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Period: to
Late 1700's
Roughly the span of the beginnings of problems to a little past the end of the Revolutionary War's end. -
Proclamation of 1763
This proclamation was set up due to the violence of the Native Americans towards the Westward settlers. This angered many settlers because many had purchased land in the now restricted territory, and because they felt they were being restricted in the growth aspect by the government. -
Sugar Act
This was the 1st direct tax on colonists. To get more revenue out of the colonists, Parliament established the Sugar Act on sugar and molasses, along with other goods, and placed strict punishments on smuggling. Colonial merchants were angered, since much of their goods were smuggled. James Otis, a Colonial leader, said "Taxation without representation is tyranny,"which basically means Parliament shouldn't tax the colonists since the colonies don't have a voice there. -
Stamp Act
The British empire was losing money quickly. With its reaches extending from India to Oregon, and their enemy count increasing as their boundaries did, they needed money. Badly. This law required many goods to carry a stamp that showed certain taxes were paid for. Since smuggling was so common in the colonies and the taxes were unreasonably high, the colonists protested harshly against the act. The Sons of Liberty publicly protested and the Daughters of Liberty started boycotts on certain goods -
Quartering Act
To keep peace with the Native American allies, King George III sent 10,000 soldiers throughout the colonies. To avoid costly housing, Parliament established the Quartering Act to force colonists to house the British soldiers. This outraged the Colonial settlers due to the new costs of having a new mouth to feed. Colonists often refused to house soldiers in protest to the new Act. -
Stamp Act Congress
The Stamp Act angered the colonists. To protest the Stamp Act, 9 of the colonies sent delegates to decide wether they should protest the Stamp Act, and if they did, how they would do it. They decided on a petition to the king, and a boycott on British goods that required stamps. The effects of the protests were noted in Britain. Many British merchants didn't like the fact they would lose trade in the colonies. Parliament agreed, and repealed the Stamp act in 1766 -
Townshend Acts
The Quartering Act wasn't working, mainly because most of the soldiers were located in New York, and the New Yorkers didn't wan't to quarter all the British soldiers. Charles Townshend suggested the Townshend Acts, which suspended the New York assembly until all soldiers were quartered. Also, the Townshend acts placed many duties on glass, paper, and other goods, to raise revenue for Britain. Writs of assistance, or search warrants, were invented to check for smuggled goods. -
Boston Massacre
in 1768, 100 redcoats were stationed in Boston. The British soldiers were poorly paid, and therefore took the jobs of Colonists for lower pay. This caused resentment towards redcoats. In the Spring of 1770, a group of laborors turned into a mob, and when a fight broke out, the soldiers fired upon the colonists, killing 5 people. Among those who died was Crispus Attucks. The colonists adopted the name "Boston Massacre" in an anti-British propaganda swing, and the name stuck. -
Tea Act
In the Colonies, much of the purchased tea was smuggled from Holland. To fight taxless tea, Britain passed the Tea Act, which gave the American tea trade's reins over to the British East India Company. The colonial merchants & shippers were outraged, since they once never had to pay taxes on tea, and now had to pay for monopolized, taxed tea. -
Boston Tea Party
The tea act angered colonists from Massachusetts to Georgia. The Sons of Liberty, In protest, dressed as Mohawk Indians and forcefully boarded 3 tea ships, resulting in the dumping of 342 tea chests. This caused rejoice from some colonists, who thought the Tea Party would show Britain their despise of the Tea Act. Others believed it would only anger the British. They were both partially right. Britain wanted the tea paid for and the men who dumped the tea to be brought to trial. -
Intolerable Acts (Coercive Acts)
Parliament was outraged by the Boston Tea Party. To punish the Massachusetts colonists, the Acts closed the Boston Harbor until the tea lost in the Boston Tea Party was paid for. Other effects the acts had were forcing the Quartering of soldiers wherever Britain wanted in the colonies, allowing British officials on trail to stand trial in Britain, and banning the Committees of Correspondence in Mass. In response, the other colonies offered support to Massachusetts by sending them food and money. -
Lexington & Concord
When 700 Redcoats arrived in Lexington, the 70 Colonial militiamen bravely stood their ground. After the militiamen were overcome, the British advanced to Concord. At a Concord bridge, 4000 minutemen sprayed their ranks with lead. Only when 1000 British soldiers came to their aid were they able to escape to Boston. The Battle of Lexington and Concord was the match that lit the fire in the Revolutionary War.
