-
End of French and Indian War
In February 1763, the French and Indian War came to an end with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. Shortly after winning the war the British government reserved all of the land between the Mississippi River and Appalachian Mountains for American Indians. The action upset the American colonist very much. -
Sugar Act
The British government was put into place on April 5, 1764. The main goal of the act was to tax the importation of molasses from the West Indies. The Sugar Act increased duties on non-British goods shipped to the colonies. This act once again upsetting the American colonies, responding to the act with protest. -
Stamp Act
The British Parliament passed the Stamp Act in March of 1765. The act forced the colonists to pay taxes on every single page of printed paper that they were to use. This also included playing cards, dice, and newspapers. The Stamp Act was meant with much backlash from the colonists, they argued that there should be "No Taxation without Representation". -
Declaratory Act
The Declaratory Act was passed by the Parliament, the act stated that the Parliament could make laws binding the American colonies. A quote from the act states, "in all cases whatsoever". The colonists viewed this act as yet another threat to their independence. -
Townshend Act
The Townshend Act, passed by the Parliament in 1767, initiated taxes on common goods like glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea. In response to the act, the colonists organized boycotts of British goods to put pressure on the Parliament to repeal the Townshend Act. -
Tea Act
In May 1773, the Tea Act was passed by the Parliament. The act being passed allowed the British East India Company Tea a monopoly on tea sales in the American colonies. Soon after the act was passed, American colonists condemned the act and many colonists planned to boycott tea. -
Start of Revolutionary War
The Revolutionary War was started by the American colonists as a way to oppose the British's attempts to impose greater control over the colonies. All the acts passed by the Parliament such as the Sugar, Stamp, Declaratory, Townshend, and Tea Act all played key parts in the start of the war. The British's continuous attempts to control the colonists was the reason and need for a war.