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Parson's Cause
A Parson is another name for a priest. The King was in charge of the churches and salary was based on profit from tobacco. When tobacco prices increased, the priests and ministers expected a windfall of money. Instead, the Virginia House of Burgesses created the Two Penny Act, but the King disallowed the act and the clergymen sued for unpaid portions of their salaries. -
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American Revolution Timeline
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Treaty of Paris
At the end of the Seven Years' War, France surrendered land west of the Mississippi River and the port of New Orleans to Spain. France also surrendered land east of the Mississippi River to Britain. France only retained the Caribbean Islands at the end of the French and Indian War. -
Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation of 1763 temporarily forbid white settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains. The Proclamation Line restricted white settlement to keep white settlers and Indians apart. This prevented conflict and was cheaper and easier to control colonists closer to the coast. -
The Sugar Act of 1764
The first attempt to finance the defense of the colonies by the British Government. To encourage the production of British rum, taxes on molasses were dropped. A tax was placed on foreign wine and colonial exports of iron, lumber and other goods had to pass first through Britain and British customs. -
The Stamp Act of 1765
Seeking for colonists to pay some of the costs from the French and Indian War, Parliament required all legal documents, newspapers, and pamphlets to use 'stamped' paper to show a tax was placed. Britain was the largest empire but was also £130 in debt. Britain believed colonists received the benefit of British troops and needed to help pay. -
Townshend Act of 1767
Taxes on tea, glass, lead, paper and paint to help pay for the administration of the colonies, named after Charles Townshend. Colonial assemblies did not approve of taxation without representation. This leads to growing tensions between the people of the colonies and Britain to go up which some may argue is the cause of the Boston massacre. -
The Boston Massacre
Angered by the presence of troops and Britain's colonial policy, a crowd began harassing a group of soldiers guarding the customs house. A soldier was knocked to the ground by a weapon and discharged his musket. This shot caused the rest of the squad to fire which killed 5 colonists. -
The Boston Tea Party
Angered by the Tea Acts, American patriots disguised as Mohawk Indians dump £9,000 of the British East India Company tea (342 crates) into the Boston Harbor. The party of colonists was organized by Samuel Adams. They dumped the tea from Thomas Hutchinson's ship, Dartmouth. -
Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts were passed in 1774 after the Boston Tea Party. These acts were meant as a punishment to the colonists for what they had done to defy Britain. They were four restrictions that ended salutary neglect in Massachusetts following the Boston Tea Party. The colonies responded with a general boycott of British goods. -
The Continental Congress
Colonial delegates met to organize an opposition to the Intolerable Acts. They were initially a party of delegates from several British colonies from the American Revolution. They ultimately spoke on behalf of the people of the 13 colonies which eventually became the United States.
