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1. Treaty of Paris of 1763
The Treaty of Paris brought an end to the French and Indian War, also known as the Seven Years' War between England and France. As part of the treaty, France got rid of their North American territories, which got rid of the military threat to English colonies in North America. -
2. The Proclamation Act
The Proclamation Act of 1763 allowed the British Empire to strengthen there control over the colonies in North America. In order to do so, King George III banned the settlers from travelling further west past the Appalachian Divide. -
3. The Sugar Act
The Sugar Act in 1764 reduced the taxes on molasses, and established that trade with outside buyers and sellers was illegal. Great Britain hoped this would boost the country's revenue, but instead it boost the resistance of the colonies. -
4. The Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was a tax imposed by Parliament on the colonies that taxed every piece of paper they used. This included legal documents, letters, and even playing cards. -
5. The Quartering Act
The Quartering Act forced settlers in North America to provide for the British soldiers in terms of shelter. The settlers were also obligated to supply the local soldiers with food. -
6. Stamp Act Congress
The Stamp Act Congress was a gathering that was supposed to have representatives from every colony to decide what they were going to do about things like the Stamp Act that they could not tolerate. This wasn’t very successful, because not all the colonies sent representatives. -
7. The Declaratory Act
The Declaratory Act was an official order from Parliament that aided the repeal of the Stamp Act. The act declared Parliament's taxing authority in America and Great Britain equal. -
8. The Stamp Act is Repealed
The Stamp Act was repealed after many protests by the colonists. The effort was headed by Benjamin Franklin, who made an appeal to the British House of Commons. -
9. Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts were a series of four acts passed between June 15th and July 2nd of 1767. The Townshend Act enforced taxes on glass, lead, paint, and tea in the colonies. In retaliation, the colonies limited their imports from Great Britain. Great Britain later dropped the tax enforcement on glass, paint, and lead, while continuing to have taxes on tea. This left the colonies and Great Britain in temporary agreement; a standstill. -
10. Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was the killing of 5 colonists by British soldiers. A group of American colonists was upset with the British soldiers in their city, who were sent to Boston to enforce tax acts. The British responded to the colonist's taunts by firing at the crowd. -
11. Committee of Correspondence
The Committee of Correspondence gathered to rebel against the British control. The committee also united the 13 American colonies. -
12. The Tea Act
The Tea Act involved the British government granting the East India Company a monopoly on tea sales in America. This caused a lot of push-back from the colonies, ultimately resulting in the Boston Tea Party event on a few docked East India Company ships. -
13. Boston Tea Party
During the Boston Tea Party, a group of disguised Massachusetts colonists tossed 342 containers of tea over the side of three ships anchored in Boston Harbor. This act was a form of protest against the Tea Act of 1773 -
14. Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts were put into effect as a type of punishment for what the colonists did concerning the Boston Tea Party event. These acts involved cancelling the importing and exporting of all goods except for food and firewood for the colonies, banning town meetings, and increasing the authority of the British in the colonies. -
15. First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was the government of the 13 North American colonies. This group came together as a result of Great Britain increasing their hold on the colonies after the settlers resisted the new tax acts. -
16. Declaration of Rights and Grievances
The Declaration of Rights and Grievances was a document composed by the Stamp Act Congress. The document established that taxes forced upon colonists without their consent were unconstitutional. -
17. Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first battles of the Revolutionary War. It turns out, the British's secret plan to attack the colonists and take their supplies wasn't much of a secret after word got out about this plan. Horseback riders like Paul Revere rode off to warn people that the British were coming. -
18. Bunker Hill
During the Battle of Bunker Hill, American troops pursued the British in Boston and their ships at the harbor, however, the battle ended up taking place at Breed'd Hill. The British attempted twice to defend the town, but both times they were forced to retreat because of the Americans' ruthlessness. The third time the British went to the hill, they were able to win only because the Americans were low on ammunition, but nearly half of their military was wounded or killed at the battle. -
19. Appeal to Reason Rejected:Olive Branch Petition
The Olive Branch Petition was submitted to King George by the Second Continental Congress with the goal of establishing rights for the colonists while continuing to remain loyal to Great Britain. King George did not read the petition, and said the colonists were proceeding to admit rebellion against the British crown. -
20. Common Sense
Common Sense, written by Thomas Paine and published in 1776, challenged the rule of the British government. Paine used language that would pertain to the common people of the colonies. This was the first piece of writing that asked for freedom from Great Britain. -
21. Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence is a document adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. This document declared that the 13 colonies in America were officially independent, free from British rule. This document also includes 27 grievances against the King, with the purpose of proving to the King he should not be in control of the colonies.