Acts passed by Parliament and the colonial responses

Proclamation of 1763

Oct 7, 1763

The Proclamation of 1763 closed further settlement beyond westward of the Appalachian crest and tried to eliminate tensions with the Indians. The colonists disregarded the proclamation and still headed into the west.

Sugar Act

Apr 5, 1764

The Sugar Act was made to end the importation of sugar and molasses between the French and Dutch West Indies and to also provide revenue for the British Empire after the French and Indian War. The colonial response to this was boycotts of the luxury goods from Britain and colonists also began to produce these goods individually.

Currency Act of 1964

Sep 1, 1764

The Currency Act of 1964 banned the issue of new bills and the reissue of existing currency which gave Parliament control of the colonial currency. The colonists protested this act because it denied them the ability to print their own money which meant that trade or economic activity could not be maintained.

The Quartering Act of 1765

1765

The Quartering Act of 1765 ordered the colonies to house British soldiers in the barracks the colonies granted. The colonists were outraged with this act because not only did they have to house soldiers, they had to pay taxes for the barracks for the army.

Stamp Act

1765

The Stamp Act of 1765 was passed after the French and Indian War to make up for the debt that was caused. It was also the first tax imposed by Parliament onto the colonists. The colonial response to this was boycotts and riots of British goods because of the amount of taxes everything was issued.

Declaratory Act

1766

The Declaratory Act was passed the same day Stamp Act repealed and it declared that Parliament could make laws that tie the colonies "in all cases whatsoever". The colonial response to this was outrage because it hinted to the colonists that more acts were to come. The response was also not as big because colonists were just happy at the time that the Stamp Act got repealed.

Townshend Acts

1767

The Townshend Acts were a list of acts published by Parliament in order to tax the commodities that were getting sent to America. The colonial response to this was anger due to Britain sending troops in America to enforce the acts which eventually lead to the Revolutionary War. Colonists were getting taxation without representation.

Boston Massacre

Mar 5, 1770

The Boston Massacre was a street fight between British soldiers and a crowd of patriots. The colonists were further infuriated with British rule and taxation which stirred them to fight for their independence.

Boston Tea Party

Dec 16, 1773

The Boston Tea Party was a protest where angry, frustrated American colonists dumped 342 chests of tea into the harbor because of Britain imposing "taxation without representation". The British response to this was to add more strict policies to the Massachusetts colony.

Coercive Acts of 1774

Mar 31, 1774

The Coercive Acts of 1774, also known as the Intolerable Acts, were a set of four laws passed by the British Parliament to punish the Massachusetts Bay Colony for the Boston Tea Party. The colonial reaction to this was more hatred towards Britain because the colonists in Boston thought of it as unnecessary and harsh punishment.

First Continental Congress

Sep 5, 1774

The First Continental Congress was a compact made among the colonies to boycott and protest the use of British luxury goods until parliament revoked the Intolerable Acts. This was the colonial response towards the Intolerable Acts.