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The Molasses Act
The Molasses Act stated that it was required to pay a six-cent tax for molasses that was imported by non- British colonies. The British could not produce molasses as efectively as Spain or France, but they wanted the colonists to buy molasses from them. Colonial bussinessmen bypassed this law by smuggling molasses from Spain and France at a cheaper price. Later, Charles Townshend reduced the tax to three pence a gallon so that the colonists would actually pay the tax, rather than smuggling. -
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What triggered the American Revolution
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The Currency Act of 1751
An act created by the British so that they could have more control over the Colonies. You see, each colony had a different currency, and the British merchants/crediters found it hard to trnslate the colonists' money into hard currency, so the British made a law to make things easier. It stated that colonists could not print their own Bills of Credit, and they had to use hard currency (gold and silver) like the British. The Colonies had no gold or silver, so they suffered a shortage of money. -
The Beggining of the French and Indian War
George Washington defeats a French reconnaissance party, killing ten (including the French comander, Coulon de Jumonville), and taking twenty-one prisoner. England and France are fighting mainly because they both want control over the Ohio River territory, but the French are also angry with George Washington and blame him for the death of Coulon de Jumonville. -
The Official beggining of the French and Indian War
Though the fighting had been going on for about two years now, the British officially declared war on May 15, 1756. France and Great Britain were fighting because they were involved in a dispute over the Ohio River territory. -
The Proclimation of 1763
The Proclimation of 1763 was a law that did not allow the colonists to settle beyond the Appalachian Mountains, in the land won by Britain in the French and Indian War. The British passed the law because they wanted to avoid conflicts with the Native Americans. This law was often ignored by colonists, especially those who lived in the "forbbiden" area. It caused a graet deal of resentment toward the British (especially in Virginia), and it was one of the many things that led to the Revoulution. -
The Sugar Act
The Sugar Act put a three-cent tax on imported sugar and increased taxees on coffee, indigo and some kinds of wine. It also banned the importation of rum and French wine. This act was a continued version of the Molasses act. The fact that the British raised the taxes without their consent infuriated the colonists. -
The Currency act of 1764
The Currency Act of 1764 was an act passed by the British Parliament. It was pretty much a continued version of the Currency Act of 1751. It prohibited printing colonial Bills of Credit. Like the Currency Act of 1751, this act was made to appease British merchants who did not trust colonial paper money, as it was hard to decipher. -
The Stamp Act Congress
The colonists held the Stamp Act Congress because they were angry with what they called 'taxation without representation '. The colonists made the Stamp Act Congress so that they could discuss (and protest against) the Stamp Act. At first, the stamp Act Congress turned out to be a failure. Only nine representatives showed up and one stormed out in the process of the meeting. Eventually, the colonists got it together and the Stamp Act was repealed on March 18, 1766. -
The Stamp Act
This was another law made by the British Parliament. It stated that every legal or public document had to have a Stamp on it. The Stamp cost money, and the colonists were angry because they thought that they shouldn't have to pay for something that had been free for years. This act resulted the Stamp Act congress and plenty of protests, so the act was reapealed in March, 1766 (when the British saw the colonists' hostile reaction to it). -
The Townshend Acts
A series of 1767 Acts named after Charles Townshend, that taxed tea, glass, paint, lead, and paper. The colonists reacted to these Acts the same way reacted to the Sugar and Stamp Acts, with angry, (sometimes hostile) protests. Seeing the colonists' reaction, Britain eventually repealed the taxes,all exept the one for tea. The colonists contiued to protest, so the British sent troops over to the colonies, to warn the colonists. -
The Boston Massacre
A crowd of colonists shouts insults and throws ice at a group of Redcoats, daring them to fire their muskets. One soldier fires, and more shots follow. Five colonists are killed and six are injured. Later, the Sons of Liberty protest by having a parade, with the coffins of those, who got killed. -
The Boston Teaparty
Angry with the new tax, the Sons of Liberty (most of them disguised as Mohawk Indians) boarded three British ships (the Dartmouth, the Eleanor, and the Beaver) and dumped 342 crates of tea into the Boston Harbor. Over the next few months, the colonies started boycotting tea. The grudge that the colonists had on the British got even worse than it already was. -
The Intolerable or Coercive Acts
The Intolerable Acts consisted of several laws made by the British Prime Minister Lord North and enacted in1774 in response to the Boston Tea party. These acts were: The Impartial Administration of Justice Act (it allowed the royal govrener of a colony to move trials), The Massachusetts Bay Regulating Act (no unaproved town meetings), The Boston Port Act (closed the Port of Boston), The Quartering Act (Redcoats can live anywhere), and the Quebec Act (religious freedom for Catholics in Quebec). -
The First Continental Congress
Because of the Intolerable Acts passed by the Parliament, the colonists became convinced that they needed to start taking more aggressive steps to protect thier liberty. 56 people were sent from 12 of the colonies as representatives. The First Continental Congress passed a law that stated that the Parliament could no longer have control over the colonies, and could only regulate trade. Soon the colonies stopped importing goods from England, and by December they stopped exporting to England. -
The Battle of Lexington and Concord
The Redcoats set out to capture the rebel leaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock in Lexington, as well as destroy the colonists store of weapons and ammunition. The colonists were warned by riders like Paul Revere, so Samuel Adams and John Hancock ecsaped and the local militia was able to hide most of the weapons and ammunition. The Battle of Lexington and Concord is very important. It is basically the first battle in the American revoulution. -
The Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress met when the Revoulutionary War started. There were two groups of people from each of the 13 colonies. The armed forces were not organized, so the Continental Congress created the Continental Army and appointed George Washinton the as comander-in-chief. The Congress continued through the summer. From their discussions came the Declaration of Independance, the Articles of Confederation, and the Marines Corps. -
The Battle of Bunker Hill
At the Charlestown Penninsula, on the North side of Boston Harbour, the British fought against the Americans. When the British attacked the Americans, they had to keep going back, as the Americans were fighting too furiously. By the time the British had regrouped and attacked a third time, the Americans started running out of ammunition, so fist fighting ensued. The British won, but at great cost; about 1,150 of thier soldiers had been killed or injured. -
The Declaration of Independance
The Declaration of Independance is officialy adopted on July fourth, 1776 however, it does not get singed untill August second. It gets signed by five other people in late November the same year. -
The Crossing of the Delaware River
Goerge Wasington and the Continental Army crossed the Delaware River and captured nearly 1,000 surprised Redcoats at the Trenton outpost. This was an unusual victory for the Americans, as they had suffered many losses, and the whole army was about to collapse. This was one of the key victories that led to succes, winning the war, and America's independance.
