-
Proclamation Line
King George III issued a proclamation that forbade colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains. He hoped to placate Native Americans who had sided against him during the recently concluded Seven Years' War. -
Stamp Act
First internal tax levied directly on American colonists by the British government. The act imposed a tax on all paper. -
Quartering Act
Required colonists to provide food for any British soldiers in the area. Colonists had to provide the British soldiers with any needed accommodations and housing. -
Declaratory Act
Passed alongside the repeal of the Stamp Act. It reaffirmed Parliament's unqualified sovereignty over the North American colonies. -
Townshend Acts
Named after Charles Townshend. Persuaded Parliament to pass these regulations with an import duty on glass, while lead, paper and paint and tea. Sparked a wave of protests. -
Boston Massacre
Incident where five colonists were killed by British soldiers. British officer was arrested for manslaughter. This event helped cause the colonial public to the patriot cause. -
Committee of Correspondence
Network of individuals that kept people informed throughout the colonies. This was created after the Boston Massacre. -
Tea Act
Act of the Parliament of Great Britain. Wanted to reduce the amount of tea held by the British. -
Boston Tea Party
Was a protest by the Sons of Liberty. Dumped crates of tea overboard. -
Intolerable or Coercive Acts
These were harsh laws that were passed by the British Parliament. Did this to punish the American colonists for the Boston Tea Party. -
"Shot heard around the world"
This refers to the first shot of the American Revolutionary War. This was a phrase in the poem Concord Hymn by Ralph Waldo Emerson. -
Common Sense
Pamphlet written by Thomas Paine, supporting the independence from Great Britain to people in the Thirteen Colonies. -
Declaration of Independence
Statement adopted by the Second Continental Congress. Announced that the thirteen colonies were independent states.
