-
Landing at Jamestown
The colonists who settled Jamestown were there for wealth, their goal wasn't to have political prosperity. Britain didn't have a plan for how to control these colonies, because of how far away they were they had to govern themselves. This led to a disconnect between Great Britain and its American colonies that would be detrimental in the future. -
Navigation Act of 1650
These laws made it illegal for colonists to trade with any country that isn’t Britain. Great Britain had to act as middlemen for trade between the colonies and other nations. -
Mercantilism
Mercantilism is the idea that the more wealth a nation has the more powerful they are. Wealth in this case is determined by the amount of gold and silver they had in their treasury. The gain more wealth they had to export more than they import. The colonies allowed Britain to gain raw materials without getting it from competing nations. This caused Britain to want the colonies to only trade with Britain and only buy British products. This caused events such as the Navigation Act of 1650. -
Molasses Act
This act taxed 6 pence per gallon on molasses coming from non-British colonies. -
The Great Awakening
The Great awakening was a religious revival in American in the 1730s and 40s. People like George Whitefield inspired many and united the colonies as one with a common interest in the same religion. -
Britain wins the 7 Years War
The British started taxing the colonists more heavily after their victory against the french in the 7 Years War to help pay for the protection of the new land and to help pay the war debt. -
Proclamation of 1763
This prohibited the American Colonies from settling in areas west of the Appalachian Mountains. This outraged the colonists because they could not reap the benefits of the hard-earned land gained from the 7 Years War. -
Sugar Act of 1764
This was the first of many colonial tax increases for Britain. It increased the duty on foreign sugar. -
Quartering Act
This act made the colonists have to provide food and shelter for British soldiers. Most colonists refused to do this which increased friction between the colonies and Great Britain. -
Stamp Act
This mandated the use of stamped paper by colonies. The British put this policy into place to help pay for the cost of protection for the colonies. -
The Sons of Liberty
The sons of liberty enforced matters such as the non importation agreements. They would feather and tar loyalists and harass stamp sellers. This caused events such as the repeal of the Stamp Act. -
Townshend Acts
This enacted light taxes on glass, lead, paint, and tea. This caused more colonists to smuggle these products instead of paying the tax. -
Non importation agreements
This agreement by Americans agreed to stop the importation of British goods to America. They did this to stop their dependency on Britain to lower while at the same time harming them financially. This united Americans through united action which caused more rebellion. -
The Boston Massacre
American patriots were protesting in Boston, and eventually the redcoats set fire to them and leading to 5 deaths. This was heavily used to inspire people to rebel against the British. -
Boston Tea Party
Rebel colonists went onto a ship in the Boston Harbor to throw chests of tea into the sea to prevent any colonist from not being able to resist the temptation of how cheap the tea was. -
Quebec Act
The British gave French Quebec more land which caused resentment from the colonists. The Colonists were outraged that the British would give the land they fought for to Catholics. This was a part of the Intolerable Acts. -
The Assosiation
This was a complete boycott of English imports and exports. This was decided at the first continental congress as a way to try to get the British to repeal the offensive laws they had enacted. -
Boston Port Act
This closed the Boston harbor until the colonists paid for the damages of the Boston Tea Party. This act was one of the Intolerable Acts. -
The Administration of Justice Act
This act was a part of the "intolerable acts" that were enacted by the British after the Boston Tea Party. This stated that British officials could not be tried in america for capital crimes and had to be tried in Britain. This allowed British Officials to have free reign in the colonies. -
The Massacheusetts Government Act
This act revoked the rights given to Massachusetts in their charter. It gave the British governor control of town meetings as well. This Act was one of the Intolerable Acts. -
Battles at Lexington and Concord
British soldiers planned to seize colonial gunpowder and weapons that were said to be stored at Lexington and Concord. The minute Men did not disperse fast enough in Lexington and the British responded by firing and then pushed towards Concord. This caused 300 casualties and was the last event that led to the Revolutionary War -
Declaratory act
After the repeal of the Stamp Act Britain put its foot down and declared that they have complete control of the 13 colonies.
