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End of the French and Indian War
The end of the French and Indian War was marked by the signing of the Treaty of Paris (1763) and the Proclamation of 1763. This saw Britain become the premier imperial power in Europe and have the strongest control over North America. However the proclamation limited the colonists land and the war put Britain into massive debt. They would attempt to diminish this debt by taxing the colonists heavily and strictly. -
The Sugar Act
The first act the British made to increase taxes was the Sugar Act. This act strengthened enforcement on foreign molasses trade and was created to stop smuggling. This however was not taken well by the colonists. The act created a monopoly for British West Indies Sugarcane planters and hampered colonial commerce. -
The Stamp Act
Another act made was the Stamp Act. This act was made to help fund new defenses made in the American Colonies following the French and Indian War and Pontiac's Rebellion. This saw the taxation of colonial papers, newspapers, pamphlets, cards, almanacs and dice. This brought mass uproar and protest from colonists. They boycotted and burned stamps and intimidated stamp distributors. This also saw the formation of the "Sons of Liberty" who would tar and feather stamp agents and ransack the wealthy. -
The Quartering Act of 1765
1765 saw the first quartering act be enacted. In this act, colonial governments had to provide housing and food for British troops. This didn't have as much as an effect as the Stamp Act since most colonies were able to avoid this act, but it kept the British and colonists on edge since the colonies had no representation in this act. This also set the groundwork for a later "intolerable" quartering act. -
The Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts were the series of laws that placed taxes on British imports in the colonies. These included things like china, glass, lead, paint, paper and tea. These acts were also ill-received, and led to many boycotts and protests by the colonists, eventually leading to the Boston Massacre. Britain would repeal most of these taxes except for the tax on tea which led to the Boston Tea Party. -
Boston Massacre
A group of colonists threw snowballs and rocks at the British guards at the Customs House. Nervous soldiers shot the colonists, killing five people. The patriots were furious; not only did the British kill five colonists that did not have actual weapons, but Parliament had kept the tea tax on the colonies after this event. -
The Boston Tea Party
Britain had wanted to help the financially struggling British East India Company, so it passed laws allowing the company to sell directly to the colonists. However, colonists believed that buying this tea would secretly make them pay the tax and would hurt colonists who were smuggling tea. This resulted in colonists dressing as Native Americans dumping tea into the harbor. Britain would be outraged, creating more laws in order to keep the colonies in check, continually rising the tension. -
The Intolerable Acts
Consisting of many Acts, the Intolerable Acts were disliked by all colonists. They consisted of being forced to house British troops, allowed British officials to be trialed in British for crimes committed in the colonies, and closing the Boston port. Many colonists were extremely outraged, some lashing out in violence with clubs and guns to people who were in any way loyal to Britain. This would add to mounting pressure between the colonies and Britain. -
The First Continental Congress
The colonists responded to the Intolerable Acts by having representatives of each colony meet together in Philadelphia, creating the First Continental Congress. This resulted in the boycotting of British imports and created local governments that would include farmers, shop keepers, artisans, and farmers. This event shows the independence that colonies started to create as Britain would not comply with their needs. -
The Battle of Lexington and Concord
The British military were in Concord to arrest John Hancock and Samuel Adams, patriots who were governing Massachusetts without Britain's approval. A commander called the military to disperse, but as they dispersed, someone had fired. Eight patriots had died before the shooting had stopped, and in response, the patriots responded with hundreds of men, starting the Revolutionary War.
