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Signing of the Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris ended the French and Indian War, also known as the Seven Years War. The Treaty of Paris was signed by Great Britain, Spain, France, with Portugal in agreement. The Treaty of Paris caused France to give up all of its territory in North America. -
Navigation Laws
George Grenville ordered the Navy to strictly enforce the laws. It was created so you had to stop at England first so they could get the first pick of the cargo. It aimed to raise revenue to support the new military force. -
Sugar Act
The British Parliament passed the Sugar Act in 1764 in order to help pay for their debt from the French and Indian War as well as to pay for the troops guarding the Proclamation Line of 1763. The colonists were not happy with this law because they had no say in parliament. The slogan “No Taxation without Representation” became popular in the colonies. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was a tax on all paper goods. It was Britain’s attempt at raising money to support a new military force. This angered the colonists and they believed that Parliament had no right to impose taxes on Americans seeing as no Americans were seated in Parliament. -
Quartering Act
The Quartering Act was passed by Parliament in 1765. The Quartering Act required the colonists to provide shelter and food for the British soldiers. -
Stamp Act Congress
Stamp Act Congress was a group of people who created a document of their grievances due to the Stamp Act. It was sent to the king and he denied all of their requests. This brought more unity between the colonies. -
The Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts taxed imported items such as paper, glass, paint and tea. The English Parliament passed this act to cover costs of the French and Indian War, as well as to show that they still had power over the colonies. The colonists were outraged with this act so they held public demonstrations, boycotted products and smuggled in goods. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre on March 5, 1779 was started because the colonists were against the Townshend Acts. The British did not like this action, so they landed troops in the Boston square. The British supposedly heard “Fire” and shot the colonists after they were throwing snowballs, rocks, and bricks at them. Crispus Attucks was the first person to die in the American Revolution -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party happened at the Boston harbor because the colonists were fed up with the tax on tea. So, a group of colonists were disguised as Indians and boarded ships. They threw 342 chests of tea into the harbor. -
Tea Act
The British East India Tea Company was facing bankruptcy, so the British created the Tea Act. The Tea Act only allowed tea in the colonists to be traded with England. Also, the colonists could sell their own tea for cheap but they were afraid it was a trick. -
Intolerable Acts
Parliament passed the Intolerable Acts to to get the colonists back under their control. One of the acts was the Boston Port Act. This act closed the port until all the damages done during the Boston Tea Party were paid for. Other acts restricted town meetings and the New Quartering Act allowed authorities to have anyone house soldiers with no excuses. -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress took place in Philadelphia. 12 of the 13 colonies sent delegates, all except Georgia. 55 men including Samuel Adams, John Adams, George Washington, and Patrick Henry all came together to discuss their grievances. The Continental Congress created the Declaration of Rights, several solemn appeals, and started a boycott that caused the nonimportation, non-exportation, and non-consumption of British goods. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
Parliament rejected Congress’s petitions. The British commander sent troops to Lexington and Concord to seize stores of gunpowder, as well as to arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock. Paul Revere rode from Charlestown to Lexington warning the people that the British were coming. So, the colonies met the British half way and a battle broke out. The British were outnumbered and low on ammunition and were forced to retreat back to Boston. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was a declaration created for the colonies to have an independent nation. It was an inspiration over the revolutionary movement. This document endedg the colonies connection with Great Britain. It stated their rights to choose their own government. It was written by Thomas Jefferson,, Roger Sherman, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Robert R. Livingston.
