On January 1, William Lloyd Garrison of Boston publishes the first issue of The Liberator in Boston, Massachusetts.  It will soon become the leading anti-slavery newspaper in the U.S.

On December 7, John Adams of Massachusetts is elected the second President of the United States.

Shay's Rebellion, led by Daniel Shay, an indebted western Massachusetts farmhand, poses the first challenge to the authority of the United States government. The Rebellion begins on August 29 and is defeated on February 3, 1787.

The Boston Tea Party takes place on December 16.

On October 1, British troops arrive and occupy Boston.