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The Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation of 1763 was issued to protect the British settlers in the settlements west of the Appalachian Mountains. This law required fur traders to get royal permission before entering the territory. It was hoped that that this proclamation would end fighting between the British and the Indians. It was difficult to enforce this however, because the colonists were land-hungry, and they poured into the territory. -
The Sugar Act
The Sugar Act added a tax on foreign sugar, molasses, and many other items that entered British colonial territory. Britain put these taxes into place because they were in so much debt after The French and Indian War. This was the first time that officials actually seriously enforced such a strict law. -
The Stamp Act
The Stamp Act put tax on all printed matter of any kind. Things like advertisements, diplomas, legal documents, newspapers, and playing cards were all taxed. These materials had to be printed on stamp paper or have special stamps attached to show that the tax has been paid. This enraged the colonists even more than The Sugar Act. -
Quartering Act
The Quartering Acts were the declaration that the British were going to station soldiers in the colonies. They did this because of all the protesting going on in the colonies. Even with this act in place, New York’s Colonial Assembly responded by refusing to provide money to house these soldiers. -
Stamp Act Congress
A group of 9 representatives from the colonies (led my Samuel Adams; called themselves the Stamp Act Congress) decided to inform the king about their dissatisfaction of The Stamp Act. They gathered in New York City to express their opinion. They went about the expression with a kind respectful manor but still voiced their objectives that Parliament had the right to tax the colonies. -
Declaratory Act
The Declaratory Act was passed during the repeal of the Stamp Act. It gave full power and authority to Parliament to make laws and tax the colonies at their own free will. This act went unnoticed unlike the Stamp or Sugar Acts because the colonies were busy trying to repeal these other acts. -
Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts places a tax on items like tea, lead, glass, and dyes. British customs officials received special search warrants called writs of assistance to enforce the Townshend acts. With these writs, the officers could search anything that they found suspicious. Things like ships, warehouses, and even homes were searched on the lookout for smuggled goods. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was the murder of three Boston colonists. British soldiers arrived in Boston to stop protest in the streets. What was a peaceful protest became violent when these soldiers presence was noticed. As the area became more and more hectic and crowded, a soldier accidently fired a shot into the air. Because of this, the other soldiers instantly open fired. These soldiers were later tried in court and two were found guilty for manslaughter. -
The Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was an event planned by a group of well organized colonists. They took boarded a British tea ship and dumped all the tea on bored into the ocean. They felt that the needed to express themselves as a result of yet another tax added to their list of fees. They began their protest by boycotting the tea. New spread quickly of the Boston Tea Party and most colonists were proud of the act of rebellion but others are shocked. -
Tea Acts
The Tea Acts excused companies from paying certain duties and permitted them to sell tea directly to American agents. As a result, these companies could charge the lowest prices even after the consumers paid the tea tax. This put fear in the hearts of the wholesale colonists, for if these tea companies gained too much monopoly, it could put them out of business. Soon the colonists began to boycott these goods. With these tea taxes still not being removed, the colonists acted. And this was known -
1st Continental Congress
As the Colonists had many ideas of revolution, the first organized planning time was the First Continental Congress. It was held in Philadelphia and representatives from every colony except Georgia attended. It was not a lawmaking body, but it met to discuss options and talk about problems. With this Congress meeting, the revolution began. -
The Quebec Act
The Quebec act extended Quebec’s boundary south to the Ohio River. This overrode claims of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Virginia to the disputed western lands. It also granted full religious freedom to French Roman Catholics. This angered the colonists because they lost some of their land and also allowed the French religious freedom. -
The Coercive Acts
The Coercive Acts were established to punish the Americans for The Boston Tea Party. Britain was angry with the colonies for destroying British tea imports. The main goal though was to restore order in Massachusetts. After all, a lot of violet thinks had occurred there, for example, The Boston Massacre. Within these acts, some devastating laws were set in place. One law for example was that the Port of Boston was closed until the money was paid back from the Boston Tea Party. These acts enraged -
Battles of Lexington/Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military fights between Great Britain and the colonies. The first shots were fired just as the sun was rising at Lexington. A militia of British soldiers was sent to destroy military supplies in Massachusetts. The colonists heard of this and were prepared when the time came. A battle broke out and many were killed on both sides. These battles are important to each side because it determined that Great Britain and the Americans were finally at w -
Olive Branch Petition
The Olive Branch Petition was a petition sent to the King of England with a plea to not break completely away from Britain. The colonists expressed their loyalty and longing to stay connected but the King rejected the petition. He ordered his ships to blockade the colonies and hired Hessians from Germany to help defeat the Americans. -
2nd Continental Congress
After the Battle of Lexington and Concord, the Second Continental Congress met. With the win of this battle, the colonists had new found hope. This Congress met and many such as Samuel Adams, suggested that they immediately declare independence from Great Britain. George Washington devoted himself to the cause of independence and the colonists continued their trek to receive independence. -
The Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of independence was the final declaration that the thirteen colonies were now independent and had broken apart from Great Britain. This also announced the union of the thirteen called “The United States of America.” A total of fifty six men signed this document and are known as the Founding Fathers. This declaration neither stopped nor ended the war, because lots of fighting broke out between Great Britain and America later after the declaration was signed.
