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Royal Proclamation of 1763
This proclamation forbade Americans form west of the Appalachian Mountains. It was passed by Parliament to limit the Colonists' conflicts with the Native Americans. It was also passed to avoid wars that would cause them further debt. -
Stamp Act
Though the British Parliament passed this law on March 22nd, iit was actually made effective on November 1st. This law required that all paper-made products and currency be printed on British-stamped paper. If you were to buy said stamped paper, it would be the same as paying a tax -
Quartering Act
The British Parliament passed the Quartering Act as a means to take back control of the colonies form the colonists. This law required that British soldiers to take residence in military barracks and public homes. The military presence there grew to be a source of tension between the Americans and the British. -
Sons of Liberty
A group of colonists believed that the British were violating the colonists' rights as independent citizens. They came together and formed the Sons of Liberty to fight for their freedom. They used public protests, violence and threats of violence to make the British tax laws practically unenforceable. -
Townshend Acts
A member of British Parliament named Charles Townshend placed these acts to tax imports and exports on paper, paint, lead, glass, and tea. This was also done to raise revenue from the colonists to pay the cost of keeping an army running in the colonies. These acts were actually named after Charles Townshend himself because he proposed them. -
Boston Massacre
An angry mob of civillians verbally harassed and threw objects at a group of British soldiers. Without following orders, they fired on the angry mob, instantly killing five male civillians and wounding six others. The following day, eight soldiers, one officer, and four civillians were arrested and charged with murder, though most were aquitted, and two soldiers were instead accused of manslaughter. -
Permanent Committee of Correspondence
The colony of Virginia created a permanent Committee of Correspondence. Most of the Committees' members were patriots and came together in meetings to discuss reponses to British-related situations. They took over the official colonial government eventually. -
Boston Tea Party
In Boston Harbor, a group of Patriots, led by Samuel Adams, dressed up as Native Americans and snuck on a ahip belonging to the British East India Company. Once there, they dumped 10,000 euros worth of tea into the Harbor. This act of rebellion against the British Parliament remains one of the most famous events in American history -
Intolerable Acts
The British government's response to the Boston Tea Party. These coercive laws served to strip the colony of Massachusetts of the rights to self-government and historic rights. This increased tensions beteen Britain and the Thirteen Colonies, thus leading to outrage and civil disobedience. These laws were key to starting the American Revolution -
First Continental Congress
It consisted of 56 delegates appointed by the legislative governments from twelve of the thirteen colonies. It was called in order to organize a response to the Intolerable Acts. They petitioned King George III to repeal the Intolerable Acts, to no avail. -
Battles of Lexington & Concord
Lexington & Concord marked the first armed conflicts during the American Revolution. These battles were fought in the towns of Lexington, Concord, Lincoln, Menotomy (now Arlington), and Cambridge, near Boston. It was the beginning of full-on armed conflict between Great Britain and the colonies. -
2nd Continental Congress
The second Congress moved towards independence and organized the war effort against the British. It took on all functions of a national government, including issuing money and raising armies. They did not, however, have the authority to raise taxes. -
Common Sense pamphlet
It was written and printed by Thomas Paine to inspire the colonists to fight for independence. It was paublished around the beggining of the American Revolution and was an instant reading sensation. It was sold and distiributed all over the Thirteen Colonies and read aloud in public places. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration announced that the Thirteen Colonies were independent of Britain. It also justified their independence by listing a series of colonial grievances against King George. Thus the United States of America were born. -
Battle of Yorktown
The Battle of Yorktown was a decisive victory by a combined force of American and French troops. They were pitted against a major British force led by Lord Cornwallis. It proved to be the last major land battle of the American Revolutionary War.
