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Proclamation of 1763
Issued by King George III to prevent colonists from moving west of the Appalachians. The colonists weren't happy as many of them were already across the mountains and had to turn back, and the colonies became crowded, which made jobs became scarce -
Sugar Act
Issued by British Parliament to reduce molasses tax and enforce it more. This caused the colonists to more unhappy with Britain controlling them. -
Stamp Act
Issued by British Parliament. The act made all printed materials produced in London with a special stamp that made the material taxed. This extorted money from the colonists, which raised tensions between the two groups. -
Quartering Act of 1765
Issued by British Parliament that stated that British soldiers could choose to stay in any housing they wanted if there was no room in the barracks, even if the house is already occupied by colonist(s). The colonists were outraged, and tensions with Britain became even higher. -
Townshend Acts
Issued by Parliament, but heavily influenced by Charles Townshend. The act stated that a heavy tax would be put on most popular goods imported from Great Britain, including tea, paper, glass, etc. This was extremely unpopular among the colonists, and inspired events like the Boston Tea Party. -
Boston Massacre
In this event, British soldiers shot and killed 5 people in an angry mob, most of which had lost their jobs to the soldiers. For some patriot activists, this was a perfect opportunity to convince the rest of the colonies that there should be no British rule in the Americas. Because of the attack and for multiple other minor reasons, the Townshend Acts were repealed. -
Boston Tea Party
When Parliament passed the Tea Act that raised taxes again on tea and prevented the smuggling of foreign tea, it made the colonists very upset. So, when boats filled with British tea came to the Boston ports, a group of about 50 people part of a group called the Sons of Liberty secretly boarded the ships and emptied the tea into the harbor, giving a statement that the colonists didn't want their British goods. This inspired many Patriots to start to rebel against England. -
Intolerable Acts
Issued by Parliament to gain back most of the control of the colonies. These acts were mainly designed to punish Boston and Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party. It closed the Boston harbor, restricted the Massachusetts government, and put more soldiers in Massachusetts to enforce the laws. Laws were put in the other colonies as well, and the colonists had enough at this point. They were about to start a rebellion. -
First Continental Congress
After the Intolerable Acts, a group of about 50 political leaders from 12 colonies came together as the First Continental Congress. These leaders put together a list of all the things King George and parliament have done to upset or diminish the colonists. This upset King George, and he chose to ignore the statement.
