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Navigation Laws
Britain was in extreme debt after the Seven Years’ War. In order to remain the most powerful they needed a lot more money. Prime Minister George Grenville ordered the Navigation Laws, this meant that colonists had to be approved by England to export anywhere else. It also meant that England got first pick on all the raw materials coming from the New World. This sparked conflict between Britain and Colonial America. -
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Road to Revolution
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The Sugar Act
The Sugar Act was the first law passed by Parliament attempting to raise revenue for Britain. It placed a tax on sugar. This increased work in the sugar industry tremendously, there were protests to lower the duties on sugar from the West Indies. These protests were succeeded in lowering duties, and was one of the first examples of protesting against taxes. -
The Stamp Act
The Stamp Tax was a tax placed on all paper goods. It was Britain’s attempt at raising money to support a new military force. The Stamp Act became the target of the American’s anger. Colonists began to believe that Parliament had no right to impose taxes on Americans seeing as no Americans were seated in Parliament. -
The Quartering Act
The Quartering Act of 1765 required the colonies to provide food and lodging for British troops. Some colonies denied complying with the act all together, and some only supplied a fraction of the supplies they were told to. This sparked anger within Americans, they viewed it as an infringement on their basic rights. Those who refused to comply with the acts were tried in admiralty courts without a jury, and were tried with a “guilty until proven innocent” stance. -
Stamp Act Congress
The Stamp Act Congress was a gathering of colonists to discuss their stance on the taxes being passed. They wrote Parliament stating their grievances and rights they feel are being broken. They asked that the king and Parliament repeal some of the taxes. This plea was ignored in England, but it was a significant step towards unity in the colonies. -
Forced Repeal of the Stamp Act
Parliament was forced to repeal the Stamp Act in 1766 because of the Sons and Daughters of Liberty. They were a group of colonists that took law into their own hands and branded the slogan, “Liberty, Property, and No Stamps”. They led the colonists in boycotting British goods, forcing stamp agents to resign and breaking tax collecting systems. This was extremely damaging to the English economy. -
Declaratory Act
The Declaratory Act was Parliament’s response to the uproar in the colonies over the taxes. The act reaffirmed Britain’s right to control the colonies at all times. Britain wanted to keep complete sovereignty over the colonies. This, again, angered America because they wanted some control of their own. -
The Townshend Acts
The townshend acts were a group of taxes placed on glass, lead, paper, paint, and tea. The tax on tea was received the worst, because of how much tea the colonists drank. It began the “No taxation without representation” movement. -
Repeal of Townshend Acts
The townshend acts were failing to generate revenue, instead they nearly started a rebellion. These taxes turned out to hurt the Engish economy. King George III and Parliament repealed the townshend acts but kept the tax on tea. With the taxes rising and the laws getting stricter, colonists grew infuriated with the British. -
The Boston Massacre
As the tax on tea rose, colonists began smuggling tea for a much cheaper price. Britain sent troops to Boston to try and deal with this, and they were not received well. One day, the colonists were taunting the soldiers with rocks covered in snow. At some point, the word “fire” was yelled, no one knows who said it, but the troops did as they heard. 5 colonists died and 2 soldiers were found guilty of assault, then branded on the hand. This situation went viral in the colonies. -
The Boston Tea Party
By 1773, Britain had 17 million pounds of unsold tea. Britain made it to where no other countries could trade tea with the colonies in an attempt to force them to buy the tea. The colonists decided to take action and make a statement. 100 Bostonians disguised as Indians boarded British cargo ships. They smashed open 342 chests of tea and dumped it all into the Boston harbor. -
The Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts were Parliament’s response to the Boston Tea Party. They were a series of acts made to punish the colonists, especially those living in Boston. They closed the port in Boston, not allowing anyone to export or import anything. They placed restrictions on town meetings and limited them to 10 people. There was also a new Quartering Act, it gave local authorities the power to lodge soldiers anywhere, at anytime. -
The First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress took place in Philadelphia. 12 of the 13 colonies sent delegates, all except Georgia. 55 men including Samuel Adams, John Adams, George Washington, and Patrick Henry all came together to discuss their grievances. A Declaration of Rights was written as an appeal to the king and Parliament. The men also called for a complete boycott of British goods, no import, export, or consumption. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
As the militia began training, Britain knew they had to do something. British troops were sent to Lexington and Concord to seize the colonists’ stores of gunpowder. At Lexington, the troops were met with a small force of colonists whom they overtook easily. At Concord, the troops were tricked. The colonists had hidden the gunpowder, and surprise ambushed the redcoats from behind trees and brush. Concord was a huge success for the colonists in the early stages of the revolution. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was a pivotal step in separating America from England. Our independence was now on paper and not just in our thoughts. It solidified our unity as a nation.
