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The Sugar Act
The Sugar Act was first passed in 1764, it was the first ever passed by the Parliament for raising tax revenue in the colonies for the crown. It reduced the tax on molasses. Prime Minister George Grenville made sure the law was strictly enforced. Other goods were taxed including sugar, certain wines, coffee, pimiento, cambric and printed calico.The tax on molasses caused a decline in the rum industry. -
The Stamp Act
Britain passed this act putting taxes on things like newspapers, legal documents, and playing cards. This was the first tax forced upon Americans to support the new British military force. Stamps certified payment of tax, and were required on bills for trade items as well. It strongly resisted, and eventually got it repealed. This gave Americans confidence that they could avoid taxes in the future as well. -
The Townshend Acts
Chancellor of England, hoped to reduce national debt in Britain by taxing the colonies in America. In order to do this, he and parliament passed the Townshend Acts. These included the New York Restraining Act, Customs Service Reorganization (intended to increase revenues), and The Townshend Duty Acts (tax on items such as paint, paper, and glass imported into the colonies.) -
The Boston Massacre
On this night in Boston, 10 red coats were gaurding a government building when 60 colonists began to argue with them. The crowd taunted the soldiers. The colonists threw snowballs, rocks, and beat the soldiers. The group provoked the red coats, and the soldiers opened fire on the crowd. There were 11 "innocent" victims killed by the soldiers. -
The Boston Tea Party
Ships couldn't reach the port of boston because of on-going protests. One ship came into the port, and a party of Sons of Liberty patriots, dressed as Indians, went on board the ships at Griffin’s, broke open the tea boxes, and threw 352 chests of tea over board into the harbour. The only way to get rid of the tea was to destroy it.This angered Parliament. -
The First Continental Congress
12 out of 13 colonies were represented at the First Continental Congress, which met in Philadelphia. There were 55 delegates, including Sam Adams, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and George Washington. The men met for seven weeks, but they weren't calling for independence. Most of them wanted to restore friendly relations with the British. They wrote appeals to the King and the British people and created the Association, which was a complete boycott of British goods. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
These battles were the first of the American Revolutionary War. The British Army was instructed to capture and destroy American military supplies. Colonists had received word about this in advance and were able to relocate most of their supplies. First shots were fired at Lexington, then some moved forward to Concord to capture supplies. The Patriots were able to fight off the British and watched them go back to Boston.
