsylvania soldiers march on Congress and surround Independence Hall to protest their condition. The members of Congress escape to Princeton, New Jersey.
September 3, 1783 - The Paris Peace Treaty officially ends the American Revolution.
4 December - George Washington bids farewell to his Officers in New York. He is reportedly to have said to his officers, "I cannot come to each of you to take my leave, but shall be obliged to you if each will come and take me by the hand."
23 December - George Washington gives up his command of the Continental Army and retires to Mount Vernon.
1786
Shays Rebellion in Massachusetts forcibly closes court systems
Annapolis Convention concludes September 14, suggests Philadelphia Convention
1787
25 May - 17 September Constitutional Convention opens. The United States Constitution framed, sent to Congress and states by the delegates of the convention.
13 July - Northwest Ordinance adopted by Continental Congress
28 September -- The newly completed Constitution Of The United States Of America is voted on by the Congress of the United States. It is then sent to the State Legislatures for the Ratification process.
Federalist Papers begin publication in newspapers
1788
New Hampshire is 9th state to ratify Constitution. It is now the law
First settlement in Ohio is Marietta, named for Marie Antoinette
1789
French Revolution. Bastille falls Jul 14. Declaration of Rights Aug 26th
George Washington & John Adams elected as first President and Vice President
The Judiciary Act specifies numbers of Federal courts and judges
25 September -- The Congress of the United States passes twelve amendments to the United States Constitution, 10 of these amendments are known as the Bill of Rights.
2 October -- George Washington sends the proposed Constitutional amendments (The United States Bill of Rights) to the States for ratification.
1791
15 December - The first ten amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, becomes a part of the United States Constitution.