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End of the French and Indian War
After the British won the war, they were in a large debt. To make the money they needed to repay, they started taxing the colonists. The colonists responded to these new taxes by rebelling against them. They also moved to the Ohio River Valley, which led to conflicts with the Native Americans. -
The Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation of 1763 made it illegal for colonists to settle west of the Appalachian mountains, as the British soldiers claimed they couldn't protect anyone who moved west. The colonists were upset with this, as they wanted to live where they wanted. -
Sugar Act
The Sugar Act was an import tax on items like molasses, sugar, and coffee. The colonists reacted to this tax by being angry, holding protests, smuggling, and having boycotts. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act required colonists to purchase stamps for paper products like contracts, playing cards, and newspapers. In response to this tax, the angry colonists held boycotts and signed petitions to try to repeal the tax, -
Quartering Act
The Quartering Act required colonists to house British soldiers and provide them with food, drinks, and other supplies. The colonists were very angry with this act, and they held protests that said their rights were violated. If the colonists refused to house the British soldiers, they would be punished. -
Townshend Act
The Townshend Act was a tax on tea, glass, lead, paper, and paint products. In response to this tax, the colonists protested that it was a violation of their rights. -
Boston Massacre
On the cold and icy night of March 5, 1770, in King Street, Boston, a group of colonists in the street were taunting the British soldiers and throwing ice at them. This was their protest of the recent taxes on their everyday items. One of the British heard the word "fire" and as a result, he shot into the crowd of colonists, leading into many more gunshots fired at the colonists. Five colonists were killed that night, and seven were injured. -
Tea Act
The British East India Company started to tax the tea that the colonists bought. The company also chose who could and couldn't sell tea. As a result, this gave the British a monopoly on tea. The colonists reacted to this tax by executing the Boston Tea Party -
Boston Tea Party
After the Tea Act was established in the colonies, the colonists decided to protest. During the night of December 16, 1773, the colonists dressed up as Native Americans and boarded the three ships called the Beaver, the Dartmouth, and the Eleanor. On these ships, the colonists dumped 342 cases of tea into the Boston Harbor, which equaled to 90,000 pounds of tea. It took them 3 hours to carry out the Boston Tea Party, and as a result of it, the British came out with the Coercive Acts. -
Coercive/Intolerable Acts
After the events of the Boston Tea Party, the British decided to create the Coercive Acts, known as the Intolerable Acts to the colonists. The Coercive Acts closed the port of Boston until the tea was paid for, all trials were moved to Britain, colonists were banned to move west, and the Quartering Act was strengthened. After these Intolerable Acts, the colonists created the First Continental Congress to plan their next action -
Midnight Ride of Paul Revere
After the Sons of Liberty learn the British planned to go to Concord and steal weapons, Billy Dawes went to Lexington to warn that the British are coming. Then, Paul Revere sees two lanterns lit in the Old North Church, indicating the British are coming by sea. He began his ride warning the British are coming. Revere and Dawes were captured near Lexington after warning Sam Adams and John Hancock to escape. Sam Prescott rides from Lexington to Concord warning of the British, and the fight began. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
After the ride of Paul Revere, the colonists and British confronted each other. One person, which nobody knows who, fired a gunshot. This is known as "the shot heard round the world" and it is seen as the start of the American Revolution. Some colonists, the Patriots, were happy with this event, as they were able to start fighting for independence, but the Loyalists decided to fight alongside the British instead.
