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French and Indian War
British-American colonists fought against the joined French and Native Americans. This had an impact on everyone beyond the general war costs because it ended with territories being rearranged and shifted. -
Royal Proclamation
This proclamation prohibited settling in certain areas of the US and intended to have an effect on the relationship between Natives and colonists. It had more of an affect on the colonist-Britain relationship, though, as many colonists felt rather betrayed by the proclamation after having fought for so long. -
Sugar Act
The Sugar Act was provided by the British in an effort to cut back smuggling in the colonies. This had an effect as it angered the colonists. -
Currency Act
Passed the same year as the Sugar Act, it was intended to ban the colonies from issuing paper bills under the belief that colonists were losing sight of the value of British currency. -
Stamp Act
The British, being deep in war debt, imposed this tax on the colonies stating all official paper document must carry a stamp, which was not free. This affected and angered colonists all over, particularly lawyers and writers. -
Quartering Act
The Quartering Act required colonists to house and feed British soldiers if asked of them. This upset many colonists because the soldiers did not always treat them well, and they had absolutely no say in the matter. -
Declaratory Act
This went alongside the repeal of the Stamp Act, and essentially stated the British reserved all right to impose laws and taxes on the colonies, and in many ways control them. Evidently, this had an effect on the life of nearly every colonist and deeply disturbed many. -
Townshed Acts
Spanning throughout 1767 and 1768, the Townshend Acts were a series of acts intended to further increase Britain's power over the colonists. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre, famously known, was the point at which a group of British soldiers were confronted by and ended up shooting and killing a mob of colonists. This is a famous point in history and is commonly thought of as a major turning point for the American colonies. -
Tea Act
An act that granted the British East India Company a monopoly on American tea sales (in other words, tea sales in the colonies). -
Boston Tea Party
An event that took place as a rebellion to British taxes on tea. Colonists dressed as natives and threw barrels of tea into the harbor. -
Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts were passed after the Boston Tea party as a method of punishing colonists, particularly people in Massachusetts. This was a large problem for many colonists, hence the name 'Intolerable Acts'. -
First Continental Congress
A meeting of the colonies in Philadelphia which resulted in the decision to boycott British goods. -
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The result of an escalation of hostility, the Battles of Lexington and Concord occurred when British soldiers marched to both Lexington and Concord to cease colonial gunpowder. They were victorious at Lexington, killing eight Americans, but had to retreat in Concord. -
Second Continental Congress
All 13 colonies were represented at this meeting to express discontent and develop a plan to create change in unfair British policies. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
A battle which the colonies won, prompting King George III to proclaim that the colonies were in a state of rebellion that had to be dealt with. -
Publishing of "Common Sense"
This infamous pamphlet had an enormous impact on many colonists as it argued that America should no longer be a part of Great Britain and should be a free and independent country. -
Committee was Appointed to Draft the Declaration
This committee consisted of five men: John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman. -
Declaration Was Revised and Submitted to the Continental Congress
It was drafted by Thomas Jefferson, the first time around. The five men then viewed and revised it together before submitting it to the Continental Congress. -
Declaration of Independence is Official
After being voted on over July 2nd, the Declaration of Independence was given a couple more revisions and finally approved on July 4th, 1776 - the holiday we now call Fourth of July!