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The Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation of 1763 is a law preventing the colonists to settle west of the Appalachian Mountains. Many colonists were upset about this because they had already purchased and owned land in this region, so the Proclamation was greatly ignored, and settlements were built to the west anyways. -
The Currency Act of 1764
The Currency Act was passed as an attempt to control financial systems in the colonies. The British felt as though the colonists should have currency similar or identical to their own. They ended up deciding to declare the colonies' paper money worthless, a decision that angered many of the colonists. After nine years of protest, the British parliament adjusted the act so the colonies could use paper money once more. -
The Stamp Act of 1765
The French and Indian War placed Britain under a large national debt of around £140,000,000. To raise funds and help with the shortage of funds, Britain taxed the colonies. One of these taxes was called The Stamp Act. A tax was placed on paper, documents, and other similar items. To show an item was paid for and that the tax was collected, a stamp was placed on the object at the time of purchase. Colonists were most upset by this due to their lack of representation in the parliament. -
The Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts were multiple laws passed by parliament in 1767. These laws included taxes on import items, new courts in America, the rights for British troops to search colonial houses, and an established American Customs Board in Boston for tax collection. Protests of these acts led to the Boston Massacre. -
The Boston Massacre
To pay for the French and Indian War, many taxes were placed on the colonies. Because of this, protesters gathered together in Boston to fight the tax. They pelted British soldiers with stone-filled snowballs, sticks, and rocks. The British fired at the group of colonists, resulting in five casualties, including Crispus Attucks, a runaway slave. -
The Boston Tea Party
On December 16, 1773, members of The Sons of Liberty, a group that protested parliament, dressed as indigenous people and boarded the three ships in Griffin's Wharf that held the newly taxed tea. There were 342 chests of tea on board, and each one was opened and dumped into the harbor. Thousands of colonists witnessed the event. Together, the tea valued £9,659. -
The Intolerable Acts
After the Boston Tea Party occurred, parliament was upset with the colonists' behaviors, so they passed five acts, deemed the Intolerable Acts by the colonists. First was the Boston Port Act, which closed the city's harbor until the loss of tea was made up. Then came the Massachusetts Government Act and the Administration of Justice Act, which made a stricter government and protected British soldiers. The Quartering Act, made colonists provide shelter for troops. The last act was the Quebec Act
