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French and Indian War
The costs of the French and Indian war (1754-1763) and maintaining an army led the British government to impose new taxes on the colonists. -
The Albany Congress
In June of 1754, representatives from 7 colonies met with 150 Iroquois Chiefs in Albany, New York. The two main purposes of the Albany Congress was to try and secure the cooperation and support of the Iroquois in fighting the French and to form a colonial alliance. -
Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation of 1763 prohibited all settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains. The intervention into colonial affairs offended the colonies' claim to govern lands to their west. -
Sugar Act
The Sugar Act reduced the rate of tax on molasses.The act also taxed more foreign goods such as sugar, certain wines, coffee, pimiento, and regulated the export of lumber and iron. The situation created by the Sugar Act disrupted the colonies' economy by reducing the markets to which the colonies could sell and the amount of currency available to them. -
Currency Act
The Currency Act prohibited the colonies' from issuing thier own currency, which angered many colonists. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was the first direct tax on the American colonists and imposesd a tax on legal documents, newspapers and even playing cards. -
Quartering Act
Colonial assemblies were required to pay the costs of supplies for the British troops stationed in the colonies. The New York assembly protested the payment. -
Stamp Act Congress
Representatives from 9 colonies declared that the Stamp Act was unconstitutional because it was a tax levied without their consent. Parliament repealed the Stamp Act and the colonists ended their ban on imported British goods. -
Townshend Acts
The British government placed taxes on tea, glass, lead, paper and paint to help pay for the expenses of governing the colonies. However, colonial assemblies protested that the Townshend Acts were taxation without representation. -
Non-Importation Agreement
In the fall of 1767, the colonies discouraged the purchase of imported British goods due to the new taxes placed on the colonies. -
British Troops occupy Boston
British troops occupied Boston in hopes of enforcing the Townshend Acts and controlling local radicals. However the troops presence did not sit well with the locals and lead to many street fights. -
The Boston Massacre
The arrival of British troops in Boston created conflicts between the troops and colonists. On March 5, 1770 British troops opened fire on a crowd of citizens, killing 3 Americans and fatally wounding 2 more. -
The end of the Non-Importation Agreement
During October of 1770, Britain relaxed their taxation on the colonies and the colonies ended the boycott of imported British goods. -
Committees of Correspondence are created.
In the spring of 1772, throughout the colonies the Committees of Correspondence were created as a way to coordinate American response to British colonial policy. These committees represented an important move toward cooperation, mutual action and the development of national identity for Americans. -
Tea Act
Parliament reduced the tax on imported British tea causing British merchants to have an unfair advantage in selling their tea in America. -
Boston Tea Party
Massachusetts' patriots protested the Tea Act by dumping crates of British tea into the Boston Harbor. -
Intolerable Acts
In response to the Boston Tea Party, Britain passed many laws to punish Massachusetts. -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was a group of 56 delegates who met in Philadelphia in September of 1774. They met together to act in response to the Intolerable Acts.