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Proclamation of 1763
This proclamation did not allow colonist to settle west of the Appalachian Mountains. The British government feared the conflict between colonist and Native Americans would lead to another war. They also could not afford to pay British troops to defend the western lands. Colonist were enraged by this proclamtion because they felt they had won the right to settle in the Ohio River Valley after winning the French and Indian War. -
Sugar Act
Parliament passes the Sugar Act which placed taxes on sugar, molasses, and other products shipped into the colonies which directly impacted merchants. Colonist were very upset because it was taxation without representaion. Governmennt was still enforcing laws very strictly even though the people were raging. -
Declaratory Act
Parliament repealed the Stamp Act and passed the Declaratory Act which gave parliament supreme authority to govern the colonies. Still, that continued a "tug-of-war" argument between parliament and the colonies. -
Stamp Act
Once parliament passed the Stamp Act, it meant that all commerical documents must carry an official stamp. The stamp basically symoblized that a tax had been paid. The colonist and merchants were angry and began to boycott goods, they tarred the messengers and even protested. -
Townshend Act
Parliament decided to pass the Townshend Act to raise more income. To do so, they suspended New Yorker's assemblies and established taxes on goods brought into the British colonies. The British sometimes even used search warrants to enforce acts. Colonist felt like it violated their natural rights; life, liberty and property. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre all began on March 5,1770 when 1,000 British soliders arrived and tension began to grow. The fight began between soliders and colonist and a few people ended up getting hurt during it all. The soliders ended up getting charged with murder but John Adams helped set them free, which created what is now called the Boston Massacre, a symbol of British tyranny. -
Common Sense
Common sense was a pahamplet written by Thomas Paine. He wrote about the fact that kings rule by the will of God and that all monarchs are corrupt. Common sense was a huge sucess and it strengthened the call for independence.
