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Treaty of Paris
This treaty marked the end of the French and Indian War between France and Britain. It forced France out of North America, allowing British colonies there to prosper. -
Proclamation Act
Put into place by King George III, the Proclamation Act disallowed any settlements to be built past a line along the Appalachian Mountains. -
Sugar Act
The Sugar Act was an updated version of the older Sugar and Molasses Act of 1733, which taxed merchants for importing sugar from countries other than England. -
Stamp Act
This act forced colonists to pay a tax on any printed paper that they used, from legal documents all the way to playing cards. -
Quartering Act
Because of this act, American colonists were required to house and feed any nearby British soldiers. -
Stamp Act Congress
Also known as the First Congress of the American Colonies, the Stamp Act Congress was a meeting in which the colonists created a plan to protest the recently passed Stamp Act. -
Declaration of Rights and Grievences
Written by the Stamp Act Congress, the Declaration of Rights and Grievances was a document which stated that the British could not tax the colonists without formal consent. -
Stamp Act Repealed
In response to months of protest, the Stamp Act was finally repealed to please the American colonists. -
Declaratory Act
Shortly after repealing the Stamp Act, British Parliament passed the Declaratory Act, which gave them equal taxation authority over America and Britain. -
Townshed Acts
The Townshed Acts were a series of five acts all with the purpose of raising revenue to pay off American officials who would stay loyal to Britain. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was an event in which a group of rowdy protesters surrounded a group of British soldiers and subjected them to abuse and name calling, causing them to open fire upon the crowd. Leaving five colonists dead, the Boston Massacre was used by popular patriots Paul Revere and Samuel Adams as a way to rally support against the British. -
Committees of Correspondence
The Committees of Correspondence were set up to unite the colonies under common causes against British policy. The committees would later go on to become a true political union. -
Tea Act
This act was passed by British Parliament to help the British East India Company survive by allowing them to ship their tea directly to North America. The act was not taken well by the colonists, as it was meant to enforce Britain's ability to tax the colonies. -
Boston Tea Party
As a result of the Tea Act, a group of revolutionaries mounted a political protest in which they dressed up as Native Americans and destroyed an entire shipment of tea sent by the East India Company. This would later become known as the Boston Tea Party, as the protesters dumped chests upon chests of tea into the Boston Harbor. -
Intolerable Acts
These acts were passed to punish the colonies, mainly the colony of Massachusetts, for the events of the Boston Tea Party. These acts outraged the colonies, and crucial factors that led up to the revolution. -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was a meeting in which members from twelve of the thirteen colonies met to discuss how to respond to the Intolerable Acts. They eventually decided to petition to the king to remedy their grievances. -
Battles of Lexington & Concord
These were the battles which marked the start of the American Revolutionary War. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill occurred in the early stages of the revolution during the assault on Boston. Although it was technically a victory for the British, it showed that the Colonists' guerrilla warfare could stand up against the British regiments in battle. -
Appeal to Reason Rejected
The "Appeal to Reason", also known as the Olive Branch Petition, was a petition written by the Second Continental Congress that tried to prevent further fighting between the British and the colonies. It was rejected by King George, and the colonists were formally considered enemies of Britain. -
"Common Sense"
Written by Thomas Paine, this pamphlet was published to convince weary colonists that it was their duty to stand up against the unjust ways of Great Britain. -
Declaration of Independence
Written and signed by members of the Second Continental Congress, the Declaration of Independence stated that the thirteen colonies considered themselves a separate entity, no longer under British rule. Although conflict had not yet ended, the signing of the declaration is considered the end of the American Revolution.