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Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation of 1763, written right after the French and Indian War, announced England's control over several French colonies and stated that colonies could no longer expand west. It required all colonies living in Native American territory to move east. Many colonists ignored this. -
Sugar Act
The Sugar Act put a tax on imported sugar and molasses. This is one act in a group of many that lowered taxes, but put a tax on more items. This act caused problems between England and the colonies because the colonists felt they were being taxed unfairly and had no say in it. In response to this act, the colonists boycotted luxury goods from Britain. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act required colonists to pay a tax on all paper items such as legal documents, newspapers, and even playing cards, and forced them to have a British stamp on any paper documents. The colonists found this unfair and began boycotting British goods. -
Quartering Act
The Quartering Act made it mandatory for colonists to house and feed British soldiers if there was no room for them in the barracks. The colonists felt that this violated the Bill of Rights of 1689 so they disputed it in court. -
Declaratory Act
After the failure of the Stamp Act, Parliament passed the Declaratory Act, showing its authority to tax the colonists and make laws just as it would for its own country. Although the Stamp Act failed, England did not want to give up on imperial taxation. -
Townshend Act
The Townshend Act was a group of laws passed that put taxes on paper, lead, glass, and tea. The colonists protested by using locally made products or just not using them at all. -
The Boston Massacre
A riot began and 50 citizens began attacking British soldiers, who fired at the group of people, wounding 8 and killing 5. In response, the colonists organized a town meeting with the intention of having the British removed. The Royal Governor removed the British soldiers from Boston. -
The Tea Act
The tea act was a law set in place that gave the East India Tea Company complete control over the trade of tea in the colonies. They were only able to purchase tea from this company and were forced to pay taxes on it. The colonists were outraged, and a few months later, protested this act with The Boston Tea Party. -
The Boston Tea Party
As a protest against England for "taxation without representation," the colonists dumped 342 chests of tea imported by the British India Trading Company into the harbor. This act of defiance against Britain made it clear that the colonists would not just silently accept their unfair taxes. -
The Boston Port Act
The Boston Port Act was passed in response to the Boston Tea Party. It closed Boston's harbors, not allowing any ships in, until the colonists paid England back for the amount of tea lost and proved that they could be peaceful. In response to this, the other colonies rallied together and created the Continental Congress in Boston's defense. -
Quartering Act
Before this act, the colonists were required to provide with a public place to live (like inns, taverns, etc). This act added to the original act, saying that they were also required to let soldiers stay in the private homes of people in any of the colonies, not just Massachusetts. The Boston patriots protested this, refusing to let soldiers stay in their homes.