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Proclamtion of 1763
This is a proclamation from the British government which forbade British colonists from settling west of the Appalacian Mountains. In doing that, it required any settlers already living west of the Appalacian Mountains to move back east. -
Sugar Act of 1764
The Sugar Act of 1764 is an act that raised tax revenue in the colonies for the crown. It also increased the duty on foreign sugar imported from the West Indies. -
Stamp Act
This act stated that all paper and paper products used in the British colonies must be stamped with a special seal to show that they were paid for.With the Stamp Act, the British government hoped to make a profit with a simple tax on an everyday good. But it did not go over well. The colonists were so furious with the prospect of "stamped paper" that the act was soon repealed. -
Quartering Act
The Quartering Act forced residents of the 13 colonies to provide food, clothing, and shelter for British soldiers at any time. The colonists did not like the act at all, and their frustration grew once the redcoats (British) began to take advantage of the new rule, making themselves at home in the colonists' houses. -
Stamp Act Congress
The Stamp Act Congress is a meeting of delegations from many of the colonies; the congress was formed to protest the newly passed Stamp Act. It adopted a declaration of rights as well as sent letters of complaints to the King and Parliament. It showed signs of colonial unity and organized resistance. -
Declaratory Act
The Declaratory Act was passed in 1766 just after the repeal of the Stamp Act. The Declaratory Act stated that the Parliament could legislate for the colonies in all cases. Most colonists interpreted the act as a face-saving mechanism and nothing more. The Parliament, however, continually interpreted the act in its broadest sense in order to legislate in and control the colonies. The act's main purpose was to reinforce the power that the British had over the colonies. -
Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts, proposed by Charles Townshend, included a series of smaller taxes on other items used by the colonists, such as glass, paper, and tea. While the acts were intended to be insignificant, but profitable nonetheless, they got the colonists upset because they onl saw them as more British regulations and fees. The real purpose of the Townshend Acts was to help pay Royal Governors and judges in the colonies, which made the colonists even angrier. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was a small fight between a group of angry Boston residents and British troops. It was the first bloodshed of the American Revolution. The colonists attcked a lone redcoat (British soldier) with sticks, snowballs, and rocks. When the agressors did not stop, other British soldiers were called over, and they fired upon the rogue crowd. Five colonists were killed, while six were injured. This event was used as an excuse to promote the revolution. -
Tea Act
The Tea Act was one of Parliament's regulations that upset the colonists the most. Tea was an important part of the colonists' day-to-day lives, and putting this tax on it was to crazy to many of the Tea Act's recipients.The Tea Act was not repealed when many of the Townshend Acts were. Many colonists were frustrated by this. The colonists in Boston responded to the Tea Act seven months later with the infamous Boston Tea Party. -
Boston Tea Party
In response to the Tea Act, angry Boston colonists took action during the Boston Tea Party.
Dressed as natives, the colonists snuck aboard ships in Boston Harbor holding crates of tea and threw the tea into the water. The British government retaliated with the Intolerable Acts as punishment. -
Coercive (Intolerable) Acts
The Intolerable acts, passed in 1774, were the combination of the four Coercive Acts. They were meant to punish the colonists after the Boston Tea Party and the unrelated Quebec Act. The Intolerable Acts were seen by American colonists as a blueprint for a British plan to deny the Americans a representative government. -
Quebec Act
After the French and Indian War, the British had claim the French speaking Qebec region. Because of the cultural difference, English did not know what to do with the region. This act, passed in 1774, allowed the French colonists to go back freely to their own customs. The colonists now have the right to have access to the Catholic religion. Also, it extended to Quebec region in the North and the South into the Ohio River Valley. This created more tension between the colonists and the British. -
1st Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was a meeting of delegates from the various British colonies with the purpose of deciding how to respond to the Intolerable Acts. They were very upset about the Intolerable Acts, so they sent a document to Britain and established the Association, a colonies-wide boycott of all British goods until the Intolerable Acts were repealed. -
Battles of Lexington/Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first battles of the American Revolution. The Battles were both a day apart. For the Battle of Lexington they were beaten badly, for the colonists were not ready for the British's fast advancements. For the Battle of Concord, the colonists were ready this time and beat the British by using numbers. This battle sealed the promise of war, meaning that the revolution will continue to go on. -
2nd Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress was a follow-up the the previous year's First Continental Congress, in Philadelphia.The issue this time was how to meet the redcoat armies in the colonies. The delegates wasted no time in establishing a Continental Army, but took their time when the question arose of what to do next. Many still wanted to try to reconcile with Britain peacefully. That led to the Olive Branch Petition being sent to King George III. -
Olive Branch Petition
The Olive Branch Petition was one last attempt to find a peaceful end to the revolution. The Congress drafted the Olive Branch Petition. It outlined their issues and asked the British government to respond and deal with them. King George III of England refused to accept the petition. He believed the Americans to be in rebellion, and believed he could quickly end it with his military force. -
Declaration of Independence
This document was adopted on July 4, 1776. It established the 13 American Colonies as independent states; free from rule by Great Britain. Thomas Jefferson wrote the majority of this document. The Declaration of Independence marked the end of the Revolutionary War.
