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Stamp Act
The Parliment, the British law making assebmly, passed the Stamp Act on March 22, 1765. This law placed a tax on printed materials such as legal documents, newspapers and even playing cards. When they bought these items, they had to buy a stamp and put it on the item to show that they had paid the tax. Since the Colonist did not vote for Parliment, they felt that Parliment had no right to tax them. "No Taxation without representation!" -
Stamp Act Congress
The colonial learder form the nine colonies held a meeting in New York city called the Stamp Act Congress. They wrote a petition to repeal or cancel the Stamp Act. Samuel Adams organized the Sons of Liberty, a group the led protests against the Stamp Tax. The members burned stamps and threatened the stamp agents, -
Stamp Act Repealed
After months of protest, and an appeal by Benjamin Franklin before the British House of Commons, Parliament voted to repeal the Stamp Act in March 1766. However, the same day, Parliament passed the Declaratory Acts, asserting that the British government had free and total legislative power over the colonies. -
The Townshend Acts
The the treasurer of the British governement, Charles Townshend asked for a new tax on the colonists. The Townshend Acts placed a tax on imported goods such as paper, wool, tea and other goods that came from Britan. Colonists refused to buy British goods. -
Britsh War Ships Arrive in Boston Harbor
The boycott of British goods was hurting British businesses. The Parliment sent war ships to show force and make the colonist pay the tax. -
Boston Massacre
These military troops outraged the colonists. In the Winter of 1770 a small group of colonists in Boston were taking out their frustration with the troops by taunting them, and throwing snowballs at them. In retaliation, these soldiers opened fire, killing four of the Bostonians. This event became known as the Boston Massacre. The events of the Boston Massacre were spread quickly by newspapers throughout the colonies further angering colonists. As a result, Great Britain was forced to once a -
Tea Act
The Tea Act was a law that said that one British compamy, the East India Company, would be the only company allowed to sell tea to the colonies. The Colonists declard that ships bringing British tea to the colonies would not be allowed to unload in any colonail port. -
Boston Tea Party
Members of the Sons of Liberty disquised themselves as Mohawks and rowed out to the British ships. The chopped open the tea containers and dumped them into the Boston Harbor. When the British government heard about this they believed that Boston must be punished. -
Intolerable Acts
Britian punished the people of Boston severly.
*They British soldiers back to Boston. The colonists were order to feed and house the soldiers.
*The coloy of Massachusetts was put uder the control of a British gereral, Thomas Gage.
*The port of Boston was closed. No ships were allowed to come or go until the people of Boston paid for the tea they had destroyed. -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress established a boycott on all trade with Great Britain and
sent a petition to the King. This congress also advised American colonists to arm themselves. This led to
the battle of Lexington and Concord and the start of the Revolutionary War -
First Continental Congress
Representatives from all colonies except Georgia met in Philadelphia to discuss the Intolerable Acts. They agreed that each colony shoud begin training militias,or volunteer armies. Some militia groups called themselves minutemen because they could be ready in a minute's notice to fight for thier colony. -
"Give me Liberty or Give me Death"
Patrick Henry made the most famous speech of his career in Richmond, Virginia. He warned Virgina's militia to be prepared for battle. A war was about to begin. -
Paul Revere's Ride
700 British soldiers were on their way to Concord, a town about 20 miles away from Boston. Over the past year the militia had been storing weapons there. The British were ordered to seize and destroy the military supplies. -
Lexington
About 70 Lexington minutemen met up with the British soldiers on their way to Concord. John Parker, the captain of the Lexington minutemen gave orders to only fire if fired upon. The first shot at Lexington is known as "the shot heard round the worls". The British won and continued on to Concord. -
Concord
Once British soldiders reached Concord, they could not find any military supplies. The had to march 20 miles back to Boston. Thousands of Patriots lined the road firing at the British as they marched. By the time they reached Boston, the British suffered heavy losses. The American Revolution begins. -
Battle of Bunker HIll
Colonel William Prescott led 1200 men up the hills of Charlestown. The wanted to control the hills so that they could fire cannons down toward the British in Boston. The Patriots lost the hill but was proud of the way they fought.
