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Proclamation of 1763
A Royal Proclamation issued by Great Britian's King George II in 1763. This was caused by then recent French and Indian War, where English colonists fought over land with French colonists and their Indian allies. The Proclamation forbade anyone from claiming or crossing anything beyond the Appalachian Mountains, and was made to stabilize colony and make good relations between Native Americans. -
Sugar Act
This was an act that put a tax on sugar. This was passed by the Parliament of Britain and was intended to have a monetarily beneficial effect on England. Unlike the previous molasses act, the Sugar Act was more strongly enforced and therefore angered the colonists, providing one of the reasons for the Revolutionary War. -
Quartering Act of 1765
This act was passed so that British soldiers stationed in the colonies had guaranteed shelter and accomidations after the England stationed soldiers in the colonies for the French and Indian War. This angered many of the colonists who refused to comply. -
Stamp Act Congress
This was a meeting held in New York and was the first gathering of colony represantatives to plan against British taxing. The meeting was in response to the recent Stamp Act that the British Parliament had imposed upon the colonists. Though nothing was really passed, this meeting symbolized the coming together of the colonies to face a bigger problem. -
Stamp Act of 1765
The Stamp act was a tax act passed by the British Parliament solely on the British Colonies in America. It declared that all printed documents, newspaper, and stamps needed to be printed on London stamp paper which was taxed. This was intended to pay for England's war efforts after they intervened in the French and Indian War. -
Declaratory Act of 1766
Because of all the boycotts and rebellions against previous British taxation acts, the Parliament passed the Declaratory Act, which declared that it would have the same power in the colonies as it did in Britain. This was also to save face after all the failing acts that the Americans rebelled against. -
Townshend Acts of 1767
The Townshend Acts were a collection of acts decreed by Charles Townshend that enforced taxes on various commodities such as glass, tea, paper, and print. This infuriated the colonists, and, inspired by Charles Dickinson's readings, rebelled agaisnt these in cases such as the Boston Massacre. These acts raised the tensions between the Colonists and Britain. -
Boston Massacre of 1770
Because of high tensions from previous acts such as the Quartering Act, British soldiers were often harassed by the colonists. In one case in Boston, a mob formed around British soldiers, and after they were backed up by 8 more soldiers, they fired randomly into the crowd, killing 3 immediatedly, and 2 after from injuries. This resulted in escalated tension and signs of violence leading to the Revolutionary War. -
Tea Act of 1773
This was an act to promote the failng East India Company by promoting their tea. However, because the Townshend acts were still in effect, the Americans believed that this act was another act to increase England's revenue. This act generated a lot of anger from the colonists, and resulted in acts such as the Boston Tea Party. -
Boston Tea Party
A protest/rebellion against Britain's taxes (especially tea) by the colonists, specifically the Sons of Liberty in Boston. Colonists disguised themselves and Native Americans, took over a ship of tea sent by the East India company and dumped all the tea into the Boston Harbor. Many colonists said during this time "No taxation without representation" meaning Britain could not arbitrarily tax the colonists. This moment served as an instigator and example for the revolutionary war. -
Coercive Acts of 1774
The Coercive Acts, also known as the Intolerable Acts, were a series of laws made by Britain in order to punish the colonies for their outlash. These were in response to the Boston Tea Party, and they took away Massachusetts right to be a self governing colony and it's historic rights. This caused an uproar within the colonies and was one of the primary causes of the Revolutionary War. -
Quebec Act of 1774
An act imposed by the Parliament of Britain that set government rules on Province of Quebec. It restored the French laws, allowed for Catholic freedom, and expanded the land. This made the colonies angry because it took away their control over the land that they earned in the French and Indian War. -
1st Continental Congress
This was a meeting between representatives of 12 colonies that was held in Carpenter's Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was a response to the Intolerable (coercive) acts. Discussed ways to counter the Intolerable Acts, and preperation for the potential Revolutionary War. Goals were to discuss response to British Intolerable acts and to set up a second Continental Congress. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
These battles were the first battles of the Revolutionary War. They both took place on the same day, and were held in Middlesex County and Province of Massachusetts Bay. Because of spying and intelligence gathering, the colonists knew weeks before that the British were coming. First shot at Lexington was known as the "shot heard around the world" and made it time for colonists to choose sides. -
Second Continental Congress
Meeting of representatives between all thirteen colonies. This meeting was also held in Philadelphia. Because this was held after the battles of Lexington and Concord, war efforts between the colonies and Britain and the Declaration of Independence were discussed. The primary goal was to develop a type of government for the colonies, and to declare independence from England. -
Olive Branch Petition
A petition from the colonists that attempted to avoid complete war with Great Britain. The petition was started by John Dickinson, and given to King George III, who declined and went on with battling with the colonies. -
Declaration of Independence
A paper announced by the Continental Congress that declared the seperation between the 13 colonies and Great Britain. It also declared war against Britain. The colonies would now be seen as independent states and a union called the United States of America. Many important figures in American history signed it including Thomas Jefferson and John Adams.
