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The founding of plymouth
Plymouth was founded by the pilgrims in 1620 because they were seeking religious freedom. When they arrived they started their own government in which every male of age got a say in town meetings. This started the trend of self government that became so heavily ingrained into colonial society that when this right was taken away they rebelled to regain their rights. -
The French and indian war
The french and Indian war was one of the first wars to take place solely in the colonies and was not the result of conflicts spilling over the sea. It was fought by the colonial militia and the British army on one side and the french and their Indian allies on the other. Britain ended up winning the war freeing up more land for colonial expansion. The war created a huge debt the British needed to pay
Britain would end up blaming the war on the colonies -
The proclamation line
This proclamation prohibited colonists from settling past the application mountains. This angered the colonists because they could not access the futile Ohio river valley or the profitable fur trade. They also felt cheated because they had fought and sometimes died for this land. -
The sugar act
The sugar act of 1764 decreased the tax on sugar, compared to the molasses act, in an effort to reduce smuggling. this tax was more heavily enforced than the molasses act. This act was an outrage to American merchants who had never paid the molasses tax to begin with.
This led to the tar and feathering of many a tax collector, further stressing the relationship between American merchants and Britain. -
The stamp act
The stamp act required all printed goods to be marked with a stamp to show that their tax had been paid. because of overwhelming disapproval it was repealed the next year. This act was heavily boycotted by the colonists which lead to its eventual repeal the next year.
This victory against British taxes gave them hope that they could beat any tax Britain proposed. this attitude would carry on up until the revolution. -
The declatory act
the declaratory act was an act created by parliament that stated all laws created by parliament were superior to those created in the colonies. This took away the colonies right to self govern which they had embraced for a long time.
Meant that and English man in Britain was better than one in the colonies. -
The Bosten Massacure
The Boston massacre occurred when a large crowd of people started harassing a group of British solders. This escalated when the crowd started throwing snowballs rocks and clam shells. The British solders fired upon the civilians killing five. This sparked outrage among the colonists which was fueled by propaganda that was created to rally the other colonist to break ties with Britain. -
The intolorable acts
The intolerable acts were passed by parliament as a response to the Boston tea party. They were meant to crush any thought of rebellion among the colonists. They included the Boston port act, the Massachusetts government act, the administration of justice act, and the quartering act. Together these acts took away most of the rights of Massachusetts and destroyed their economy.
Rather than subduing the mutiny they fanned the flames in the patriots hearts. -
The Quartering act
The quartering act of 1774 was an amendment to the previous quartering act that had been on the books since 1765. This act stated that solders could be housed in inns, barns of other uninhabited structures. The colonists thought that this act infringed upon their rights as English citizens -
The first continental congress
The first continental congress was held in response to the implementation of the intolerable acts. the congress discussed how to react to the acts and decided to send a petition to Britain asking for forgiveness. When the king basically laughs in their face it persuades them that other, more drastic, measures must be taken.