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The French & Indian War
The French and British had the most territorial fights within North America during this war. Both countries wanted access to the fur trade business and the cheap fertile land west of the Appalachian Mountains. The British lost most of the initial battles but they won the war. The war caused relations to worsen between the British and the Colonists. The colonists were angry with the Proclamation Line of 1763 and the taxes they were forced to pay. -
The Sugar Act
The British Parliament passed the Sugar Act in 1764 in order to help pay for their debt from the French and Indian War as well as to pay for the troops guarding the Proclamation Line of 1763. It forced the colonists to pay a 3 cent tax on goods like sugar, coffee, indigo and certain kinds of alcohol. The colonists were not happy with this law because they had no say in parliament. The slogan “No Taxation without Representation” became popular in the colonies. -
Sons of Liberty
A well-organized political organization shrouded in secrecy that was established to undermine British rule in colonial America. This group spang up in port cities like Boston and NYC. Group member were men from all walks of life, and they were known to be hot headed and violent. -
The Stamp Act
The British Parliament passed this act to support the British soldiers protecting the Proclamation Line. The Stamp Act required that a stamp purchased by the British government had to be placed on all important documents like court papers and even playing cards. The colonists were outraged due to them paying for troops that were isolating them from the land they had just fought for in the French and Indian War and they still had no voice in Parliament. This led to more protests. -
Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts taxed imported items such as paper, glass, paint and tea. The English Parliament passed this act to cover costs of the French and Indian War, as well as to show that they still had power over the colonies. The colonists were outraged with this act so they held public demonstrations, boycotted products and smuggled in goods. Parliament eventually decided to repeal this act because of colonial protests. -
The Boston Massacre
A violent confrontation between the British troops and the colonists occured in Boston when the British were trying to stop demonstrations from the Townshend Act. The colonists mocked and insulted the British as well as yelling “Fire!” The British shot randomly in confusion and thought the order came from Captain Preston, but he was actually trying to be peaceful. After, the British were tried, but all were considered innocent. -
The Tea Act
This new tax law was not designed to raise taxes in the colonies but to help the British East India Company get out of millions of dollars of debt. The colonists were only legally able to by tea from this British company. They disliked the monopoly and how they had no say in this so they boycotted, didn’t let the shipping boats dock, or let the tea rot. This so called injustice lead to the Boston Tea Party. -
The Boston Tea Party
In result of the Tea Acts colonists dressed up as Indians and snuck into tea boats. Their mission was to destroy the tea and not vandalise anything else. The colonists dumped 342 chests of tea into the ocean, and the British willingly got out of the way. Afterward the British were angry and shot back at the colonists with the Intolerable Acts. -
The Coercive (Intolerable) Acts
These acts were passed by British Parliament as punishment for the Boston Tea Party. These acts set laws for the colonists. For example, the Boston Port Bill closed down the harbours until the patriots paid back the amount of tea thrown into the harbour. More power was pointed towards the governor in Massachusetts and capital trials against the British officials were moved into England. Also, colonists were forced to house British soldiers. This pushed the colonists over the edge. -
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The First Continental Congress
This was a meeting of representatives from 12 of the 13 colonies (excluding Georgia) at the Carpenters’ Hall in Philadelphia, discussing the acts and representation in government. They sent a petition to King George III and told him they were still loyalists, but the were angry with the acts. They warned the king that they would boycott English goods if their needs were not met and they would meet again. The king chose to ignore this sincere letter, however. -
The Battles of Lexington and Concord
These were the first military engagements of the Revolutionary War. The British killed the colonists in the first battle and the first shot was considered “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World”. The British won and then advanced to Concord, where the planned to raid military supplies. The colonists got there first and snuck up on the British in an ambush. The Americans won, and took pride in their victory even though many lives were lost on both sides.
