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Molasses Act
The Molasses act was the very first tax in the colonies. It levied a small tax on each gallon of molasses imported from non-british colonies. It was done to help british sugar plantions in the West Indies. It was the first step on the path to revolution and begin the british trend of creating very unpopular taxes. -
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Road to War
This timespanis the time between the first tax in the Americas and the signing of the Treaty of Paris -
Sugar Act
This Act was created to follow up the Molasses Act. By 1764 the British debt had grown very large. The Prime Minister, George Grenville, felt that the colonies could help. So he lowered the tax but made it apply to more items. The result of the Act was a great wave of anger from the colonies and little to no revenue. So the Act was a failure. But it also served to futher anger the colonies with the British Empire. -
Quartering Act
The Quartering Act was a law to demanded that colonist must allow British soldiers room and board if they asked for it. The law was created tgo help lower the cost of the army in the colonies. However many of the soldiers abused the system and treated the people who they lived with very poorly. The Act is also special because of its effects on New York. The people of New York didn't follow the law and as punishment the Brits threatened to end NY's Assembly -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act placed a tax on many paper products in the colonies. Paper products had to have a special stamp placed to be sold in the colonies and each stamp costed a small fee. The American colonist hated this tax because it made some of their most basic goods very expensive to buy. The Act also caused the creation of a Congress of colonies to deal with the Act. the outrage was so great that tax collectors were tared and feathered and the Britishs goverment was forced to repeal the Act. -
Declaratory Act
The Declaratory Act was the British response to America's actions during the Stamp Act. The Act stated that British Parilment had authority over America and that British laws still had to be obeyed in the colonies. The Act was recieved with mixed feelings by America. On one hand it showed a clear victory for the colonies, but on the other it showed that the Brits would try to taxe them again. -
Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts were a series of taxes that that built upon and added to already existing Acts. As a whole the Acts were very poorly welcomed and would led to the British sending more troops to the colonies. the Acts also led to the Boston Massacre which was a huge push in the direction of revolt for America -
Tea Act
The Tea Act was a law that created a monopoly on the tea trade in the British Empire. The Empire granted the monopoly of the tea trade to the British East India Company. The caused problems in the colonies becuase the colonist felt that the Brits were trying to trick them into paying the tax on tea because it was cheaper. In fact the Act caused the infamous Boston Tea Party -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a raid on a shipment of tea in Boston harbor by the sons of liberity. They were angry with the Tea tax and when the Brits tried to force them to buy tea they refused and pushed he tea into the harbor. The Party resulted in the closing of Boston harbor by the british and the arrival of a british fleet in the harbor. -
Quebec Act
The Quebec Act gave Quebec more land to its southron border. This caused tension with the colonies because they felt it was steal land that was rightfully theirs. The Act wasn't really aimed at the colonies, it was simply rewarded Quebec for not causing trouble. But all the same it pushed the colonies just alittle bit closer to revolt -
First Continental Congress
This first Congress sent a petition to the king for redress which was ignored. It also created the Association which helped boycott british goods. The Congress didn't have all the colonies and it didn't even consider revolution. It also agreed to meet again in one year if the situation wasn't improved. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the very first actions in the Revolution. the British army wanted to take the powder and supplies of the militia in the area, but when they tried they were attacked. the British lost the battle and the Americans used it as a ralling point for their new cause. The battles are were the famous "shot heard 'round the world." comes from. -
Second Continental Congress
This congress met with all 13 states. It was here that the colonies gave their last plea to the King. After the rejection of this olive Branch Petition, the colonies drafted the Declaration of independence. This Congress also made George Washington the commander of the Army. It was with this Congress the revolution truly begins -
Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill was a great sucess for the Americans. They were beaten in the battle but they still crippled the British Army and only retreated after running out of powder. the battle proved that the whole war could be won by the colonies and that the British could be beaten. -
Battle of Trenton
The battle of Trenton was a great victory for the Americans and held the army together after the hard winter at Valley Forge. Leading up to the battle America was lossing but after, hope for victory returned. -
Battle of Saratoga
The two Battles of Saratoga were the turning point of the War. The Americans finally crushed the British General John Burgoyne and in doing so turned the tide of the war. The victory also caused the French to openly support the Americans which in turn led to a victory at Yorktown. -
Siege of Yorktown
The seige of Yorktown was the last major battle of the Revolution. The British General Cornwallis was defeated by a mixed force of Americans and french as well as key support from the Fench navy. The battle was the exact end of the war but no other major battles happened and the only thing that was left was the king of England had to agree to a peace. -
Treaty of Paris
The treaty of Paris was the offical end of the War. The french had at first tried to broker a joint peace with all the allies, but America made a separate peace brokered by John Jay. The terms of the peace gave America large swathes of land in the frontier and also solved the problem of loyalists still living in America.
