American Revolution

  • Proclamation of 1763

    Parliament establishes that all land west of the Appalachian mountains cannot be purchased, forcing colonial dependence on Great Britain. This marked the start of conflict between the colonies and the British.
  • Sugar Act

    Parliament imposes taxes on wines, coffee, textiles, and indigo to repay war debts after the Seven Years War. This further builds conflict between the colonies and Great Britain and upsets colonists.
  • Currency Act

    Parliament imposes a rule stating colonial governments can't issue paper money, and that all debts must be paid in British currency. This forced the colonists to adapt to a different system of money. In response, the colonists protested.
  • Stamp Act

    Parliament imposes taxes on legal papers, newspapers, books, dice, cards, and other documents to raise money for the military troops stationed in the colonies and to pay for war debts. This enraged colonists and led to more protests as the colonists realize that Britain may not have their best interest in mind.
  • Quartering Act of 1765

    Parliament establishes that American colonists must provide housing, financial support, and necessities to British troops stationed in the colonies to decrease the cost of maintaining armies. This led to many colonists flat out refusing to station soldiers. In response, the British government suspended the New York council for 6 months.
  • Declaratory Act

    Parliament establishes a rule stating that the British government has full authority to pass laws in the colonies. This enrages colonists who were previously pleased about the Stamp Act being repealed the same day.
  • Townshend Acts

    Parliament imposes new taxes on imports of glass, lead, paint, tea, and paper to the colonies. This prevented colonial legislatures from using the power of the purse and upset colonists.
  • Boston Massacre

    British soldiers fire on a Boston crowd, killing five and wounding six. This angers the colonists as the conflict has now been turned towards violence. John Adams defends the soldiers in court, and all but two soldiers are acquitted for murder.
  • Boston Tea Party

    On December 16th, 1773, colonists in Boston disguised as Native Americans board three ships, dumping 342 canisters of tea into the Boston harbor as an act of protest against parliament. In response, the British government closed Boston harbor to trade and infracted a series of laws meant to punish the colonists.
  • Intolerable Acts

    Parliament enforces a series of acts to punish American colonists for acts of rebellion such as the Boston Tea Party, restricting trade with Europe and leading to a large economic hit in the colonies. The colonists continued to protest and even considered war.
  • Quartering Act of 1774

    Parliament enforces a rule stating colonists were now required to provide shelter to British soldiers on private property, offering a wider range of housing than the act in 1765. The law was meant to increase British presence in the colonies and further provoked colonists.
  • Quebec Act

    Parliament imposes a rule that lets French Quebec cover land as far west as the Mississippi river and as high as the Ohio River Valley. It's done to appease the French population of Quebec, who the British government feared might join the rebellion. The French population is subdued while American colonists respond with rage that their land is being given away.