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The Townshend Acts
The Townshend acts taxed goods that were needed by the colonists, such as paint, paper, lead, tea, and glass. This caused tensions between the colonists and the British, and led to boycotts and protests. They were eventually repealed except the one on tea, but many soldiers were sent to the colonies because of particularly violent protests. These acts, in short, were the reason tensions between the British and American colonists happened in the first place. -
The Boston Massacre
This engraving by Paul Revere depicted graphic images of British soldiers killing unarmed people. This event and engraving resulted in widespread hatred against the British, stoking the flames between the two parties. Source -
The Boston Tea Party
Over a hundred colonists dressed as natives and boarded merchant ships in Boston Harbor. dumping out 342 chests of tea(1.7 million dollars in USD). This increased tensions between the Americans and the British, and was a significant act of defiance by the Americans. Source -
The Revolutionary War
Local militiamen fought with British soldiers in the Battles of Lexington and Concord, officially signaling the beginning of the Revolutionary War. The Revolutionary War eventually led to American victory, and subsequent independence from the British monarchy, leading to many major changes to the political, economic, and social environment of the country. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was written on July 4th, 1776 in Philadelphia. It allowed the U.S. to become an independent country apart from Britain and changed a lot about the country's framework, from its economy to changing its political governance to democracy. Source