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End of the French and Indian War
On February 10, 1763 in Paris, France the Treaty of Paris was signed. The Treaty of Paris ended the French and Indian War. This document ended the feud between the British and the French in North America. The sigining of this document is significant because it evicted France from North Americia and allowed Britain and Spain to gain the majority of France's land in North America. -
The Sugar Act
The Sugar Act was passed by British Parliament on April 5, 1764. This act was enabled to make colonist pay duties on molasses. This was also enabled to try and prevent the smuggling of molasses. All of the colonies were affected by this act. -
The Stamp Act
The Stamp Act is another tax imposed by British Parliament onto the colonies. They enacted this tax on March 22, 1765. The Stamp Act required colonists to pay taxes on all printed materials. The purpose was to help pay the British soldiers in North America. -
The Declaratory Act
The Declaratory Act was placed after the Stamp Act was repealed. The Declaratory Act was enacted March 12, 1766. The purpose of this act was so that Britain could place any laws Biritish Parliament wanted on the colonies. Basically, Britain had the same authority over North American colonies as it did in Britian. -
The Townshend Acts
There is no exact date of the Townshend Acts because it was many different acts passed earlier in 1767. The acts enabled included the Revenue Act of 1767, the Indemnity Act, the Commissioners of Customs Act, the Vice Admiralty Court Act, and the New York Restraining Act. The many acts intensified the colonies rage toward Britain. This act is named after Charles Townshend. -
The Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was the murder of five Boston colonists by British soilders. This incident occured on March 5, 1770. A group of colonists taunted and harassed British soldiers guarding the Custom House in Boston by throwing snowballs and rocks at them. The soldiers evidently became nervious and shots were fired. This made the colonists rifled up. -
The Tea Act
The Tea Act was an act passed by British Parliament. This was enabled in the American colonies May 10, 1773. This bill was produced to prevent the East India Company from becoming bankrupt. The significance of this act was that it caused the first spark of revolutionary actions known as the Boston Tea Party. -
The Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was an act of rebellion against the taxes enacted by British Parliamet from the colonists. Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty disguised themselves as Native Americans, hidden by night, and dumped an English shipment of tea overboard. They demanded that British ships carrying tea leave the harbor. The king then decided to send over more troops to America when he realized things were getting out of hand. -
The Intolerable Acts (Coercive Acts)
There is no exact date because several acts have been placed apart as the Intolerable Acts. Parliament shut down the port of Boston. Ships were not able to enter or leave the harbor. Town meetings were/ could only be held once a year. These acts included the Quartering Acts which allowed British soldiers to force citizens to house them. This was the final straw for the colonists. -
The Battle of Lexington and Concord
This battle on April 19, 1775 was the first battle of the American Revolution. It was fought in Middlesex county, in the towns of Lexington, Concord, Lincoln, Menotomy, and Cambridge. This battle officially begins the American Revolution.
