Road to Revolution

By 19bmeader

  • The Proclamation of 1763

    WHAT HAPPENED : This law forbade the colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains. It was put into place in order to prevent conflict and war amongst the British and Natives.
    IMPACT/EFFECT : Colonists who were already settled on this land were asked ordered to return East. They were forced to leave the upper Ohio River Valley. However, this law proved to be ineffective.

  • The Sugar Act

    WHAT HAPPENED : In order to pay for all of the debt from the war, parliament imposed new regulations on the colonist, taxing them. This law contained terms aimed at abolishing molasses smugglers.
    IMPACT/EFFECT : This made the colonists very angry. This new regulation was to be strictly enforced. This made it harder for colonial shippers to avoid committing violations, even small ones. Those who violated were to be immediately arrested and tried in court. This upset a lot of the colonists.

  • The Currency Act

    WHAT HAPPENED : This particular law forbade the colonists from issuing paper money. This was done in order to alleviate fears from the British creditors, and make sure they were not receiving payment in the form of colonist currency.
    IMPACT/EFFECT : The colonists felt a lot of discomfort after this act went into place, feeling as though the British were trying to take too much control. This made it even harder for the colonists´ debt to be paid off.

  • The Stamp Act

    WHAT HAPPENED : This put a tax on stamps along with any paper products. This was put into place to keep the troops there and to pay off war debts.
    IMPACT/EFFECT : This made the colonists extremely angry. This was when the term ¨no taxation without representation¨ became popular. It not only led to protesting, but also violence. The Sons of Liberty were not happy with this new law.

  • The Quartering Act

    WHAT HAPPENED : This act allowed the British to have a standing army in America during peacetime. This made it so that the soldiers were fed, housed, and stationed in the colonists´ homes. It was passed because the British felt like they were loosing power over the American colonists.
    IMPACT/EFFECT : The so colonists really hated this one. They did not feel like what the British were doing was very fair. This was considered the most despised act of them all.

  • The Townshend Acts

    WHAT HAPPENED : This act placed a tax on lead, glass, tea, paper, and paint. Parliament knew how much of a struggle it would be to collect/enforce these taxes, so commissioners were hired.
    IMPACT/EFFECT : This caused a lot of items to be boycotted and overall a lot of resistance. By 1770, the Townshend Acts were repealed except for the tax on tea.

  • The Boston Massacre

    WHAT HAPPENED : Once the British heard the colonists name-calling, the soldiers got very upset. They began to destroy the property of the colonists. That is when the colonists began to fight back and formed groups that threw rocks at the soldiers. Then, all Hell broke loose when the British fired shots into the crowds.
    IMPACT/EFFECT : After this, lots of fights broke out. This made the colonists even more angry and extremely determined to become independent, possibly creating their own country.

  • The Tea Act

    WHAT HAPPENED : The price on tea is reduced because the American merchants were banned from shipping tea to the colonists. This was put into place in order to make the colonists happy about the original price, in order to be able to place a tax on it.
    IMPACT/EFFECT : Although it was made to make colonists happy, it only made them angrier. This took jobs away from merchants, creating a lot of anger. It was repealed because the colonists stopped buying tea in protest against the taxes.

  • The Boston Tea Party

    WHAT HAPPENED : This was Boston´s way of boycotting the Tea Act. The colonists disguised themselves as Indians and boarded the ships full of tea. They then threw all of the tea on board into the harbor.
    IMPACT/EFFECT : This allowed the colonists to come together and act as one unit, often referred to as the First Continental Congress. It made the British parliament very upset.

  • The Intolerable Acts

    WHAT HAPPENED : In an attempt to punish Boston for the protests, British parliament set a series of laws into place. The Boston Harbor was to stay closed until the colonists could pay for the money lost from the Tea Party. The colonists could be tried in trial for crimes. The British completely took over MA.
    IMPACT/EFFECT : This showed the British´s true feelings about the colonists. The colonists were furious with the British and felt powerless.