1646
- May 6
- First American patent awarded to New England die (coin) sinker Joseph Jenks. [404.44] [405.22]
1729
- July 30
- City of Baltimore founded. [1] [5]
1763
- April 19
- English Parliament bans American colonies from printing their own paper money. [393.60]
1773
- December 16
- In Boston Harbor, a group of 116 Massachusetts colonists board three British tea ships and dump 342 chests of tea into the harbor, in protest of the British Parliament's Tea Act of 1773, greatly lowering the tea tax on the East India Company. [1] [129] [450.48]
1774
- May 28
- The first Continental Cogress convenes in Philadelphia. [5] (Virginia [1])
1775
- March 17
- British forces evacuate Boston. [397.80]
- April 14
- First abolitionist society in US organizes in Philadelphia Pennsylvania. [1]
- April 18
- In Massachusetts, Paul Revere and William Dawes ride calling "the British are coming!" to warn John Hancock and Samuel Adams to escape. [1] [450.175]
- April 19
- British troops and local militia of Massachusetts fire the first shots of the American Revolution at Lexington. [1] [129] [487.34]
- British forces withdraw to Boston, beginning the American siege of the city. [397.80]
- June 3
- The Continental Congress approves the first domestic loan. [411.46]
- June 14
- The Continental Congress adopts the New England army as the Continental Army, and votes to raise ten companies of riflemen. [1] [438.70]
- June 15
- The Continental Congress names George Washington as commander in chief of the Continental Army. [1] [438.70]
- July 3
- George Washington takes command of the Continental Army as commander-in-chief at Cambridge, Massachusetts. [1] [397.80]
- October 13
- The Continental Congress orders construction of a naval fleet (establishment of the Continental Navy). [1] [438.70]
- November 10
- The Continental Congress establishes the Continental Marines. [1] [438.70]
1776
- March 3
- The Continental Marines land at New Providence in the Bahamas. [1] [438.70]
- March 25
- The Continental Congress votes in favor of presenting General George Washington with a gold medal of honor for the siege of Boston on March 4 and 5, 1776. [1] [397.80]
- July 24
- Thomas Jefferson is appointed to Continental Congress committee on monetary policy. [420.62]
- December 24
- General George Washington crosses the Delaware River to surprise Hessians at Trenton, New Jersey. [1] [464.44]
1777
- May 20
- "United States" replaces "United Colonies" on currency. [495.36]
- July 2
- Vermont becomes the first American territory to abolish slavery. [5]
- September 23
- The Liberty Bell is moved to Allentown, Pennsylnavia, to keep it safe from the British. [438.42]
1778
- July 9
- Congress approves the Articles of Confederation. [418.44]
1779
- January 2
- Continental Congress recalls previous loan certificates because of British counterfeiting. [466.79]
- November 29
- The Continental Congress authorizes the first issue of Continental Currency. [455.28]
1781
- March 1
- The Continental Congress adopts the Articles of Confederation, on the ratification by the 13 colonies of North America. [1] [450.70] (March 13 [432.94])
- May 26
- Bank of North America incorporated in Philadelphia. [1] [496.32]
1782
- June 20
- US Congress approves a written description of the Great Seal of the USA and the eagle as its symbol. [1] [5] [414.72] [439.38]
- August 7
- General George Washington creates the Badge of Military Merit honor (late called the Purple Heart), for the enlisted man's sacrifice in war. [1] [427.92]
1783
- April 23
- Superintendent of Finance Robert Morris submits examples of pattern 1783 Nova Constellatio coins to Congress. [393.60]
- December 4
- General Washington bids officers farewell at Fraunce's Tavern, New York City, New York. [1] [5]
- December 23
- General George Washington resigns as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. [397.80] [464.44,74]
1785
- May 13
- The Continental Congress committee reports on plans for a coinage. [406.88]
- July 6
- The dollar (and decimal coinage) is unanimously chosen by the Continental Congress as the monetary unit for the United States. the US is the first nation to adopt decimal money system. [1] [5] [417.56] [450.46]
- August 22
- William Barton submits his outline for the establishment of a Mint to the Continental Congress. [431.60]
- October 20
- The Connecticut General Court authorizes coining up to 10,000 pounds of copper coins with an emblem of Liberty. [445.60]
1786
- August 8
- The American Continental Congress defines a silver dollar containing 375.64 grains of silver as the nation's unit of account. [388.188] [427.67]
- October 17
- The Commonwealth of Massachusetts authorizes a mint for striking gold, silver, and copper coinage. [450.70]
