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Proclamation of 1763
This was a law issued so the Colonists and Native Americans limit contact to keep the peace. The colonists had to stay east of a line drawn on a map along the crest of the Appalachian Mountains. -
Sugar Act of 1764
The Sugar Act was among the first few taxes. This law was made to raise revenue and reforce British control over the colonies. The Sugar Act's goal was to encourage merchants to pay the lower duty instead of smuggling molasses into the colonies to avoid paying the tax. -
Stamp Act 1765
The Stamp Act did nothing to further Britain’s mercantilist aims, it was designed purely to raise revenue to pay for the soldiers stationed in the colonies. The act also required that all printed materials have a special government stamp. -
Townshend Act 1767
The acts placed duties on tea, glass, paper, lead, and paint—all goods that the colonies were required to purchase only from Britain. The revenue was used by the British to pay the salaries of colonial governors and judges. The British were establishing greater control. -
Boston Massacre 1770
a boy began yelling insults at a British soldier standing guard at a government building and the soldier hit him with his gun. A crowd gathered around the commotion nd Captain Thomas Preston led a group of seven additional soldiers out to diffuse the situation but the crowd grew larger. Both sides ended up fighting it out with 5 killed and 6 injured. -
Tea Act 1773
This act allowed the British East India Company to sell tea directly in the colonies. This lowered the price of tea and took money away from colonial tea merchants. A lot eventually were going out of business -
First Continental Congress 1774
Every colony except Georgia sent delegates. The main purpose of the First Continental Congress was to discuss ways to have the Intolerable Acts repealed. In the end, the delegates voted to end all trade with Britain and Ireland. -
Intolerable Acts 1775
The acts prevented the Massachusetts from governing itself. The British government expected the new laws to isolate Boston and convince the other colonies to be obedient. Instead, towns near Boston sent much-needed supplies to the city and took in Bostonians looking for work. Other colonies called for a meeting to decide on a united response to the Intolerable Acts. -
Second Continental Congress 1775
the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia. The Congress recognized the need to prepare for war and wanted to make sure the army would be under its control. So it appointed George Washington as the commander in chief of the colonial forces, which would now be called the Continental Army. Despite this warlike decision, however, many of the delegates were still opposed to declaring independence. -
Declaration of Independence 1776
the Continental Congress voted to approve independence from Britain. Two days later, the Congress adopted Jefferson’s document, the Declaration of Independence.
