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Proclamation of 1763
The Royal Proclamation Act of 1763 was a proclamation issued by King George III after the French and Indian War that did not permit settlers to settle past a line drawn through the Appalachian Mountains. -
Sugar Act of 1764
The Sugar Act was a law that raised the duties on foreign sugar being imported by the colonies. This law was passed by British Parliament and the goal of it was to give sugar growers from Britain a monopoly on the clonial market. -
Stamp Act of 1765
The requirement of using stamps for official documents, commercial writings, and various articles that was made by British Parliament in order to raise revenue in the colonies. -
Quartering Act
The Quartering Act outlined which locations the British soldiers were permitted to stay and the conditions under which they were to be kept. -
Stamp Act Congress
The Stamp Act Congress was held in New York City between the dates of October 7th to October 25th. It was the first gathering of British representatives in the colonies in which there wa unified protest against British taxes. -
Declaratory Act
The Declaratory Act consisted of the British Parliament declaring that it had the rights to tax the American colonies with the same degree of control and in a similar manner to how they taxed the Great Britain. This declaration accompanied the repeal of the Stamp Act. While Parliament thought that the colonies would favor this change, the colonies actually disagreed with it. -
Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts were a series of four acts passed by the British Parliament (this took place from June 15th to July 2nd). The acts were originally presented to Parliament by Chancellor of the Exchequer Charles Townshend. Basically, the hope was that the acts would pay off the colonies' imperial debt by charging them taxes on imported products at sea ports such as Philadelphia and Boston. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was the killing of five colonists by British troops. The killing of the colonists occured because they were throwing snowballs and then rocks at the troops. Also, the tension that had been growing since the British troops arrived in Massachusetts contributed to this event. -
Tea Act
The Tea Act of 1773 forced colonists to buy tea from the British East India Company. Essentially, it granted this company the right to monopolize on tea sales in the American colonies. This act also sparked the Boston Tea Party. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a political protest of nonviolent nature in which members of the Sons of Liberty disguised themselves as Mowhawk Indians, and dumped 342 crates of tea sent by the East India Company into Boston Harbor. This act showed their opposition of the British tax on tea that the Americans had no say in. -
Coercive Acts
The Coercive Acts (also known as the Intolerable Acts) were a series of five acts establish by the British. The intent of these acts was to re-establish order in Massachusettes, and to punish the people of Boston for their destruction of British property. The acts were the Boston Port Act, the Massachusettes Government Act, the Administration of Justice Act, the Quartering Act, and the Quebec Act. To the British's surprise, other colonies defended Boston. -
Quebec Act
The Quebec Act was an act which permitted Catholics to worship freely in Canada and permitted Canada to continue with the judicial system they had already established. This act was considered one of the Coercive Acts because protestants did not like the idea of Catholics worshipping freely in their boundaries. -
1st Continental Congress
The first Continental Congress was the gathering of delegates from each colony (except Georgia) in Philadelphia's Carpenter's Hall. The congress was called by the British Parliament in response to the Coercive Acts. The intent of the Continental Congress was to repeal these acts. -
Battles of Lexington/Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord basically began the Revolutionary War. On the night of April 18, 1775 Hundreds of British troops proceeded from Boston to the town of Concord in Massachusetts in pursuit of hidden weapons and goods. However, Paul Revere warned the colonists and militiamen prepared to fight the redcoats. The British quickly retreated because of the militia's intense fire. Many battles ensued. -
2nd Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress met at the State House in Philadelphia, with thoughts of the battles of Lexington and Concord still on their minds. This time, there were delegates from all thirteen colonies. Some important actions carried out by this congress included naming the New England militia "the Continental Army", and electing George Washington to be the commander in chief of the Continental Army. -
Olive Branch Petition
The Olive Branch Petition's intent was to assert the colonist's discontent with the ministerial policies to the Britich Crown. It was created by John Dickinson. On July 5, 1775 the ContInental Congress ratified the petition. On August 23 of 1775, the Olive Branch Petition was submitted to King George, but he refused to read it. He claimed that the colonists had "proceeded to open and avowed rebellion." -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was the statement ratified by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776 that declared that the colonies were no longer part of the British Empire. From then on out, the colonies would be independent united states. The document was drafted by Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams and Benjamin Franklin played crucial roles in pushing for independence. The document was printed and distributed after being ratified.
