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Events Leading Up to the Declaration of Independence
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The French and Indian War
The French and Indian War was fought between the French with help from their Indian allies and the British. This war was waged by the British in order that they might gain more land in America. The British turned the war in their favor after they captured Canada. A treaty was signed between the two nations in 1763. The result from this war was that Britain had a large war debt. -
The Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris ended the long struggle between the French and the British. -
The Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation of 1763 was issued by King George in order to make good of a treaty with the Native Americans. It stated that colonists were not allowed to cross the Appalachians and go west. This enraged the colonists because many people had already crossed the mountains and because there was no more farmland in the east. -
The Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was issued to pay off the large debt from the French and Indian War. The act made all colonists buy a stamp for every piece of paper. This act enraged the colonists and they boycotted the stamps and some patriots even go as far as to bury tax collectors alive. -
The Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts were issued to tax the colonists on glass, paint, paper, and tea. The colonists protested and eventually got Lord North to partially repeal the act. This act brought more tension into the colonies and caused them to believe that the British were comitting tyranny. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre occured in the streets of Boston when a patriot mob started yelling at British soldiers calling them 'Lobsterbacks' and 'Redcoats'. The soldiers then retaliated by shooting at the mob. Four men, including a former slave named Crispus Attucks, died instantly. Another died later that day. Paul Revere made an engraving of the scene, giving it the title, the Bloody Massacre. He and other Patriots like Sam Adams, tried to use this event to whip up anti-British feelings. -
The Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was when patriots, dressed as Indians, dumped 342 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor. They did this because they were upset about the Tea Act, which was the act that monopolized the tea trade and made colonists only get tea from the British East India Company, which was about to go under. This move made by the colonists made the British government very upset and so they then passed the Intolerable Acts. -
The Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts were passed to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party. The first part of the act was to close off Boston Harbor from all trade. The second part of the act put the Massachusetts government under strict British control. A town meeting could not even be held without the British representatives knowing. The third part made sure that all British soldiers that were accused of murder were tried in England. The fourth and final part of the act was that more British soldiers. -
The First Continental Congress
The Fiirst Continental Congress was held in the summer of 1774 in Philadelphia. The delegates involved discussed the acts of Britain and how to go about finding a peaceful solution to the problems. They decided to send a letter to the king asking him to put an end to the taxes. They also decided to have another Continental Congress the following year if the letter didn't work. -
The Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was created by the Continental Congress and signed by the delegates. It was created as a letter announcing that they were free from British control. It stated that the United States of America was now an independant country.
