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French and Indian War
The war was a 7 year long war between Britain and the US colonies versus the French and some Indians. Britain spent a lot of money fighting the war and as a result taxed the colonies a great deal, expecting them to pay for their protection. This also resulted in the Proclamation line. -
Proclamation Line
In 1763 a royal decree was made that no colonist could go past the Appalachian Mountains. The King did this to avoid conflict with the natives and so the colonists would settle along the coast to participate in the mercantilist system. This, in some colonists opinions, limited their rights to owning private property. -
Stamp Act
The British parliament instituted an act or law that required colonists to pay taxes on all legal documents, licenses, commercial contracts, newspapers, playing cards, and pamphlets. This made the colonists angry and was eventually, (a year later) repealed. This lead to the Townshend act. -
Townshend Acts
The purpose of the Townshend Acts was to raise money in the colonies to pay the salaries of governors and judges so that they would be independent of colonial rule, to create a more effective means of enforcing compliance with trade regulations. It was also to punish New York for not obeying the quartering acts. This got the colonists rialed up and increased organized rebelion. -
Boston Tea Party
After the tax on tea sky rocketed, the colonists were enraged. They decided to rebel by dressing up like Indians and dumping and dumping about a million dollars’ worth of the King’s tea into the bay. This made the King extremely angry. As a result, he institued the Declaratory act. -
1st and 2nd Continental Congress
A group of rich, influential men met to discuss how and if they would retaliate to Britain’s punishing. They decided to boycott British trade. They met again to discuss the intolerable acts, and how they would get it repealed. This resulted in the Declaration of Independence. -
Declaration of Independance
A statement that was made by the continental congress to Britain stating that the 13 colonies were at war with Britain. The colonists were sick of being pushed around, and taxed (in their opinion) unjustly. The US listed grievances against King George III, and declared independence. This is what started the Revolutionary War.
