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The End of the French and Indian War
This war ended in 1763 with the Treaty of Paris with a British victory. This victory cost the British greatly, they were in severe debt. -
The Sugar Act
The Sugar Act didn’t actually raise the tax on imports from the Caribbean, but instead it was enforced and punished if not followed by English courts not colonial courts. This angered the colonists because they were being taxed without having any representation in the British government. -
The Stamp Act
This Act required people to have a Stamp on paper goods, but people had to pay for these stamps. This lead to the Stamp Act congress that decided to boycott goods aided by the Sons of Liberty, and a more unified group of colonists leading to Britain repealing this act. -
The Declaratory Act
This Act was Britain telling the American colonists that Britain can tax them if they want, they might not be taxing them a this moment but have the ability to tax them. This lead to more colonists being angry about the lack of representation. -
The Townshend Act
Another set of taxes, and a crackdown on American smugglers. This lead to more boycotts of British goods, the involvement of women who were encouraged people to make their own clothes instead of buying British made ones, but also led to some anger amongst merchants who needed people to buy British goods, and also lead to the Boston Massacre. -
The Tea Act
This was a tax on tea allowing tea sellers to sell tea for a cheap price to the American colonists. This lead to anger because the American colonists were offended that the British would have the audacity to tax tea, leading to the Boston Tea party. -
The American Revolution Begins
This was when Americans decided to not follow the intolerable acts, not pay British taxes, and prepare for war, and lead to the first continental congress. Ideas soon arise that people have natural rights and liberties, and eventually America’s fight for independence.