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Proclamation
It was an attempt to prevent the colonists from going west and passed the Appalachian Mountains. The British did this to prevent future issues between Native Americans and the colonists. This angered the colonists because they wanted the benefits that would come with the western lands. -
Sugar Act
The Act put a tax on foreign refined sugar, coffee, indigo, and certain kinds of wine. These taxes affected only a certain part of the population, but the affected merchants were very vocal. -
Stamp Act
It required all American colonists to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper they used. Ship's papers, legal documents, licenses, newspapers, other publications, and even playing cards were taxed. -
Quartering Act
The act forced American colonist to house and feed British forces who were serving in North America. This law was expanded in 1766 and required colonists to gather the soldiers in taverns and unoccupied houses. -
Stamp Act Congress
It is often considered the first formal act of resistance by the American colonists to rule by Great Britain. The Stamp Act Congress was a meeting of representatives from nine of the thirteen American colonies. -
Declaratory Act
An Act of the Parliament of Great Britain, which accompanied the repeal of the Stamp Act 1765. The declaration stated that Parliament's power was the same in America as in Britain and declared Parliament's power to pass laws that were needed on the American colonies. -
Townshend Acts
It was originated by Charles Townshend and passed by the English Parliament shortly after the repeal of the Stamp Act. They were designed to collect revenue from the colonists in America by putting customs duties on imports of glass, lead, paints, paper, and tea. -
Boston Massacre
American colonists attacked British soldiers in Boston, which resulted in the soldiers firing on the crowd and killing five of the colonists. The colonists realized that the British government was prepared to use military force to keep the colonists obedient. -
Tea Act
The Act reasserted Parliament’s right to tax the colonists. The significance of this is that the Parliament wanted to tax the colonists even though the Townshend Act had been repealed. -
Boston Tea Party
Colonists dressed up like Indians and dumped forty five tons of tea into the British Harbor. This is considered to be the first step in the American Revolution. It is the first time that the colonists fought back. -
Quebec Act
Act passed by the British Parliament to institute a permanent control in Canada replacing the temporary government created at the time of the Proclamation of 1763. It gave the French Canadians complete religious freedom and restored the French form of civil law. -
Coercive Acts
The Acts were used to describe a series of laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774 relating to Britain's colonies in North America. The acts triggered anger and battle in the Thirteen Colonies that later became the United States, and were important developments in the growth of the American Revolution. -
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1st Continental Congress
The first Continental Congress met in Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia. It brought together representatives from each of the colonies, except Georgia, to discuss their response to the British "Intolerable Acts." -
Battle of Lexington/Concord
The first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. The battle took place in Middlesex County, Massachusetts Bay, near Boston. This battle marked the opening of armed hostilities between the Kingdom of Great Britain and its thirteen colonies in America. -
2nd Continental Congress
The members of the Second Continental Congress met at the State House in Philadelphia. The meeting started with the battle of Lexington and Concord. -
Olive Branch Petition
It outlined their issues and asked the British government to respond and deal with them. King George III of England refused to accept the petition. He believed the Americans to be in rebellion, and believed he could quickly end it with his military force. -
Declaration of Independence
It is the founding document of American history. It has been included among one of the most important documents ever to be written in the history of the United States of America.
