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The end of the French and Indian War
The end of the French and Indian War brought an immense amount of war debt to Britain because of the countless amount of battles that were fought. In response, the British were looking for different ways to obtain money from the colonists. -
Proclamation line of 1763
After the French and Indian war Britain was deeply in debt and decided to reverse the policy of salutary neglect against the colonists. They were worried that another war was going to be started against the French so they took away their rights. So to ensure that nobody would try to attack the British they ordered a line to be drawn to seperate the colonies and the Appalachian mountains. This angered the colonists because they just fought for that land and now it's being taking away from them. -
Sugar Act
George Greenville passed a British law that reduced the tax on molasses imported into the colonies which was strictly enforced. This angered the colonists because the British government placed the taxes without their consent, they were being taxed unfairly. They were no longer allowed to voice their opinion or have a say. -
The Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was Parliament's first serious attempt to assert governmental authority over the colonies. This act required colonists to pay a tax on almost all printed materials. Paper products were boycotted by merchants because of their anger towards tax. Great Britain was faced with a massive national debt following the Seven Years War. English citizens in Britain were taxed at a rate that created a serious threat of revolt. They claimed that it threatened their prosperity and liberty. -
Quartering Act
Parliament passed this, outlining the locations and conditions in which British soldiers are to board the American colonies. The Quartering Act required the colonies to house British soldiers in barracks. Following the French and Indian War, Britain maintained a standing army in the colonies. This act required colonial assemblies to house the soldiers. -
Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts originated from Charles Townshend and passed by the English Parliament. They were designed to collect money from the colonists in America by putting taxes on imports. Import taxes on a variety of goods were collected to support royal officials in the colonies. The colonists found them so unpopular that all the taxes were repealed, except the one on tea. -
The Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was a street fight that was between a "patriot" mob and a squad of British soldiers. A group of colonists hurled snowballs and rocks at British soldiers guarding the Customs House. The nervous soldiers fired into the crowd, killing colonists. Several colonists were killed or injured and this led to a campaign by speech-writers to rally all the angered colonists together. The patriots called the killing the Boston Massacre. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a political protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston. Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty boarded three ships in the Boston harbor and threw 342 chests of tea overboard. This act of defiance was a protest against taxation. -
Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts were a series of laws passed by the British Parliament. They were meant to punish the Massachusetts colonists for their defiance in throwing a large tea shipment into Boston harbor. This forced Massachusetts colonists to pay for the tea destroyed in the Boston Tea Party. The laws closed Boston's Harbor and forced colonists to house British soldiers in their homes. This seemed to be one of the final straws for the colonies, in which they wouldn't stand this treatment anymore. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord kicked off the American Revolutionary War. Tensions were built between the residents of the 13 American colonies and the British authorities, particularly in Massachusetts. The night before hundreds of British troops marched from Boston to Concord in order to take weapons that they were aware the colonists had.
