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Navigation Act Passed
Colonists had to transport goods on British ships as smuggling was a problem for them. Trade with items like sugar, tobacco, indigo, furs, etc. were only allowed to go to England. Any goods not purchased from England were taxed at the port. Colonists ignored these laws and continued smuggling. -
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Timeline Project
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Proclamation Act Passed
A line that prohibited colonists from moving West of the Appalachian mountains and settling in the Ohio River Valley. Was passed due to the French and Indian War and was an attempt to make the Native Americans happy and let them keep their land. Americans weren’t happy, England had soldiers evicting people from the lands, however it wasn’t very enforced. People still bought the land, thinking they’d have ownership of it when the Proclamation was repealed. -
Writs of Assistance and Sugar Act Passed
The Writs of Assistance allowed officers to search any house for any reason without need for a warrant. The Sugar Act taxed all refined sugar and molasses imported into the colonies, greatly displeasing them. The colonists thought the Writs of Assistance violated their rights. -
Stamp Act Passed
A direct tax on all printed materials in the colonies. The colonists were outraged because they were getting taxed, but they had no representation in the Parliament (“No taxation without Representation”). The colonists formed the Sons and Daughters of Liberty. The colonists protested and harassed tax collectors. Delegates were sent from 9 colonies to New York to discuss how to deal with the Stamp Act, where they decided to boycott British goods. -
Declaratory Act Passed, Stamp Act Repealed
British trade fell by 14% because of the boycotts, so they repealed the Stamp Act. However, In the Declaratory Act that repealed the Stamp Act, they also stated that they had the right to tax colonists in all cases. -
Townshend Acts Passed
Taxed glass, lead, paper, tea, and other materials imported to the colonies. Britain sent soldiers to enforce this act. The colonists once again reacted with protest, saying that they still had no representation in parliament but were being taxed. Colonists decided to boycott again. Tensions were rising between colonists and Britain. -
The Boston Massacre
A group of colonists in Boston were harassing British soldiers, throwing oyster shells or other objects at them, and trying to provoke them to fire. The colonists also had clubs, and with no order to fire, a soldier fired. 5 people died and Paul Revere made a political cartoon showing the colonists as orderly, and the British soldiers willingly firing. The news spread across the colonies that British soldiers killed 5 people and tensions were very high. -
Tea Act Passed
Britain kept the tax on tea to show they could still tax colonists, but repealed the taxes on other items from the Townshend Acts. Britain gave control of the American tea trade to the East India Company. The colonists were required to buy the tea from the East India Company. Colonists once again, did not react well since they still didn’t have representation in parliament. -
The Boston Tea Party
The Sons and Daughters of Liberty took over a ship transporting tea and threw 342 chests of tea into the water. This cost Britain a huge amount of money and they were enraged with the colonies. -
Intolerable Acts Passed
Britain passed the Intolerable Acts to punish Boston and try to isolate them from the other colonies. They closed off their port until they paid for the amount of lost tea, restricted the government, housed soldiers wherever they wanted, and let British officials accused of crimes stand trial in England. The colonists thought these acts attacked their rights. Colonists held a Continental Congress with delegates from all the colonies, boycotted British goods, and prepared for war. -
First shot at Lexington and Concord
The British troops began marching to Concord. Paul Revere was warned of the troops and rode out to Concord to warn the militia and get them ready for battle. The militia met the troops between Lexington and Concord. The Militia was heavily outnumbered, and then the British troops fired the first shot, or the “Shot heard from Around the World.” British troops continued to Concord in search of weapons, met more Colonial troops, and after exchanging shots the British retreated, and the war begun.