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The Stamp Act
To relieve themselves of the debt from the war with France, British Parliament passed the Stamp Act which placed tax on all colonial commercial and legal papers, newspapers, pamphlets, cards, almanacs, and dice.
The American colonists resented how they had to both buy goods & pay taxes to the British. Benjamin Franklin eventually convinced the British to remove The Stamp Act. This gave the colonists the confidence that they could push back against the British. -
The Townshend Acts
British Parliament passed The Townshend Act, allowing them to tax the foods that the Americans imported from Great Britain. They established a board of customs commissioners to make sure that there was no smuggling or corruption among the officials in the colonies.
The colonists responded by boycotting the British goods that were being taxed & started harassing the British customs commissioners. The British responded by sending troops into Boston, increasing the tension between America&Britain. -
The Boston Massacre
Tension was high among the colonists and British troops in Boston. One night, there was an argument between an apprentice wigmaker and a British soldier which resulted in 200 colonists surrounding 7 British troops. When the colonists started to shout and throw things at the soldiers, the 7 British soldiers responded by firing into the crowd. Three men died in the quarrel and 2 were mortally wounded.
Each side saw the other as the aggressor and no one wanted to take the blame. -
The Boston Tea Party
The British removed their troops and took back most of the Townshend Act except for the tax on tea. This left the Tea Act in place to help support the British East India Company.
American colonists, frustrated and angry at Britain for imposing “taxation without representation,” dumped 342 chests of tea, imported by the British East India Company into the harbor.
https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/boston-tea-party -
The Coercive Acts
The British passed four laws to punish the colony of Massachusetts Bay for the Boston Tea Party. Boston Harbor was closed to trade until the owners of the tea were compensated. Only food and firewood were permitted into the port. Town meetings were banned, and the authority of the royal governor was increased.
https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/the-coercive-intolerable-acts-of-1774/ -
Lexington and Concord
The British planned an attack on Lexington and Concord to capture colonial leaders and seize their gunpowder. American spies discovered their plan and riders such as Paul Revere spread the word to prepare the colonists for the British’s arrival.
The American army confronted the British in a battle. 7 Americans died and the British lost 73 men. This was the battle that started America’s War of Independence and proved that the American colonies were a strong force against the British.