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End of the French and Indian War
By the end of the war, Great Britain realized that they had all of this land, but they were in great debt. They had to find ways to raise money lost in the war, so they began taxing the colonies. This created outrage and rebellion in many ways. -
The Sugar Act
George Greenville proposed taxing sugar which lowered the duty on foreign molasses. Customs officers courts were created to collect these duties and catch smugglers. This upset this colonists because they were now paying for something they once made a lot of money from trading. -
The Quartering Act
The Quartering act was passed by Parliament and it required all British colonies to allows housing of the British troops in their areas following the war. Colonists had complaints but most of them followed the rule and supported the provide for defense. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act required colonists to pay a tax on almost all printed materials such as newspapers, books, court documents, contracts, and land deeds. The colonists had nothing but negative feedback towards the Stamp Act. They fought that the colonies had no representation of Parliament, therefore they should not be able to tax them. Some believed that if they were to pay this tax, then Britain would simply add more taxes onto them. -
Sons of Liberty
Due to the outrage of many colonists following the Stamp Act, a group opposing the act was formed called the "Sons of Liberty". They would torture the colonists that supported the act by beating them in the streets. In August of 1765, the Sons of Liberty tore down the office and house of the stamp tax collector. By the end of the year, no one in Boston voiced support for the stamp act and no one would take the duty of collecting the stamp taxes. -
Townshend Acts
After seeing the colonist refuse to pay the Stamp Act, Charles Townshend thought they would be okay with paying an indirect tax on commerce as another way to raise money for the debt caused by the war, wrongfully so. Colonists began rioting, protesting, and boycotting all over again, along with violence. In Boston there were British officials abusing their power so the Massachusetts legislature issued a letter denouncing their duties until it was dissolved in retaliation for the protests. -
Committees of Correspondence
After the killing of five colonists during the Boston Massacre, Samuel Adams organized a network of committees called the Committees of Correspondence all throughout Massachusetts. The committees help build colonial unity and provided leadership and cooperation. Parliament backed down, troops were removed from Boston, and the Townshend Act was lifted for the most part. However, Parliament decided to keep taxing tea, which forced colonists to boycott British tea and smuggle Dutch tea. -
Boston Tea Party
The tea boycott caused financial problems for the British. To help the company, Parliament passed an act allowing them to directly sell tea to the colonists in hopes of them paying the tax and end the smuggling. However, the colonists worried the British were trying to trick them into paying the tea tax, and they did not want to stop making money off of smuggling the Dutch tea. In response, a group of Boston patriots dressed as Indians, dumbed three British ships full of tea into the harbor. -
The Intolerable Acts
Due to the Boston Tea Party, the trade port was closed and British warships and troops were sent to Boston. In addition, colonists were forced to house British troops and allowed British officials to be tried for crimes committed in the colonies. In Massachusetts, colonists reacted with extreme violence. They came armed with clubs and guns to force the courts of law to shut down. They beat anyone who supported Parliament and coated them in hot tar and feathers to embarrass them publicly. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord occurred because the British government wanted to arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock for rebelling against British law. The British also tried to gain weapons from Concord, however the Minutemen were able to stop them. The Battles of Lexington and Concord were known as the first military conflict of the American Revolution
