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End of the French and Indian War
In February the war ends with the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1763. Britain then takes control of all French territory. -
Stamp and Sugar Acts
In 1764 the Sugar Act was passed, and it was a tax on all sugar products including sugar, molasses, rum,etc. Then in 1765 the Stamp Act was passed, and it was a tax on all paper products. These were passed because Britain needed to pay off their war debt from the previous war (French and Indian war). The colonists were outraged because of the lack of representation in British parliament, they felt that Britain had no right to tax them all of a sudden. -
Declaration of Rights and Grievances
John Dickinson was the primary writer of the Declaration of Rights and Grievances. It stated that the colonists had the same rights as those who lived in Britain, and that only colonial assemblies had the right to tax the colonies. Colonists emphasized determination by boycotting imports of British products. -
Townshend Acts
A series of laws passed by British parliament. Specifically taxed the imports of paper, glass, tea, lead, and paint. Colonists argued against constitutionality because the main purpose was to raise revenue, not regulate trade. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was a violent riot between American colonists and British soldiers. The Customs House in Boston was being guarded by British soldiers and a crowd of colonists gathered to protest about the occupation of the city by British troops. The colonists then start to throw snowballs at the soldiers in a friendly protest. One person manages to put a rock into the snowball and it hits one of the soldiers. Causing them to fire out into the crowd. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a political protest by the American colonists against the British government.The rebels, disguised as Mohawk Indians, went onto ships that carried tea from the British East Indian Company and they were thrown overboard into the Boston Harbor. -
Intolerable Acts
British Parliament passed several laws after the Boston Tea Party called the Coercive Acts aka Intolerable Acts. Five of those acts were the Massachusetts Government act (Restricted town meetings/limited freedom of speech), the Administration of Justice Act (British soldiers were to be tried in Britain and not the colonies), the Boston Port Act (Closed the Boston Harbor), the Quartering Act (Colonists had to house and feed British soldiers), and the Quebec Act (Gave land to the Quebec colony). -
First Continental Congress
12 of the 13 colonies delegates came to form a meeting called the First Continental Congress. They were a temporary form of government of the colonies. The congress came to an agreement that the colonies had to boycott British goods if Britain wasn't going to repeal the Intolerable Acts. They won't become an official government until 1781 by the signing of the Articles of Confederation. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
It was the "Shot heard around the world" these were the first battles that kicked started the American Revolution. It persuaded Americans to join and support the patriot cause. -
Second Continental Congress
After the battles of Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill the Second Continental Congress met. They placed George Washington in command of the Continental Army and drafted the Olive Branch Petition in attempt to peacefully end the war. They created committees that went on to develop the Articles of Confederation, the Model Treaty, and the Declaration of Independence.
