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French and Indian War
The French and Indian War was a conflict between the British and the French (and Indians) that was fought alongside the colonists. Due to this war, the British won the Ohio River Valley territory (one of the big reasons the colonists sided with them). It also made it convenient for British soldiers to deal with the colonies as they were already there, and it ended salutary neglect. -
Establishment of the Proclamation Line of 1763
The Proclamation Line was one of the first examples of tension in the colonies. The British set up the line as a boundary to how far west the colonists could go. This restricted the Ohio River Valley, which was annoying because they had all just fought a war to get it, and forced some people who had already moved westward to move again. -
Passage of the Sugar Act
The Sugar Act lowered taxes from the Molasses Act but imposed an indirect tax that was added into the cost of sugar, like gas, for example, would be. The Sugar Act also generally issued writs of assistance, which allowed British customs officers to search for anything at any time on boats, which built tension with the colonists because they considered it unreasonable searching. -
Passage of the Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was one of the ways the British tried to get tax money from Americans. It was a direct tax on all printed goods. This additional tax made many colonists think that their rights were violated and the act was met with colonial resistance. It would be repealed in a year. -
Passage of the Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts were a series of laws passed in 1767 and 1768. They placed an indirect tax on glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea. They were designed to do a series of things including raising colonial revenue and to punish New York for failing to comply with the Quartering Act. These acts created tension that eventually exploded into the Boston Massacre. -
Boston Massacre
The tension caused by the Townshend Acts, as well as other circumstances finally exploded. A mob of protesters gathered in Boston and eventually started being aggressive towards a group of British soldiers. They then opened fire and injured and killed several people. This really built tensions and showed revolution was imminent. -
Passage of the Tea Act
The Tea Act was passed to help the British East India Company get out of financial troubles. It was also meant to curb the purchase of illegal tea. The tea tax was still established however. Anger surrounding this caused the Boston Tea Party. -
Boston Tea Party
In December 1773, protesters, some dressed like Native Americans, snuck into British Harbor and dumped tea into Boston Harbor from three British East India ships. This was a big culmination of resistance against the Tea Act. This costed the company over a million dollars. The British responded with the Coercive/Intolerable Acts. -
Coercive/Intolerable Acts were Passed
Due to fallout over the Boston Tea Party, the British imposed the Intolerable Acts. It was a four-part set of laws: it closed Boston Harbor, took away Massachusetts' charter, protected accused royal officials, and allowed the British to quarter soldiers. This led to the outbreak of the American Revolution. -
Meeting of the First Continental Congress
This meeting was a direct response to the Intolerable Acts. It established committees of correspondence among other important measures, methods the colonies would communicate with each other. This helped the colonists start to train and prepare militias for the possibility of combat. This built up the Americans for the Revolution.
