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Proclamation of 1763
King George III of Britain issued the Royal Proclamation of 1763, which most notably prohibited colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains. His goal was to please the Indians so they would accept Britain rather than fight against them, as they had during the Seven Year’s War. These regulations in actuality did very little to stop colonists from settling and were not enforced. Additionally, the Proclamation made 3 new colonies, gave land to soldiers, and made Georgia larger. -
Sugar Act of 1764
British Parliament passed the Sugar Act in 1764, a modified version of the Sugar and Molasses Act of 1733. This act would make Britain much more money. The Sugar Acts would be enforced and included lots of imported goods. The British needed money from the colonists because they were seriously in debt after the French and Indian War. They thought the colonist should share costs. The colonists though the taxes were unfair. -
Stamp Act 1765
As tempers were rising in the colonists because of the Sugar Acts, Parliament passed a taxation law causing duties on all printed matters to raise more money. The Stamp Act decreed anything with print on it needed to be printed on special printing paper or have a stamp showing that tax was paid to the British. This infuriated the colonists, who had no say in the matter. In the past, the colonists’ governments agreed to the duties, but in the Stamp Act, Parliament passed it alone. -
Quartering Act 1765
On March 24, 1765, British Parliament passed the Quartering Act, which stated the conditions allowing British soldiers to be sheltered in barracks provided by American colonies. If barracks were unavailable, the colonists would be expected to make accommodations and find shelter for the soldiers in inns and stables and so on. -
Stamp Act Congress
Colonists met up in New York in October, 1765, to discuss actions to show the British they would not accept such taxation without any say in that matter. Each of the thirteen colonies was to be represented, but only nine delegates showed. The colonists did not all agree on how they felt about British rule, either, but all agreed for “no taxation without representation.” This meeting was significant. The colonies sat down to together. This was a major first step toward unity, and independence. -
Declaratory Act 1766
When the Stamp Act was repealed, Parliament passed the Declaratory Act simultaneously, which declared that British authority was in charge of making and passing laws for the colonists. This meant the colonists had no representation. With the Stamp Act repealed, a victory for the colonists, this Act denied any celebration. -
New York Restraining Act
The New York colonial assembly was not on board with the Quartering Act because they did not like being ordered to shelter soldiers. They would rather be asked and give consent to shelter someone. New York did not enforce the law, and so British Parliament passed the New York Restraining Act which prohibited the New York governor from signing any legislation until the Quartering Act was complied.
The Restraining Act was the first of the five Townshend Acts. -
Townshend Acts 1767
In 1767, a series of acts called the Townshend Acts (named after Charles Townshend) were passed by Parliament. The Acts called for duties on many imported item. The colonists protested the taxes. British goods were boycotted, Massachusetts’ governor issued a Circular Letter describing the actions against the Acts and British troops were sent in to keep peace. Most Townshend Acts were repealed in 1770, except the duties on tea. Resistance to the tea tax became a symbol of American patriotism. -
Boston Massacre 1770
Boston colonists were growing increasingly displeased with the presence of British soldiers. Many patriots gathered at the Customs House and began to taunt the soldiers standing guard. More soldiers arrived. Colonists threw things at the British. One stumbled and his rifle fired. Other soldiers took this as a cue to fire as well, causing the deaths of five colonists. Three more patriots were injured. The Sons of Liberty called attention to this event to remove British soldiers. The troops left. -
Tea Act 1773
In order to save the East India Company from bankruptcy, Parliament passed the Tea Act that greatly lowered the tax on tea entering Britain. This lowered the cost of tea, which Britain incorrectly believed would please the colonists. The colonists were in fact angered that the East India Company was paying hardly any tax for tea to enter England when the colonies had to pay the duties still in place in imported tea. This situation would lead to the Boston Tea Party. -
Boston Tea Party
Three ships arrived in Boston Harbor carrying East India Company tea. The colonists demanded it return to England. Governor Thomas Hutchinson did not allow this. Samuel Adams sixty members of the Sons of Liberty organized the Boston Tea Party. On December 16, 1773, they boarded the ships disguised as Mohawk Indians to unload the ship, and dumped all of the tea chests into the Harbor. Nearly £18,000 worth of tea was lost into the water. -
Coercive Acts 1774
Completely infuriated with the colonist’s rebellion, Parliament passed the Coercive Acts. The colonists called these the “Intolerable Acts.” The Acts closed Boston to merchant shipping, made British officials completely immune to criminal prosecution in America, established a military rule in Massachusetts, and required the colonists to quarter (shelter) British soldiers. -
First Continental Congress
After the Coercive Acts were passed, colonists called the first Continental Congress in Carpenter’s Hall in Philadelphia to discuss possibly opposing the British. All of the colonies, with the exception of Georgia, were represented through fifty-six delegates. At the Congress the colonists drafted a declaration of rights. -
Quebec Act 1774
At the time of the Proclamation, England established a temporary government in Canada. The Quebec Act put a permanent government in Canada. The act established the French form of civil law and gave the French Canadians total religious freedom. It extended the boundaries of Quebec south and the Mississippi to the west, so it was seen as an Intolerable Act by the colonists. This Act helped keep Canada loyal to England when the Revolution came around. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
This battle began the Revolutionary War. The British and Americans were in disagreement leading up to April 18, 1775. This night, British troops marched from Boston to Concord to seize an arms cache. Paul Revere famously sounded the alarm that the British were coming and the militiamen got ready to move in order to stop the British’s mission. On Lexington’s green, the colonists and British clashed. The British retreated, causing American victory. -
Olive Branch Petition
On July 5, 1775, the Continental Congress adopted John Dickinson’s Olive Branch Petition. This petition was aimed at Britain’s King George III and plead for a reconciliation between the colonies and Great Britain. Congress phrased the petition in a way that showed Americans were unhappy with ministerial policy, and not that of the Crown. They ended the petition with a statement to the king, wishing him a long reign and successful descendants. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress met after the Battles of Lexington and Concord in the Philadelphia’s Independence Hall. John Hancock was the president of the Congress. At this meeting the colonists decided to completely separate from Great Britain. They organized the American Continental Army. They made the decision to print paper money. Congress members wrote the Declaration of Independence and signed it. -
Declaration of Independence
The Continental Congress severed the colonists’ attachment to Great Britain with the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration stated why the colonists took their independence and called themselves an independent nation. They concluded an alliance with the government of France, who would side with them during the Revolutionary War. With this document, signed by the members of Congress and written by Thomas Jefferson, America was ready to fight for its independence from Great Britain.
