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Proclamation of 1763
This was the end of the seven years war in which Britain was victorious. Britain tightened their grip over the colonies and was beginning to execute acts onto the colonies to appease their debt from war. -
Sugar Act 1764
Great Britain passed this act on colonial trade to get themselves out of debt. This affected foreign wines, coffee, textiles, and indigo. The colonials responded in protest to this act. -
Currency Act 1764
The currency act prohibited issuing paper money and require that all taxes are to be paid in British currency. Colonials responded in a protest to this act. -
Stamp Act of 1765
In order to pay the costs of the military, they passed the Stamp Act. This required a tax stamp of legal documents, calendars, newspapers, and more. If you were to violate the stamp tax, you would be put on trial with no jury and could even be put on the death sentence. Colonials responded in a boycott to British goods and rioted and attacked tax collectors. -
Quartering Act 1765
The Quartering Act allowed colonial governments to put British Soldiers in unoccupied houses and provided them with bedding, candles, and beverages. Colonists were angry about this act. -
Declaration Act 1766
The Declaration Act allowed the British to make laws to govern the colonies. Colonists protested this act. -
Townshend Act 1767
This act was passed by Charles Townshend, which imposed new duties on imports of glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea to the colonies. The revenue from these acts paid the officials (judges and governors) which made it difficult for colonial legislatures to pursue over them. Colonists boycotted British goods to pressure Parliament. -
Boston Massacre 1770
British soldiers fired into a Boston crowd which killed five and injured six. John Adams defended the soldiers in court but all but two were guilty of murder. -
Boston Tea Party 1773
Parliament passed the tea act which authorized the East India Company to sell tea directly to American distributors, this cut the wholesaler's profits by a lot. As a "protest", colonists in Boston dumped 342 canisters of tea into the Boston Harbour. The British Government responded harshly and closed the harbour to trade, provided for trails when royal officials are accused of serious crime, and more. -
Quartering Act 1774
This act is slightly different than the first Quartering act and it applied to all of the colonies. This act allowed for royal officials to put British soldiers in occupied homes. Colonists were angry about this act. -
Intolerable Acts (Coercive Acts) 1774
As a response to the Boston Tea Party, Parliament passed several acts to punish Massachusetts. They closed the harbor to trade, provided for trials when royal officials are accused of serious crimes, forbid town meetings more than once a year, and more. Colonists responded in an act of unity. They organized the first Continental Congress. -
Quebec Act 1774
This act enlarged French Quebec to cover the areas as far as the Mississippi River to the Ohio River. French law ended up dominating the area. Colonists were angry about and perceived it as a direct threat to their colonial government.