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The French and Indian War
First event that led up to the Revolutionary War. It was also known as the seven year war. The French and Indian War began over the specific issue of whether the upper Ohio River valley was a part of the British Empire. It was fought between the French and the British, with both sides having Native American allies. It was fought in 1754 through 1761. The British won the French and Indian War. They took control of the lands that had been claimed by France. -
The Proclamation of 1763
This was an imaginary line that kept the British off Native American Territory. The line was drawn along the outside of the Appalachian Mountains. British colonists were not to go west of this line and settle. If colonists lived there, they were told to move. This caused many landowners to be upset. One main protester was George Washington. He owned land in Virginia. -
The Sugar Act
After the french and Indian war, the British were running low on money. Wars take up a bunch of money and supplies. Under the Sugar Act colonial merchants were required to pay a tax of sixpence per gallon on molasses. This hurt the British West Indies market in molasses and sugar and the market for rum, which the colonies had been producing in quantity with the cheaper French molasses. Even with the Act placed, colonists still continued to smuggle molasses into the colonies. -
The Stamp Act
Parliament passed a new law in 1765 known as the Stamp Act. The Stamp Act taxed mainly legal documents but also things such as newspapers, almanacs, and playing cards. A stamp would be placed on all of these items to identify that the buyer had paid the tax. American colonists held protests claiming that they should not be taxed without representation. -
The Townshend Acts
In May, 1767, Parliament passed the Townshend acts. These acts placed a tax on goods such as glass, paper, paint, lead, and tea. The taxes were low, but colonists still protested. They still felt as if they shouldn't be taxed without representation in parliament. The Townshend acts also set up new ways to collect taxes. Officers were allowed to inspect ships' cargo without giving a reason. Colonists were very upset with these acts. -
The Boston Massacre
The night of March 5, 1770 American colonists from Boston formed a group outside the customs house. Items were thrown at the British soldiers such as snowballs, oyster shells, and chunks of ice. The crowd was even calling them, “lobsterbacks” and daring them to fire. And then the soldiers fired into the large group of people. Five people died that night and it became known as the Boston Massacre. -
The Tea Act
In the 1770’s, the British East India Tea Company found itself in financial troubles. Parliament tried to help out the Company by passing the Tea Act of 1773. This act let the company sell the tea directly to colonists. Although colonists still had to pay a tax on the tea, it wouldn’t be as high as if it were sold by merchants. To Parliament's surprise, colonists still protested this act. American merchants were upset that they had been cut out of the tea trade. -
The Boston Tea Party
The sons of liberty met to send a message to the governor that the ships needed to leave. The governor denied them and this would not stop them. They made their plan and threw boxes of tea into the harbor. Groups of American colonists stood on the ships dressed as Native Americans and it was known as the Boston Tea party. -
The Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts were harsh laws created for Massachusetts. First, Parliament shut down the port of Boston, preventing all ships from entering or leaving the port. Second, Parliament forbade Boston from holding more than one town meeting per year with the government's permission. Third, parliament allowed major officers facing a charge to be tried in Britain or Canada instead of Massachusetts. Lastly, Parliament passed a new Quartering Act. -
The Quebec Act
Religious freedom was what drove the Quebec act. It was to give religious freedom to French Catholics. But this was not it, I also made Quebec bigger by taking the land between the Ohio and Missouri rivers. The colonists did not like this because it was apparently their land as they say. -
The First Continental Congress
In September 1774, colonial leaders called a meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Delegates from all 12 met together to form what would be known as the first continental congress. The only colony to not send a delegate was Georgia. They agreed to meet in May of the next year, 1775, but they had no idea what was going to happen.