-
Navigation Acts (1651-1776)
Restricted trade; determined the imports and exports of the colonies
Based on the concept of mercantilism
Set of acts that gave England a monopoly over colonial trade
Colonists were originally okay with these because it guaranteed them a market but other markets ended up giving them better deals so they were against them
Colonies were to only export raw materials in English ships to England -
French and Indian War (1754-1763)
France and Britain were fighting over land, especially the Ohio River Valley
French were winning, a big factor being their alliance with local Native Americans
British tried to ally with the Iroquois Confederacy but failed, though the Iroquois promised neutrality
British ended up winning after leadership was transferred to William Pitt (who made many investments) and French King Louis XV lost interest
Gave the British a lot of land but also gave them a lot of debt -
Proclamation of 1763
Issued by King George III; made it illegal for colonists to settle past the Appalachian Mountains
Issued to avoid conflict with Native Americans
Colonists were angered because they wanted to settle wherever they wanted to
Was often disobeyed for the reason above -
Sugar Act
Lowered taxes on molasses to reduce smuggling; the Molasses Act that previously increased taxes and was ineffective was erased by this
Ships were searched by customs officers to reduce smuggling
All illegal goods could be taken away before the smuggler was caught
Americans believed that it denied their right to a trial
James Otis said that Parliament had no right to tax the colonists to begin with; they had no representatives to debate the subject; “Taxation without Representation is tyrranny.” -
Stamp Act
Taxed all paper goods; all paper goods had to be stamped to prove that the tax had been paid
First direct tax on individual colonists
Colonists protested by boycotting
Stamp Act Congress petitioned how the act was violating the colonists’ rights
Repealed after British merchants were hurt by the boycotting -
Quartering Act
Was part of the Intolerable (Coercive) Acts
Forced colonial civilians to host British soldiers (Redcoats) in their homes
Also allowed soldiers to search the colonists’ houses and move around as they wished
New York colonists preferred to be asked for consent if they were going to be living with soldiers at all so they refused to obey the law
In response, Parliament passed an act that restricted the power of New York’s royal governor -
Townshend Acts (June 15–July 2, 1767)
Townshend Acts were taxes levied on imports such as tea
Writs of Assistance were documents that allowed officials to search any and all taxable goods
Colonists didn’t want extra taxation without their consent, and thought the searching violated their rights -
Boston Massacre
5 March 1770: a dispute occurred between a Redcoat (British soldier) and a few Bostonians. The Bostonians threw snowballs at him, and it elevated until the soldiers fired their guns and killed five colonists
John Adams and Josiah Quincy defended the soldiers, proving that they colonists wanted justice
A prominent victim was Crispus Attucks, whose parents were African American and Wampanoag -
Tea Act
British East India Company was facing financial ruin; the Tea Act abolished the taxes they had to pay to sell tea and let them monopolize the tea in the colonies
This hurt the colonial merchants drastically
Colonists often left the tea and import ships untouched because they did not like the harm done to local merchants
Eventually led to the Boston Tea Party -
Boston Tea Party
The Tea Act forced colonists to purchase tea from the British East India Company, whom they had been boycotting
December 16, 1773: the Sons of Liberty boarded three British East India Company ships and dumped 342 chests of tea into the ocean
Many people disagreed with the event, arguing against the destruction of property. Benjamin Franklin even offered to compensate for the losses himself.
Was the final push toward the passing of the Coercive (Intolerable) Act -
Intolerable (Coercive) Acts (March 31-June 22, 1774)
Passed by King George III in an attempt to establish absolute control over the colonies
Most laws were in response to the Boston Tea Party
Enraged colonists and convinced more of them to join the rebellion
Closed the Boston Harbour, revoked the charter of Massachusetts, royal officials couldn’t be tried in colonial courts, soldiers had to be quartered, land thought to belong to the colonists was given to Québec -
First Continental Congress (September 5 to October 26, 1774)
Representatives were sent to Philadelphia to debate how to respond to the Coercive Acts
Georgia was the only colony without representatives present at the debate, but they later agreed with the results
Congress (old English term for meeting) sent a petition called the Virginia Declaration of Rights to King George
Endorsed Suffolk Resolves which stated that colonists did not need to conform to the Intolerable Acts because they violated basic rights -
Battles of Lexington and Concord (April 19, 1775)
The governor of Massachusetts discovered that the militia was storing weapons in Concord, and ordered for for the arsenal to be destroyed
Paul Revere and William Dawes warned the militiamen at Lexington, who were then ready for the Redcoats
Both sides were ordered not to fire until the other side did, but no one knows who fired first
The militiamen were quickly defeated, and the British marched on to Concord
When leaving, they were met by aggressive militiamen who forced them to retreat -
Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776)
Written by Thomas Jefferson
Consists of four parts: Preamble, Declaration of Natural Rights, List of Grievances, Resolution of Independence
Preamble states that people must have reasons for rebellion, Declaration of Natural Rights talks about “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness,” List of Grievances states their complaints against the King, Resolution of Independence states that the colonies are now an independent country
