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Navigation Acts
The Navigation Acts were a series of laws passed by the British Parliament that imposed restrictions on colonial trade. British economic policy was based on mercantilism, which aimed to use the American colonies to bolster British state power and finances. -
boston tea party
On the night of 16 December 1773, 340 chests of tea were destroyed in Boston Harbour, an event that has gone down in history as the Boston Tea Party. This political and mercantile protest was one of the key events in the lead up to the American Revolutionary War -
End of Salutary Neglect
Salutary neglect is the unofficial British policy where parliamentary rules and laws were loosely or not enforced on the American colonies and trade. Salutary neglect ended when the British started placing and reinforcing restrictions and tax policies on the colonies following the French and Indian War. -
Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation of 1763, issued by King George III after the French and Indian War, prohibited British colonists from settling on land west of the Appalachian Mountains, effectively reserving that territory for Native American tribes, in an attempt to prevent further conflicts between settlers and indigenous populations; this boundary became known as the "Proclamation Line" and angered many colonists who felt entitled to the newly acquired land -
sugar act
Enacted on April 5, 1764, to take effect on September 29, the new Sugar Act cut the duty on foreign molasses from 6 to 3 pence per gallon, retained a high duty on foreign refined sugar, and prohibited the importation of all foreign rum -
sons of liberty
The Sons of Liberty, a well-organized Patriot paramilitary political organization shrouded in secrecy, was established to undermine British rule in colonial America and was influential in organizing and carrying out the Boston Tea Party. -
Stamp Act
The act required the colonists to pay a tax, represented by a stamp, on various forms of papers, documents, and playing cards. It was a direct tax imposed by the British government without the approval of the colonial legislatures and was payable in hard-to-obtain British sterling, rather than colonial currency. -
townshend act
The Townshend Acts, passed by the British Parliament in 1767, were a series of laws that imposed taxes on various imported goods like glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea into the American colonies, primarily intended to raise revenue to pay for the British administration of the colonies -
boston massacre
On March 5, 1770, seven British soldiers fired into a crowd of volatile Bostonians, killing five, wounding another six, and angering an entire colony -
Common Sense
Common Sense made a clear case for independence and directly attacked the political, economic, and ideological obstacles to achieving it. -
The Committees of Correspondence
The Committees of Correspondence were networks of political organizations established in the American colonies during the pre-Revolutionary War period, primarily to facilitate communication between different colonies and coordinate opposition to British policies, -
the first continetal congress
The First Continental Congress, convened in Philadelphia in September 1774, brought together delegates from twelve of the thirteen American colonies to discuss and protest against growing British oppression, primarily the Intolerable Acts, by declaring their rights as Englishmen, denouncing taxation without representation, and calling for a boycott of British goods in an attempt to pressure the British government to address their grievances through a petition to the King -
Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death
Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death is a powerful speech delivered by Patrick Henry in 1775, urging the American colonies to fight for their independence from British rule. -
intolarable acts
The act authorized the Royal Navy to blockade Boston Harbor because “the commerce of his Majesty's subjects cannot be safely carried on there. -
The Olive Branch Petition
The Olive Branch Petition was a document sent by the Second Continental Congress to King George III in July 1775, representing a final attempt by the American colonies to reconcile with Britain by expressing their loyalty to the crown while protesting British policies, essentially pleading for peace and a resolution to grievances without resorting to full-scale war -
The Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress (1775–1781) was the meetings of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that united in support of the American Revolution and the Revolutionary War, which established American independence from the British Empire -
Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord on 19 April 1775, the famous 'shot heard 'round the world', marked the start of the American War of Independence -
The Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence states three basic ideas: God made all men equal and gave them the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness