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Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation of 1763 drew an imaginary line at the western borders of the colonies as they were before the end of the French and Indian War, prohibiting westward movement. The colonists were irritated at King George III for this, and usually they continued to spill over the border anyway. -
Stamp Act
This act placed a heavy tax on all pieces of paper sold in the colonies to hrelp Great Britian increase their revenue so as to pay off the debt from the French and Indian War. The tax was almost outrageous, and as such, nearly caused many revolts. -
Quartering Act (Intolerable Act)
This act forced the colonies to house and feed any British soldiers whenever called upon to do so; essentially, whenever the soldiers wanted it. It clearly irritated the colonists, having to put up with such arrogant and imposing strangers. The act finally expired 2 years later to the day on March 24, 1767. -
Townshend Act
This act levied a tax on all things glass, paint, oil, lead, paper, and tea, so basically everything the colonists bought or dealth with. Another tax, after relatively 150 years without strict enforcement of anything irked the colonists greatly. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre started with one man, a self-proclaimed patriot, began throwing snowballs, sticks, and rocks at a British officer in the street. The fighting soon escalated to around 50-60 colonists facing off against a slowly increasing number of British troops. Eventually, the dust settled, revealing 3 dead colonists and 8 wounded. -
Tea Act
The Tea Act didn't actually impose any new taxes at all. Instead, it was designed and passed to prop up the East India Company, who were falling fast with 18 million pounds of unsold tea. The tea was supposed to be shipped to the colonies and sold at a bargian. Instead, Britian imposed a tax on this tea that raised its price to that of the regular price; the colonists lost no money as opposed to regularly buying tea. Ships of tea were still turned back, however. This led to the Boston Tea Party. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party is likely the most well-known event leading up to the Revolutionary War. Bostonians dressed themselves as Indians so as to not be recognized and sneeked into Boston Harbor and dumped 342 crates of tea from the East India Company into the water. None of them were identified. -
Boston Port Act (Intolerable Act)
The Boston Port Act was the first act of the Intolerable Acts to be passed. It prevented that Boston Harbor would be closed to the shipping of all things except food and firewood. As the Bostonians were unable to either export nor import anything to make money, they soon protested. -
Massachusetts Government Act (Intolerable Act)
This act, another of the Intolerable Acts, was passed so as to limit Massachusetts' power to self-govern itself. It placed the colony under the direct authority of the king himself. Later, the colonists reacted with the formation of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress, which served as a crude form of government in the early Revolutionary years. -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was a gathering of arbitrarily selected (It was illegal to elect them) men of high stature from each of the colonies except Georgia, who sent no representatives. The Congress was held in Philiadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was in reaction to the Intolerable Acts, and the colonies simply wouldn't put up with them any more. -
Lexington and Concord
Lexington and Concord were two cities in Massachusetts. General Gage of Britian had a plan to march troops stationed in Boston first to Lexington to capture Sam Adams and John Hancock, and then Concord, where they would acquire more gunpowder. Loyal Americans leaked the plan, however, and 240 British soldiers were met by 70 American Minutemen waiting warily for them. Both sides stood for a while, and then "the shot heard 'round the world" was fired.
