-
Proclamation of 1763
The Royal Proclamation of 1763 was Britain’s first major post-war imperial action targeting North America. The King no longer allowed settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains to prevent costly wars between colonists and the Native Americans. The colonists demanded that they have access to the territory which they fought for with the British. -
Pontiac's Rebellion
It was a conflict between the British and 4 Native American groups that followed the 7 Years' War that lasted from 1763 to 1765. The Natives started the war because they were dissatisfied with British rule. This led to the revolution because it increased resentment throughout the colonies against British rule. -
Period: to
Revolutionary Timeline
-
Sons & Daughters of Liberty
The Sons and Daughters of Liberty were a group of colonists that supported patriotism and had a goal to undermine British rule and intimidate loyalists. This contributed to the revolution because it was actually taking action in fighting against the British rule that so many people were unhappy with. -
Sugar Act
The Sugar Act of 1764 was passed to combat the widespread smuggling of molasses in New England. Enforcement was increased as a result of this act. If caught, smugglers would be tried by a vice-admiralty court and not a jury. This created unhappiness throughout the colonies which led to the revolution. -
Quartering Act
The Quartering Act was an act that required the local colonial governments to provide food and shelter to British soldiers. This act made American citizens very unhappy because they had to house foreign soldiers. This anger contributed to the American Revolution. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was passed in 1765. This required documents that had been printed on paper to be stamped to show proof of duty payment. This includes newspapers, pamphlets, diplomas, legal documents, and playing cards. This led to the revolution because it violated taxation without representation. -
Declaratory Act
This was an act that went along with the repeal of the Stamp Act which said that Britain had the same taxing authority in America as in Great Britain. It made it possible for Parliament to make laws for the colonies no matter what. At first it did not upset the colonists, but when the Townshend Acts were passed it started to upset them. They felt that Birtian was acting oppressively. -
Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts were passed in order to raise revenues for Britain by taxing the American colonies. Some of the things that they taxed included glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea. This resulted in many protests and revolts that eventually led to the revolution. -
John Dickinson’s Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania
This letter argues that the Townshend Acts were illegal as the goal of these acts was to raise revenue. This contributed to the revolution because the colonists started boycotting imported goods in the colonies. -
Massachusetts Circular Letter
This was a letter written by Samuel Adams that claimed that the British Parliament had no right to tax Americans because they were not represented in parliament. This was a response to the Townshend Acts of 1767. This contributed to the revolution because this was calling out taxation without representation, which would lead more Americans to resist the taxes posed by the British Parliament. -
Boston Massacre
This was an event in which a group of British soldiers who came to stop a crowd of colonists that were gathered outside the Custom House screaming insults and throwing snowballs at the sentry started shooting at the colonists because of their hostility. News of the event spread through a graphic spread by Paul Revere that shows British soldiers that had grins on their faces firing into a peaceful crowd. This contributed to the revolution because many people became angry with Britain's actions. -
Committees of Correspondence
These were committees that were created to keep each other informed of resistance efforts throughout the colonies. Following the Boston Massacre, these committees were used when Britain sent regiments to Boston to enforce new acts and control the resistance. These contributed to the revolution because they showed the colonists that they were part of a larger political community. -
The Gaspee Incident
The Gaspee Incident was when the Gaspee ship that helped to enforce the Navigation Acts was overpowered by 8 boats of citizens that set it on fire. This event led to the unification of the colonies in order to fight against the British. -
Tea Act & Boston Tea Party-
The Tea Act gave the British East India Company full control over American Tea Sales. As a result of this, the colonists dumped thousands of pounds of taxed tea into Boston Harbor. This is one of many protests that led up to the revolution. -
Quebec Act
The Quebec Act was an act passed by the British Parliament that gave freedom of worship and property rights to the French in Quebec. It was passed in hopes of gaining their loyalty. This lead to the revolution because the British continued to deny these rights to the colonists. -
Intolerable Acts/Coercive Acts
The Intolerable Acts were a series of 4 laws passed by the British Parliament that punished the colonists for the Boston Tea Party. This unified the colonists together to create the First Continental Congress and discuss approaches to revolution.