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Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation of 1763 occured on October 7 1763. This proclamation reserved all of the western territories between the Allegheny Mountains, Florida, the Mississippi River, and Quebec for use by Native Americans. The colonists were not happy. They did not feel the law respected their needs for growth, so they ignored the Proclamation and they still went west. -
Sugar Act
On April 5th 1764 the Sugar Act outlawed the importation of foreign rum; it also put a modest duty on molasses from all sources and levied taxes on wines, silks, coffee, and a number of other luxury items. They thought that if they lowered the duty on molasses, it would reduce the temptation to smuggle the commodity from other places. The colonial response was distressful among the merchants. Merchants, legislatures, and town meetings protested the law with "taxation without representation". -
Currency Act
The Currency Act occured on September 1 1763. This act was enacted "to prevent paper bills of credit hereafter issued in any of the King's colonies from being made legal tender" according to Parliament. The colonial response to this act was that the colonists began to protest. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act occured on March 22 1765. This act caused the greatest organized resistance. This act required all newspapers, broadsides, pamphlets, licenses, leases, and other legal documents to have that stamp. The powerful resistance of the people eventually formed associations that were against the act. The colonial response was that people were not happy at all. A "Stamp Act Congress" was eventually formed. -
Quartering Act 1765
The Quartering Act occured on May 15 1765. A Quartering Act required local authorities to find suitable quarters for British troops, in private homes if necessary. The American colonists were enraged by the Quartering Act. -
Declaratory Act
The Declaratory Act took place on March 18 1766. This act asserted the authority of Parliament to make laws binding the colonies "in all cases whatsoever." The colonists felt that the British government was acting tyrannical. -
Townshend Act
The Townshend Act occured on June 29 1767. This was an act that was passed to tax glass, paper, paint, lead, tea and all things that were imported from Britain. It established a stronger British governance throughout the colonies, and did not allow any gatherings until the colonies accepted the terms. The colonist reaction was that they refused to buy any of the glass, paper, paint, lead, tea, and all the other imported goods. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston massacre occurred on March 5 1770. This massacre resulted in five deaths and six injuries. On this date, seven British soldiers fired into a crowd of volatile Bostonians. This angered the whole colony. Some of the colonists that were angry included Samuel Adams and Paul Revere. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party occured on December 16, 1773. This was a protest that took place at Griffin's Wharf in Boston. During this protest, 342 chests of tea were dumped into the harbor. This reaction was a straight reaction to the tea act. They used this action to protest against Britain's actions. -
Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts took place on May 20 1774. The Intolerable Acts are also known as the "Coercive" acts. This acts were 4 new laws passed by Parliament to punish the colony of Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party. The colonial response was that the people were angry because these acts prevented all trade in the Colonies. -
Quartering Act 1774
The Quartering Act of 1774 occured on June 2 1774. This act allowed royal governors rather than colonial legislatures, to find homes and buildings to quarter or house British soldiers. This act was truly disliked by the colonists, as it was clearly an infringement upon local authority. -
Quebec Act
The Quebec Act took place on June 22 1774. This act established the procedures of governance for the Province of Quebec after Great Britain acquired the territory from France under the 1763 Treaty of Paris. The colonial reaction was that the colonists quickly realized that British rule had intensified in Canada and they feared it would eventually spread to American colonies.