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French and Indian War
As the French empire in North America expanded, it collided with the growing
British empire. During the late 17th and first half of the 18th centuries, France
and Great Britain had fought three inconclusive wars. Each war had begun in
Europe but spread to their overseas colonies. In 1754, after six relatively peaceful
years, the French–British conflict reignited. This conflict is known as the French
and Indian War. -
Writ of Assistance
In 1761,
the royal governor of Massachusetts authorized the use of the
writs of assistance, a general search warrant that allowed
British customs officials to search any colonial ship or building
they believed to be holding smuggled goods. Because
many merchants worked out of their residences, the writs
enabled British officials to enter and search colonial homes
whether there was evidence of smuggling or not. The merchants
of Boston were outraged. -
Proclamation of 1763
To avoid further costly conflicts with Native Americans, the British government
prohibited colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains. The
Proclamation of 1763 established a Proclamation Line along the
Appalachians, which the colonists were not allowed to cross. However, the
colonists, eager to expand westward from the increasingly crowded Atlantic
seaboard, ignored the proclamation and continued to stream onto Native
American lands. -
Treaty of Paris 1763
The war officially ended in 1763 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. Great Britain claimed Canada and virtually all of North America east of the Mississippi River. The treaty permitted Spain to keep possession of its lands west of the Mississippi and the city of New Orleans, which it had gained from France in 1762. France retained control of only a few islands and small colonies near Newfoundland, in the West Indies, and elsewhere. -
Sugar Act & colonist response
The Sugar Act did three things. It halved the duty on
foreign-made molasses in the hopes that colonists would pay
a lower tax rather than risk arrest by smuggling. It placed
duties on certain imports that had not been taxed before. Colonial merchants complained that the Sugar Act would reduce their profits. Merchants and traders further
claimed that Parliament had no right to tax the colonists
because the colonists had not elected representatives to the
body. -
Stamp Act & colonist response
In March 1765 Parliament passed the Stamp Act. This act
imposed a tax on documents and printed items such as wills, newspapers, and playing
cards. A stamp would be placed on the items to prove that the tax had been
paid. In May of 1765, the colonists united to defy the law. Boston shopkeepers, artisans,
and laborers organized a secret resistance group called the Sons of Liberty to
protest the law.The widespread boycott worked, and in March 1766 Parliament repealed the law. -
Sons of LIberty & Samual Adam
Led by men such as Samuel Adams, one of
the founders of the Sons of Liberty, the colonists again boycotted British goods -
Declaratory Act
But on the same day that it repealed the Stamp Act, Parliament passed the
Declaratory Act, which asserted Parliament’s full right “to bind the colonies and
people of America in all cases whatsoever.” -
Townshed Act & colonist response
Then, in 1767, Parliament passed the
Townshend Acts, named after Charles Townshend, the leading government minister.
The Townshend Acts taxed goods that were imported into the colony from
Britain, such as lead, glass, paint, and paper. The Acts also imposed a tax on tea, the
most popular drink in the colonies. Led by men such as Samuel Adams, one of
the founders of the Sons of Liberty, the colonists again boycotted British goods.
