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The Proclamation Of 1763
The proclamation of 1763, signed by King George III of England , prohibits any English settlement west of the Appalachian mountains and requires those already settled in those regions to return east in an attempt to ease tensions with Native Americans -
The Sugar Act
The Sugar Act is passed by the English Parliament to offset the war debt brought on by the French and Indian War and to help pay for the expenses of running the colonies and newly accquired territories. This act increases the duties on imported sugar and other items such as textiles, coffee, wines and indigo ( dye ). It doubles the duties on foreign goods reshipped from England to the colonies and also forbids the import of foreign rum and French wines. -
The Stamp Act
In March, the Stamp Act is passed imposing the first direct tax on the American colonies , to offsett the high costs of the British military organization in Ameica. Also the Quartering Act requires colonists to house British trops and supply them with food. -
The Townshend Revenue Act
In June, the English Parliament passes the Townshend Revenue Acts , imposing a new series of taxes on the colonists to pay off the cost of administering and protecting the American colonies. paper , tea , glass ,lead , and paints were taxed. The Act also establishes a colonial board of customs comissioners in Boston. -
The Circular Letter
In Febuary, Samuel Adams of Massachusetts writes a Circular Letter opposing taxation without representation and calling for the colonists to unite in their actions against the British government. The letter is sent to assemblies throughout the colonies and also instructs them on the methods the Massachusetts general court is using to oppose the Townshend Acts. -
The Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre occurs as a mob harasses British soldiers who then fire their muskets pointblank into the crowd , killing three instantly , mortally wounding two others and injuring six. After the incident , the new Royal Governor of Massachusetts , Thomas Hutchinson , at the insistence of Sam Adams , withdraws British troops out of Boston to nearby harbor islands. The captain of the British soldiers , Thomas Preston , is then arrested along with eight of his men and charged with murder. -
The Tea Act
May 10 , the Tea Act takes effect. It maintains a three penny per pound import tax on tea arriving in the colonies , which had already been in effect for 6 years. It also gives the near bankrupt British East India Company a virtual tea monopoly by allowing it to sell directly to colonial agents , bypassing any middlemen , thus under selling American merchants. The East India Company had successfully lobbied Parliament for such a measure. -
Military Rule
May 13, General Thomas Gage , commander of all British military forfed in the colonies , arrives in Boston and replaces Hutchinson as Royal Governor , putting Massachusetts under military rule. He is followed by the arrival of four regiments of British troops. -
The Next Series Of Coercive Acts
The English Parliament enacts the next series of Coercive Acts , such as the Quebec Act establishing a centralized government in Canada. This made American colonists very upset because the Southern boundary of Canada was being extended into territories claimed by Massachusetts , Connecticut and Virginia. -
Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death
In Virginia , Patrick Henry delivers a speech against British rule , stating " Give me liberty or give me death! " . Thus demonstrating the the colonists were sick and tired of the British and we're deciding to be independent. His speech made the colonists stand up for themselves and be more united.
