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The French and Indian War
The French and Indian War was part of a larger global conflict known as The Seven Years Wars. It was between England and France for the Ohio River Valley. The valley had cheap farm land and good fur trade. Even though England lost most of the battles, they won the over all war. This worsened the relationship between England and the colonists because of the Proclamation Line of 1763. It made the colonists have the same amount of land as before. -
The Sugar Act
The British Parliament passed the Sugar Act in 1764 in order to help pay for their debt from the French and Indian War as well as to pay for the troops guarding the Proclamation Line of 1763. It forced the colonists to pay a 3 cent tax on goods like sugar, coffee, indigo and certain kinds of alcohol. The colonists were not happy with this law because they had no say in parliament. The slogan “No Taxation without Representation” became popular in the colonies. -
The Stamp Act
The British Parliament passed the Stamp Act in 165 in order to support the British soldiers protecting the Proclamation Line. The Stamp Act required that a stamp purchased by the British government had to be placed on all important documents like court papers and newspapers. This lead to more protests because they were paying to protect the troops that are keeping them out of the land they fought in the French and Indian War. -
The Sons of Liberty
The Sons of Liberty was a well organized political organization shrouded in secrecy that was established to undermine the British rule in colonial America. They were open to any males. They were very violent, they were the group of people that were “in-charge” of all of the riots and protests. -
Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts taxed imported items such as paper, glass, paint and tea. The English Parliament passed this act to cover costs of the French and Indian War, as well as to show that they still had power over the colonies. The colonists were outraged with this act so they held public demonstrations, boycotted products and smuggled in goods. Parliament eventually decided to repeal this act because of colonial protests. -
Boston Massacre
On March 5th, 1770, there was a violent confrontation between the soldiers and the colonists. The troops fired without any order from Captain Preston. They fired in self-defense because the colonists were antagonizing the British soldiers by throwing ice and whatever they could find at them. It was really the colonists fault for the Boston Massacre. Afterward, the colonists marched through the town with the wounded boys in front as propaganda. -
The Tea Act
This new tax law was not designed to raise taxes in the colonies. The tea act was created to help a tea company become a monopoly. They could only buy tea from that company, and they would raise the prices to “abuse” the colonists. The Daughters of Liberty would make their own tea called Liberty Tea. They would boycott, that means don’t buy a product and make their own products. -
The Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was where 60 colonists dressed up as Indians(for a disguise) they were part of the Sons of Liberty. They were the ones who put Tar and Feathers on the tax collectors. They were also the ones who lead the rebellions against the British soldiers. They dumped over 360 cartons of tea overboard into the Harbor. This lead into the Intolerable Acts. -
Coercive (Intolerable) Acts
The Intolerable Acts were passed because of the Boston Tea Party. This included, the Boston Harbor closing until all of the tea was paid for, colonists had to "house and feed" British soldiers, and being under an appointed governor chosen by the King. That meant they lost the right to govern themselves. -
The First Continental Congress
Delegates from 12 colonies met, and talked about the current crisis with the king/taxes. They sent a petition that said they were still loyal to the King, but also said it was unfair for Parliament to tax the colonists without any representation in Parliament. They also said if their complaints weren't taken care of, they would stop export goods to England. They also told the colonists to boycott all British goods till further notice. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The first shot was called, "the Shot Heard Around the World" because it was the first shot of the War. No one knows who fired first. A lot of people were shocked because the Rebels were fighting the British which was the most powerful army in the world. the British won the battle of Lexington, and the Rebels won the battle of Concord. And after that, the colonists won their independence from England and came America.
