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End of the French and Indian War
After fighting for seven years, the French surrendered to the British. This leads to the French leaving North America while the British gain most of Canada and the land east of the Mississippi River. The Spanish end up loosing Florida but gain the southern and western part of North America. -
Proclamation of 1763
A proclamation by Britain that restricted the colonists' westward expansion into Native American land. Britain wanted to reserve land west of the Appalachia Mountains for the Native Americans but colonists wanted to expand and spread westward in the hopes of finding better soil for growing plants. The colonists went against this and decided to keep expanding west. -
Sugar Act is Passed
The Sugar Act was the first act to be created by Britain to punish the colonies. The idea was that this act would cut down on the smuggling of sugar and molasses into the colonies while also create a tax to generate revenue. Britain wanted to be the only ones that could import these goods into the colonies and the tax would increase the revenue that Britain earned with these trades. This act focused more on the smuggled sugar and molasses but still involved a tax. -
Stamp Act is Passed
The Stamp Act looked to tax any legal documents in the colonies. Items such as newspapers, contracts, diplomas, and even playing cards were taxed. This was the first act that Britain put in place to directly tax the colonists. Taxing legal documents meant that Britain would have a wide range of things that they could earn tax money from. -
Quartering Act is Passed
The Quartering Act was included in the Intolerable Acts but was introduced a few years before the Intolerable Acts. The Quartering Act required colonists to house British soldiers. The colonists were required to tend to any of the soldiers' needs. This would put great pressure on people who could barely survive before and now had to meet the demands of a British soldier. -
Townshend Acts are Passed
Following the lack of success from the previous acts, Britain decided to create the Townshend Acts to improve the revenue they earned from the colonies. This act taxed paper, paint, lead, glass, and tea. These were goods that many people required and this would hit the colonists the hardest. The tax on tea along with the Boston Massacre would eventually lead to the Boston Tea Party. -
The Boston Massacre
An angry mob in Boston was face to face with members of the British Army. The colonists began to throw snowballs at the soldiers which led to one falling. The British soldiers then began to fire into the angry mob. This resulted in the death of multiple colonists and a full riot began to break out. This would become an event that people such as Paul Revere and Samuel Adams would publicize and use to create rage and anger towards the British. -
Boston Tea Party
Set up by the Sons of Liberty, the Boston Tea Party took place in the middle of the night and involved 342 chests of tea being dumped into the Boston Harbor. The Sons of Liberty dressed up as members of the Mohawk tribe and were able to get onto ships that were owned by the British East India Company. This was done to protest the tax the British placed on tea. It would also gain their attention because of how much money the British lost. -
Intolerable Acts are Passed
In response to the Boston Tea Party, the British put the Intolerable Acts into place to punish the colonists and make up for lost revenue. In total, four acts were put in place. The Boston Port Act closed the Boston Harbor, the Massachusetts Government Act meant the British had the right to elect government officials, the Impartial Administration Act meant trials could be moved to Britain, and the Quartering Act where colonists had to house British soldiers. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
After learning about arms caches that the colonists had at Lexington and Concord, the British sent hundreds of troops to confiscate this arms. This resorted in a stand off between the British and colonial troops. Eventually, someone fired a shot and the battle began. This event is also referred to as "The Shot Heard Around the World" because this would begin the American Revolution. Both sides lost many men but the British came out on top but the colonists made a statement to Britain.
