Road to American Revolution

French Indian War

May 28, 1754

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French Indian War

Period: May 28, 1754 to Feb 10, 1763

http://www.history.com/topics/french-and-indian-war The French Indian War was also known as the Seven Years' War and was started because of the French expansion into the Ohio River Valley. This expansion brought repeated conflicts with the claims of the british colonies after several years of fighting they agreed to a treatey and negotiated land division.

Proclamation of 1763

Oct 7, 1763

http://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/1763-proclamation-of
The proclamation was intended to conciliate the Indians by checking on the settlers that were wrongly intruding into their lands. In the recent century it has become very important in protecting indians in the United States and Canada.

Stamp Act

Mar 22, 1765

<ahref='http://http://www.history.org/history/teaching/tchcrsta.cfm' >http://www.history.org/history/teaching/tchcrsta.cfm</a>
The Stamp Act required the Americans to be taxed on every peice of printed paper. That means all publications, books, and even playing cards were taxed. This was highly annoying to the colonists not because of the expense but because how it might mean more extreme taxation in the future.

Townshend Acts

Jun 26, 1767

http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/townshend-acts
The Townshend Acts were commonly thought of as an abuse of power by Britain. The Townshend Acts instated taxes on various goods imported from Britain. The colonists did not like the unreasonable taxes at all.

Boston Massacre

Mar 5, 1770

http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/related/massacre.htm
The Boston Massacre occured when several "Patriots" were throwing snowballs, sticks, and stones at British infantrymen. 5 people were killed by the British and 6 were injured. This spurred people to begin to rise up against them and start seriously talking about a revolution.

Tea Act

May 10, 1773

This was caused by the floundering East India company which had millions of pounds of unsold tea. The tea was to be shipped directly to the colonies and sold at a bargain price. The people didn't like this because it undercut local Businesses. Not only did this cause more power to the cause of revolution but most of the ships were sent back to Britain and the cargo was left to rot on the docks.

Boston Tea Party

Dec 16, 1773

http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/boston-tea-party
The Boston Tea Party was a rebellious gesture to protest extreme taxation. Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty boarded three ships in the Boston Harbor and threw 342 chests of tea overboard this resulted in parliament passing the Coercive Acts in 1774 which pushed both sides closer to war.

Intolerable Acts

Mar 24, 1774

http://www.ushistory.org/us/9g.asp
Being fed up with Colonial antics such as The Boston Tea Party British parliament instituted the Intolerable Acts which banned trade in the Boston Ports until the owners of the tea were compensated. They also banned town meetings and gave the Royal Governor more power.

Lexington and Concord

Apr 19, 1775

http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/battles-of-lexington-and-concordThis was the battle that officially started the revolutionary war. Tension and anger had been building up in the years before between the American Colonists and the British Authorities. The British marched from Boston to an arms cache in Concord. Paul revere and his other riders sounded the alarm and Colonial Militia began lining up to fight back against the British.

Declaration of Independence

Jul 4, 1776

http://www.ushistory.org/Declaration/document/
The Declaration of Independence proclaimed our separation from Great Britain. This document remains a symbol for freedom and justice. Both of these basic principles are what our country is based on.