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Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris was signed, and France gave up all North American territories except New Orleans. Britain gained territory from east of the Mississippi River, which was considered a huge victory or them. However, although they gained a lot of land, the war left them in debt. This foreshadows later acts of legislation... -
Proclamation of 1763
The proclamation of 1763 outlined where colonies could and could not settle. This helped keep the peace with the Indians in hopes of avoiding another war, but angered the colonists because they were forced to move into areas controlled by British rule. Some moved or stayed where they were regardless of the proclamation, which began to spark a rebellion in the colonists’ hearts. -
Sugar Act
This act placed taxes on sugar in order to 1) stop people from illegally trading sugar with the French and West Indies and to 2) help fund the British Empire. This was the first tax placed on the colonies, and as a result the colonists started protesting and finding substitutes for sugar. -
Currency Act
This act forbade the colonists/colonies from creating their own form of currency (in favor of British currency), which asserted British control over the economic system. Colonists were angry because this made it difficult for them to pay off their debt and pay taxes. As a result, protests were formed. -
Stamp Act
This act placed taxes on newspapers, licenses, cards, dice, and any legal documents written/published. Many journalists, clergymen, lawyers, etc. were not very happy, which led to them to form resistances (for example: the Sons of Liberty). This led to trade declining in the mother country, and soon many colonies began to nullify the act. -
Quartering Act
This act was passed as a way to force colonists to allow British troops and soldiers into their homes. Meaning, the colonists had to pay taxes on provisions and supplies to supply to the soldiers. This angered the colonists, because it made them feel like they had hardly any representation in Parliament. Resentment towards this act led to the Boston Massacre, where a few British soldiers shot and killed 5 “rock throwers” for protesting the act. -
Declaratory Act
This act, which was passed the same day the Stamp Act was revealed, declared that Parliament could impose taxes and laws “in all cases whatsoever.” This act was seen as a disgrace to the colonists, which proved that they had no representation in Parliament. This also hinted that more taxes were about to be imposed, which upset them even more. -
Troops are sent to colonies
Due to the unrest and resilience of the colonists, Britain decides to send troops to each of the colonies to help stop the boycotts and rebellions.This immediately sparked tensions between the colonists and the soldiers, which led to quite a few fights and shootings, including the Boston Massacre. -
Townshend Acts
This series of acts, which began in 1767, placed taxes on paper, glass, lead, and tea to help raise money to pay the governors, judges, and officers. These taxes outraged the colonists, and more and more of them started forming boycotts (for buying imported goods) and instead started buying more local products. This also led to many resistances, including the Boston Tea Party, which was one of the first major signs of a future revolution. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a major event in colonial history where many colonists gathered to dump thousands of pounds worth of tea into the Boston harbor. This was a direct response to the Tea Act, and not only were the colonist angry about being taxed, they were upset because they had "taxation without representation." This caused mixed reactions from leaders such as John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, however the act did foreshadow a change.. -
Coercive/Intolerable Acts
These series of acts were published shortly after the Boston Tea Party, written and issued by the king and Parliament. These acts closed the Boston harbor until the tea was paid off, ended free elections of town officials, created martial law in Massachusetts, and made colonists quarter British soldiers when demanded. This fortunately and unfortunately led to another Boston Tea Party.