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The Proclamation of 1763 (October 7, 1763)
At the end of the French and Indian War, the British issued this proclamation in which intended to conciliate the Indians by checking the encroachment of settlers on their lands; Colonists were immobile to travel to land which belonged to the Native Americans as well; any member of the British colonies who had been residing in their regions during the time of issuing had to relocate back within the colonial divide. Because of this, many colonists ignored the laws and moved west. -
The Sugar Act of 1764 (April 5, 1764)
The Sugar Act reduced the rate of tax on molasses from six pence to three pence per gallon; the purpose of lowering the tax on molasses was to induce importers to buy molasses from British colonies instead of smuggling it from competing French and Spanish colonies. The imposition of The Sugar Act made colonists upset about the new taxes they had to pay. But they were more upset that the King and Parliament had taxed the colonies without their consent; this led to many revolts. -
Stamp Act of 1765 (March 22, 1765)
The new tax, due to the Stamp Act was imposed on all American colonists and required them to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper they used. The Colonists reacted immediately, asserting that the Stamp Act was an attempt to raise money in the colonies without the approval of colonial legislatures. Resistance to the act was demonstrated through debates in the colonial legislatures, written documents, and mob/crowd actions such as tarring and feathering tax collectors. -
Townshend Duties of 1767 (June 15, 1767)
The Townshend Duties were a series of taxes and laws imposed upon the colonists; it imposed duties on glass, lead, paints, paper and tea imported into the colonies. The colonists rebelled and caused several protests. One example of these protests would be harassing tax collectors and merchants. -
Boston Massacre of 1770 (March 5, 1770)
The Boston Massacre was the killing of five colonists by British regulars on March 5, 1770. It was the culmination of tensions in the American colonies that had been growing since Royal troops first appeared in Massachusetts in October 1768 to enforce the heavy tax burden imposed by the Townshend Acts. This event helped to unite the colonies against Britain; it also allowed the colonists to reestablish the committees of correspondence. -
Tea Act of 1773 (April 27, 1773)
The Tea Act, passed by Parliament on May 10, 1773, granted the British East India Company Tea a monopoly on tea sales in the American colonies. The Tea Act was not intended to anger American colonists, instead it was meant to be a bailout policy to get the British East India Company out of debt. After the Tea Act, the American colonists became more active in their anti-British protests and continued to boycott any tea that arrived from the British. -
Boston Tea Party of 1773 (December 16, 1773)
During The Boston Tea Party 342 chests of tea belonging to the British East India Company were thrown from ships into Boston Harbor by American patriots disguised as Mohawk Indians. The Americans were protesting both a tax on tea and the perceived monopoly of the East India Company. The colonists' reaction to the Boston Tea Party was anything but celebratory after this memorable event occurred. -
Intolerable Acts of 1774 (March 24, 1774)
The Intolerable Acts were passed in 1774 to punish the colonists for the Boston Tea Party. There were three major acts involved that angered the colonists.These laws made the people in Massachusetts and all the colonists very angry. The Intolerable Acts also helped the colonies bond together. They joined together in boycotting British goods. This prepared the colonists for their war with the British and to declare their independence. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord of 1775 (April 19, 1775)
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were initial skirmishes between British regulars and American provincials, marking the beginning of the American Revolution. The Battles of Lexington and Concord confirmed the alienation between the majority of colonists and the mother country. The colonists became upset when they heard that British soldiers burned houses and fired upon innocent people. Some feared what would happen next, and they prepared for what awaited them in the future.
