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The French and Indian War
The French and British had the most territorial disputes within North America during this war. Both countries wanted access to the profitable fur trade business and the cheap fertile land west of the Appalachian Mountains. Although the British lost majority of the initial battles they ultimately won the war. The war caused relations to worsen between the British and the Colonists. The colonists were angry with the Proclamation Line of 1763 and the taxes they were forced to pay. -
The Sugar Act
The British Parliament passed the Sugar Act in 1764 in order to help pay for their debt from the French and Indian War as well as to pay for the troops guarding the Proclamation Line of 1763. It forced the colonists to pay a 3 cent tax on goods like sugar, coffee, indigo and certain kinds of alcohol. The colonists were not happy with this law because they had no say in parliament. The slogan “No Taxation without Representation” became popular in the colonies. -
Sons of Liberty
A well-organized political organization shrouded in secrecy that was established to undermine British rule in colonial America. This group sprang up in port cities like Boston and NYC. Group members were men from all walks of life, and were known to be hot headed and violent. -
The Stamp Act
The British Parliament passed The Stamp Act in 1765 in order to support the British soldiers guarding the Proclamation Line. The Stamp Act required that a stamp purchased by the British government had to be placed on all important documents like court papers, newspapers, and even playing cards. The colonists were outraged because they were paying for troops that were keeping them out of the land that they had just fought for in the French and Indian War. This led to more colonial protests. -
The Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts taxed imported items such as paper, glass, paint, and tea. The English Parliament passed the act to cover costs of The French and Indian war, and to show that they still had power over the colonies. The colonists were outraged with this act so they held public demonstrations, boycotted products and smuggled in goods. Parliament eventually decided to repeal this act because of colonial protests. -
The Boston Massacre
On this day there was a violent confrontation between a handful of British soldiers and a large amount of colonists on King Street in Boston. These soldiers were provoked and accidentally shot into the crowd of colonists. This event killed a few and injured many more. It was one of the indirect causes of the American Revolution. The colonists are to blame for this event, not the British. -
The Tea Act
This new tax law passed by British Parliament was not designed to raise taxes in the colonies. The Tea Act was created to help the East India Company sell their 18 million pounds of unsold tea. But, what angered the colonists was the fact that England gave the East India Company a monopoly on tea sales in the colonies. This infuriated the colonists. This new tax lead to the resistance of the tea and the taxes and ultimately The Boston Tea Party. -
The Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was an act of resistance by the Sons of Liberty towards the newly passed Tea Act. Men dressed as Indians and boarded the docked ships in the harbor at night and tossed 342 crates of tea into the sea. This was a very secretive act of resistance at the time until a crowd gathered and watched the men. This stunt infuriated the British and caused the Intolerable Acts to be passed. -
The Coercive (intolerable) Acts
The Coercive Acts were a series of laws created to punish the colonists for The Boston Tea Party. The British closed down Boston Harbor which caused many people to lose their jobs and many stores to close because of lack of resources. British soldiers on trial for a capital offense would be sent back to England for a ‘’Fair trial’’. The Quartering Act made it so the colonists were forced to house and feed any British soldier that needed it. And lastly, the town meetings were shut down. -
The First Continental Congress
Representatives from 12 of the colonies were present. Some of the men present were; George Washington, John Adams, Patrick Henry, John Jay and Samuel Adams. These men discussed the many issues with England and told of their outrage with the Intolerable Acts. They created a letter and sent it to King George III that stated they were still loyal to the king and England and said that taxing the colonies without representation was unfair and that if this was not noticed they would meet again. -
The Battles of Lexington and Concord
Redcoat troops marched to Lexington and Concord with the orders to arrest or capture any rebel leaders. Militiamen lined up against hundreds of troops from the British army. The leader of the colonists, told them to stand their ground and to not fire unless fired upon. After this the British then marched to Concord to raid the arms stash. The rebels hid it all before they arrived. They then went back to Concord and the militiamen were waiting and were able to pin the British back to Boston.