1787
- June 1
- Authority is granted for a New Jersey coinage. [468.12]
1788
- January 2
- Georgia is fourth state to ratify US constitution. [1] [453.70]
- February 6
- Massachusetts becomes sixth state to ratify the US Constitution. [1] [453.70] (February 8 [450.70])
- May 21
- James Jarvis & Co. delivers 400,000 Fugio cents to the national government. [412.84]
- May 23
- South Carolina becomes 8th state to ratify US constitution. [1] [453.70]
- June 21
- US Constitution goes into effect as New Hampshire is 9th state to ratify it. [1] [432.95]
1789
- September 2
- Congress establishes US Treasury Department. [1] [497.56]
- September 22
- US Congress establishes the Office of Postmaster General within the Treasury Department. [1] [438.42]
- November 20
- New Jersey becomes first state to ratify Bill of Rights. [1] [5]
- November 21
- North Carolina ratifies constitution, becomes 12th US state. [1] [454.64]
- November 26
- First national thanksgiving. [1]
1790
- May 29
- Rhode Island becomes last of original 13 colonies ratifying Constitution. [1] [453.70]
- July 26
- US passes Assumption Act making US responsible for state debts. [1] [459.64]
- July 31
- First US patent granted, to Samuel Hopkins for a potash process. [1]
- August 1
- First US census (population of 3,939,214). [1]
- August 4
- Congress authorizes construction of ten vessels to enforce tariff and trade laws, prevent smuggling, and protect the collection of federal revenue. [1] [438.72]
- August 10
- Robert Gray's Columbia, completes first American voyage around the world. [1]
1791
- January 1
- The Bank of North America converts accounts from Mexican dollars to US dollars. [466.79]
- February 25
- Congress charters the First Bank of the United States. [1] [480.56]
- December 12
- First Bank of the United States opens for business. [1] [460.36]
1792
- January 12
- US Senate passes bill authorizing establishment of a federal mint. [303.68] [471.32]
- April 2
- US President George Washington signs the Coinage Act, establishing the US Mint, and authorizes $10 Eagle, $5 half-Eagle and $2.50 quarter-Eagle gold coins and dollar, half dollar, quarter dollar, dime and half-dime silver coins. Coins of gold and silver are legal tender, but base metal coins, such as copper, are not. [1] [5] [303.69] [397.52] [474.160] [485.38]
- April 14
- US Senate confirms David Rittenhouse as first US Mint director. [400.56]
- May 2
- The US government borrows US$400,000 from the Bank of United States for protecting the frontier. [403.60]
- May 8
- US Congress approves copper purchase for coinage, and outlaws private copper coinage. [404.44]
- Congress extends redemption of Continental Currency to March 7, 1793. [405.22]
- July 18
- The US buys the site for the Philadelphia Mint for $5466.66. [419.58]
- July 31
- David Rittenhouse lays foundation stone for Philadelphia Mint. [421.68] [459.64]
1793
- January 1
- Representative Elias Boudinot recommends portrait of Christopher Columbus be placed on first US coinage. [466.79]
- September 18
- George Washington lays the cornerstone of the US Capitol building. [1] [437.80]
- November 23
- Robert Scot is appointed engraver at the US Mint. [454.64]
1794
- April 4
- Albion Cox is appointed as US Mint assayer. [397.52]
- July 18
- The Bank of Maryland makes the first deposit of silver bullion at the US Mint, $80,715.735 in French coins. [451.38]
- August 23
- The Bank of North America deposits more than $20,000 in silver at the Philadelphia Mint for coinage. [493.34]
- October 15
- Chief Coiner Henry Voigt delivers the first minted dollars and half dollars. [443.68]
1795
- July 9
- The US national debt of US$2,024,899 is paid off by James Swan. [418.44]
- October 27
- William De Saussure resigns as Director of the US Mint. [421.68]
- October 28
- Elias Boudinot becomes director of the US Mint. [421.126]
- December 15
- US Senate confirms Elias Boudinot as US Mint director. [463.42]
1797
- July 22
- George Washington issues a proclamation indefinitely extending the legal tender status of Spanish milled dollar. [420.62]
- October 15
- Foreign silver coins except Spanish milled dollars cease to be legal tender. [443.68]
- October 21
- The US Navy frigate USS Constitution is launched in Boston harbor. [1] [450.146]
1798
- April 30
- Congress establishes the Department of the Navy. [1] [438.70]
- July 11
- US President John Adams signs a bill into law creating the U.S. Marines. [1] [438.70]
- July 31
- President John Adams issues proclamation extending circulation of foreign coins, due to coin shortage. [421.68]
- August 31
- $162,821 is stolen at night from vaults of the Bank of Pennsylvania, the first bank robbery in the USA. [497.56]
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