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Proclamation of 1763
The British passed a law that allowed no settlement West of the Appalachian Mountains. It angered the settlers and caused them to ignore the law and settle West anyway. -
Greenville Acts
British Parliament pass acts aimed at getting money to pay for the debts caused by the French and Indian War. Most of these acts upset colonists. -
Currency Act
British Parliament passes an act prohibiting colonies from issuing paper money. This upset the colonists. -
Sugar Act
The British pass a law that halved the duty on foreign made molasses, placed duties on certain imports, and strengthened the enforcement of a law that allowed prosecutors to smuggle cases in a vice-admiralty court rather than in a more sympathetic colonial court. This lead to the colonies and Britain disagreeing more and more on how the colonies should be taxed and governed. -
Stamp Act
The British pass an act that requires colonists to purchase special stamped paper for every legal document. If a colonist didn't comply they were sent to a vice-admiralty court where conviction was probable. This act caused a group known as the Sons of Liberty to harass stamp agents, which led to them resigning. -
Quartering Act
The British passed an act that required colonists to house soldiers, which led to the colonists questioning the legality of this act. -
Repeal of Stamp Act
In response to the boycott of colonial merchants, British Parliament repealed the Stamp Act, but to display their power, issued the Declaratory Act. This act asserted Parliaments right to make laws to bind the colonies. -
Townshend Act
Within a year of British Parliament repealing the Stamp Act Charles Townshend, the leading government minister, came up with a new way to receive revenue from colonists. This act indirectly taxed imported goods. The colonists were enraged and underwent organized resistance. -
Boston Massacre
After a fist-fight broke out between dock hands over jobs a mob gathered in front of the Customs House and taunted the guards. Later Crispus Attucks and several dock hands arrive and an armed fight ensued, which left Attucks and four others dead. Samuel Adams and other colonists called the event the Boston Massacre. -
Tea Act
In order to save the British East India Company Lord Frederick North, the British Prime Minister, passed an act that allowed them to sell tea to colonists free of taxes, forcing other merchants out of the tea trade. This enraged the colonists and caused them to dump 18,000 pounds of tea into the harbor. -
Intolerable Acts
After being pressed to address the organized destruction of British property British Parliament passed a series of acts named the Intolerable Acts by colonists. These acts shut down the Boston Harbor and allowed British commanders to house their soldiers in private homes. To add to this General Thomas Gage, commander in chief of Britain's forces in North America, was appointed governor of Massachusetts and imposed martial law. This caused colonists to assemble the First Continental Congress. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
While in Boston General Gage decided to attack minutemen who had holed up in Breed Hill. The British marched in wool uniforms wearing heavy packs marching in broad lines. While the British were marching up Breed Hill the minutemen held their fire until the last minute and proceeded to open fire. The British attacked 2 times until they succeeded on the 3rd attack due to the minutemen running out of ammunition. The colonists had 450 dead while the British had over 1,000 dead. -
Second Continental Congress
Olive Branch Petition- A letter to King George III from the Second Continental Congress that represents a last attempt at a war of independence with Britain. -
Lexington and Concord
In March of 1775 General Gage sent agents to Concord to find stockpiles of ammunition. The agents returned and confirmed that there were ammunition stockpiles and that John Hancock and Samuel Adams were staying in Lexington. General Gage then proceeds to march on Lexington, then to Concord hoping to find Hancock and Adams. At Lexington and Concord he is met with resistance from minutemen. On their way back to Boston 3,000 to 4,000 minutemen assemble and begin to fire upon the British.
