The Revolution Contributions

Proclamation of 1763

Oct 7, 1763

Created in orde to protect the colonists. The proclamation barred all settlement West of the Appalachians, and all fur traders needed permission to enter the colonies.

Sugar Act of 1764

Sep 29, 1764

The Sugar Act imposed taxes on foreign sugar and molasses. This angered the colonists, which caused lots of smuggling to occur.

Stamp Act of 1765

Mar 22, 1765

This act imposed taxes on all kinds of printed items. The colonists protested very intensely to this- they were furious because they were being taxed without representation.

Quartering Act of 1765

Mar 24, 1765

The colonists were required to feed and house the British troops when they were living in the colonies. This caused great tension between the colonists and the British.

Stamp Act Congress

Oct 25, 1765

Delegates from 9 colonies gathered together in New York City to speak about the Stamp Act. Although they believed that the Parliament had no right to tax the colonies without proper representation, the delegates still pledged loyalty to England and Parliament.

Declaratory Act 1766

Mar 18, 1766

This act declared Parliament's right to make laws to "bind the colonies and people in America" in any case. The colonists did not notice this law very much, because they were too preoccupied with the repeal of the Stamp Act.

Townshend Acts 1767

Jul 2, 1767

This act placed duties on imported goods such as tea, lead, glass, paint, etc.- all common items. Writs of Assistance (search warrants) were used by the British to help enforce these laws.

Boston Massacre 1770

Mar 5, 1770

The massacre was an accumulation of tensions between the British and the colonists, which occurred in Boston, Massachussetts. A gun was fired, which amounted to fighting and more shots. 5 colonists died because of the Boston Massacre.

Tea Act 1773

May 10, 1773

The East India tea company was close to being bankrupt, and to save the company, Parliament excused the company from certain duties, and let them sell tea to American agents.Many colonists opposed this act, and even boycotted it.

Boston Tea Party

Dec 16, 1773

Many colonists dressed like Indians, and raided the tea ships in the Boston Harbor. They dumped hundreds of chests of tea into the water. This was done as a protest to the Tea Act, and it created contrevorsial responses from the colonists.

Coercive Acts 1774

Jun 1, 1774

Known by the colonists as the Intolerable Acts, these four laws were passed by Parliament in order to punish Boston, and Massachussets, and to strengthen Britain's control over the colonies.

1st Continental Congress

Sep 5, 1774

This was a convention that delegates from every colony (except Georgia) attended. They discussed their opinions on the conflict with Britain. This ended in the Declaration of Resolves which stated the colonies' loyalty to Britain, and their rights as British subjects.

Quebec Act 1774

Oct 7, 1774

This act extended Quebec's boundary South to the Ohio River, and granted religious freedom to French Roman Catholics. This act really angered the colonists.

Battles of Lexington/Concord

Apr 18, 1775

In order to show their authority and reinforce it, British troops rowed across the Charles River to Lexington. Paul Revere and William Dawes warned the minutemen, who met the British at Lexington. As the British commander commanded, the colonists were walking away, when a gun was fired. 8 colonists died and 10 were wounded.
At Concord, the Patriots were successful. The Redcoats were easy to spot because of their uniforms, and the Patriots hid behind walls when they fired.

2nd Continental Congress

May 10, 1775

The second convention was held in Philadelphia. Some people there pushed for immediate independence, while others disagreed. By June, the decision was reached to establish a Continental Army, for which George Washington would be the commander.

Olive Branch Petition

Jul 8, 1775

This petition was sent to the king of England, written by the Continental Congress. It stated the colonies' loyalty to the King, and pleaded for his help in ending the conflict.

Declaration of Independence

Jul 4, 1776

This document was mostly written by Thomas Jefferson, and some ideas were used from the Virginia Bil of Rights. The goals of the declaration were to gain support for independence, proclaim the rights of the colonists, outline the principles of representative government, and weaken loyalty to King George III.