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Raise of Taxes on American colonists
After the French and Indian war, Great Britain had to pay war debts and expenses from the war. So, the King and Parliament used their power to raise taxes in American colonies to help pay for the British Army. This led to angry colonists and rose tensions between the colonists and the British crown. URL: https://www.thebalance.com/us-federal-tax-history-4145479 -
The Stamp Act Of 1765
The Stamp Act of 1765 was passed by the Parliament of Great Britain which forced direct tax on the American colonies. Great Britain taxed newspapers, almanacs, pamphlets, legal documents, and playing cards by forcing colonists to have a tax stamp that proved they payed their taxes. URL: https://www.revolutionary-war-and-beyond.com/stamp-act.html -
The Quartering Act
On March 24, 1765, The Quartering Act was passed by the Parliament. This act forced the colonies to provide barracks and supplies to the British troops, which resulted in angering the American Colonists even more. URL: https://www.thoughtco.com/quartering-act-4707197 -
The Townshend Act
The Townshend Act was passed on June 29, 1767. This act was passed by the Parliament in order to commence the raise of taxes on glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea. This was an important attempt by the British government to obtain power over the American colonies. This act only prompted and encouraged the colonists to boycott against British goods. URL: https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/townshend-acts -
The Virginia Resolves
On May 16, 1769, The Virginia Resolves were introduced in the House of Burgesess. These resolutions stated that only the Virginia governor and legislature could lay taxes on it's citizens, rather than the Parliament. This was an important piece of information for the colonies because they were unfairly taxed by the British Parliament. URL: https://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/document/the-virginia-resolves-of-1769/ -
The First Death Of The Revolutionary War
On February 22, 1770, an eleven year old boy was killed in the midst of a crowd mixed with young men and boys rioting against a store selling British goods. His death is considered the first death of the Revolutionary War and triggered tensions that contributed into the Boston Massacre. URL: https://alphahistory.com/americanrevolution/death-of-christopher-seider/ -
The Boston Massacre
On March 5, 1770, a deadly riot broke out against American colonists and British soldiers after tension between the two were high. It escalated into a bloody slaughter when the British soldiers fought back, resulting in five causalities This street fight ended with several colonists being killed which led to this event being highly publicized and contributed to the American Revolution. URL: https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/boston-massacre -
The Townshend Acts Repealed
All of the Townshend Acts were eventually repealed in April 1770 because it led to protests in the American colonies and reduced profits. American colonies boycotted against the Acts because they saw it as an abuse of power. They found it unfair how they were not represented in the British Parliament so, Parliament removed all taxes expect tax on tea. URL: https://www.carolana.com/SC/Royal_Colony/The_Townshend_Act_1767.html -
The Committees Of Correspondence
The Committee of Correspondence was organized and led by the patriot leader, Samuel Adams. This was a system of maintaining communication throughout all the colonies. After Great Britain and the Parliament started to tax the colonies unfairly, The Committees of Correspondence came together to share information and ideas to unite the colonies. URL: https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/committees-of-correspondence -
The Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party took place on December 16, 1773. This heated event was caused primarily because of angry colonists protesting against unfair taxes. American colonists were upset at Great Britain for forcing "taxation without representation". The colonists never got a say or vote in any of the government's policies, instead they were forced to pay high taxes without their say or input. This caused the colonists to angrily dump 342 chests of tea over board as their way to protest.