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Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was made to tax all printed goods so the British could pay for the French & Indian War. The Americans didn't agree with this act for there weren't any representatives in Parlament and they didn't have any say in how much they would be taxed or what they would be paying. This was called "Taxation without representation". The Americans refused to pay their taxes and boycotted British products. Finally, they repealed the Stamp Act but passed the Declaratory Act on the same day. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre, or called the Incident on King Street by the British, was a disturbance in Boston where approximately 200 Americans rallied up against a small group of British soldiers. No one exactly knows what happened, but 5 Americans were found dead. The British soldiers were brought to court and found not giulty, but this caused a spark for a rebellion by the Americans. -
Tea Act
The Tea Act was passed by Parliment as a way to save the British East India Company, who was in danger of bankruptcy. Granted to be a monopoly by the King, British East India Company was the only company allowed to sell tea in Boston. This was to raise the prices on the tea, raising the taxes and making it so the Americans were forced to buy their tea. This did not stop the smuggling of tea out of Boston and, eventually, caused the frustrated Americans to succesfully attempt the Boston Tea Party -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a rebel strike established by the Americans in Boston. Protesting against the Tea Act, Americans degised as Natives boarded ships in Boston Harbor and threw the ship's cargo of tea overboard. King George was angry for this and decided to send troops to Boston, planning to make Boston dependent on England. He did this by creating the Intolerable Acts as a way to punish Boston for the Tea Party. -
Intolerable Acts
There were 5 acts within the Intolerable Acts. The Boston Port Bill was created to isolate Boston, closing the port to all colonists until the damges done in the Tea Party were paid for. The Mass. Gov. Act was to give the British Gov. control over the colony, revoking the 1691 charter. The Administration Justice Act gave Great Britian the power to have all trials sent to England to be heard under a British judge. The 2nd Quartering Act was to force Americans to feed and house British soldiers. -
Intolerable Acts continued
The Quebec Act was created not as a punishment towards Boston, but as a way to extend the Canadian borders. The Port Act made the Mass. colony and surrounding colonies economies plummet as nothing was allowed to enter or exit Mass., resulting in many losing their jobs. Some Boston citizens decided to boycott against the acts, but many didn't due to their need for money. Many colonies didn't see the need to help Mass. This lead to a inter-colonial meeting, the first Continetal Congress. -
1st Continental Congress
The 1st Continental Congress was a convention where delegates from all the colonies, except Georgia, came together in Pennsylvania because of the problems the Intolerable Acts were causing. They agreed to boycott and inspect the custom houses, to look for names of people listening to the British. These people were blacklisted and forced to side with the Americans. These boycotts caused some of the battles between the first and second Continental Congress, like the Battles of Lexington & Concord. -
The Battles of Lexington and Concord
The battles of Lexington and Concord were two battles that signaled the start of the Revolutionary War. The British Army wanted to capture the rebel leaders as well as destroy all of the Americans weapons and ammunition in Concord. The Americans, though, were warned ahead of time by several riders, like Paul Revere, so the leaders were able to escape Concord and the militia were able to get ready for the British and hide the ammunition. -
The Battles of Lexington and Concord Continued
They did this during the Battle of Lexington, the first gunshot becoming known as the "shot heard around the world". The American's fled Lexington and the British moved forward to Concord, pillaging the town looking for the stash of weapons and ammunition. As this happened, the American militia grew more and more. They. eventually, decided to go back to Concord where they defeated the British. These two battles gave the Americans the confidence to believe they could gain independence from G.B. -
2nd Continental Congress
At the 2nd Continental Congress, the delegates came together for a second time to establish the Continental Army and who would be leading it. First, the Moderates created the Olive Branch Petition and sent it to the King, which stated all of their demands but was thought of as a joke by the King. He declares that the colonies are in a state of rebellion. This is when the British finally realize that they are at war with the colonies. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill occured when the American forces learned that the British were planning on taking Bunker and Breeds Hills and fortified their troops to prepare for battle the night before. The next day, the British attacked and the American forces were ready. The Americans fought back a few of the forces, but they were running low on ammunition and retreated. Though they lost, the Americans felt great confidence by knowing they killed and wounded around 1000 British soldiers. -
"Common Sense" Published
In 1776, Thomas Paine wrote a short pamphlet he names "Common Sense". It was written to convince the many American's who wanted to be apart of England to side with the Sons of Liberty. Paine wrote about all the things that the Sons of Liberty had beening saying the entire time, he just had a way of saying it better than them. His "Common Sense" was written so well, it convinced many of the colonists and some of the colonial leaders who had been taking their time with deciding a side to be on.