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End of French and Indian war
the Treaty of Paris(1763) ended the war between France and Britain. Following this, the British now control all the previous French owned territories in America. -
Colonial Protests
The colonists were not too happy about the upcoming Stamp Act in November. They believed that this act was "Taxation without Representation" due to them not having any representation in the parliament that was attempting to directly tax them. This instigated many protests around the colonies. -
Britain Taxes the Colonies
After the French and Indian War, the colonists still needed a way to pay back Britain so they implemented taxes on the Colonies which were The Stamp, Quartering, and Sugar Acts. -
Enlightenment Ideas
In the midst of colonial protests, Patrick Henry crafted a list of 6 human rights and brought it to Virginias House of Burgesses. While they did not accept every single one of these rights, 8 other colonies got ahold of and followed Henry's full list of 6. -
The Patriots are Born
Colonists start to violently appose the Stamp Act and they begin to work together fight against it and the people who supported it. These Colonists were later known as "Patriots". Some Patriots formed groups, one of them were called "Sons of Liberty" which was lead by Samuel Adams. -
Leaders Organize a Boycott
Rather than violent protests/riots, the colonial leaders sought to find a different method of getting the colonists voices heard regarding the Stamp Act. 9 Colonial leaders appeared at the "Stamp Act Congress" and organized a boycott on all goods imported from Britain. This was a big threat the British economy, as the Colonies were one of their largest trading spots. Rather than British goods, the colonists started to craft their own goods as a replacement. The boycotts worked and taxes repealed -
Boycott of British goods
Colonists decided to stop buying British products and any goods that were imported by Britain. Woman played a big role in the boycott because they also decided not to buy any British manufactured goods as well and they were known as the "Daughters of Liberty". Britain ended up giving in and had no choice but to repeal the Stamp Act -
New Taxes Lead to New Protests
Britain still needed to pay their debt and the soldiers in the colony. Charles Townshend, the Chief financial officer went about taxing the colonists in a different way. They tried to indirectly tax the Colonists by taxing everyday items such as glass, lead, paint, paper, tea, etc. They named this the "Townshend Act". This lead the colonists to resort back to protesting and boycotting. -
Boston Massacre
Due to the new heavy taxes on tea, John Hancock started smuggling tea into the colonies and selling it for a nontaxed price. When British officials seized his ship, more violence broke out. On one night in March, 1770, a group of colonists threw rocks and snowballs at British guards. The British guards responded to this with rapid gunfire, killing 5 of the unarmed colonists. This was labeled the Boston massacre and colonists did not take lightly to the situation. It only instigated more riots -
Boston Tea Party
The colonial tea boycott/tea smuggling continued to take a hit on the British economy. British parliament passed a law that allowed the major tea companies to go and sell tea directly to colonists, at a price that cheaper(including tax)than even that of the smuggled tea. But rather than giving into Britain, the colonists once again rejected. On the night of December 16, 1773, colonists "The Boston Tea Party" dressed up as Indians, boarded British ships and poured all of the tea into the water. -
The Boston Tea Party
Parliament passed a law that allowed companies to sell tea directly to the colonists making it cheaper even with the tax placed on it. The colonists thought this was just another trick to pay more taxes so on the night of December 16, 1773, the Boston Patriots dressed as Indians, boarded three British ships and dumped all of the tea into the harbor. -
Intolerable Acts
Following the Boston tea party events, Britain punished the colonists for these acts. Britain laid down a set of acts, later called the "Intolerable acts" by the colonists. Some of the new rules were; forcing colonists to house British soldiers and having any crime committed against British officials be tried for these in Britain. Colonists fought against these intolerable acts with heavily armed violence. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
The first battle that begins the American Revolutionary War. The first shot fired in this battle has been labeled "the shot heard round the world" due to it's importance in beginning the Revolutionary war.
