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Britain’s passage of the Stamp Act
In 1765, on March the twenty-second, the British Parliament passed the Stamp Act. This tax applied to all American Colonists and made it manditory to pay on every piece of printed paper they used. Some examples of the items taxed are: ship's paper, legal documents, licenses, newspapers, and even playing cards! The money collected from these taxed items was used to help the cost of defending and protecting the border. The cost of the tax on the items was very small but still upset the colonist. -
The Tea Act
The Tea Act which was passed by Parliament on May 10, 1773, allowed the British East India Company control of tea sales in the American Colonies. The tea act resulted in an event called "The Boston Tea Party". On December 16, 1773, the Sons of Liberty members disguised themselves as Mohawk Indians, boarded three ships that were docked in the Boston Harber, and destroyed over 92,000 pounds of tea. -
Intolerable Acts
Britain passed several laws in response to the Boston Tea Party. These laws became known as the "Intolerable Acts". These laws did different things: one of the laws closed the Boston Harbor (until the people of Boston paid for the destroyed tea), another law gave more power to the governor. The power given to the governor made him a dictator. The colonist were very upset because of these acts. The colonist fought back with a resistance to these acts by forming a Continental Congress. -
Rebellion of the Colonists
Fifty-six delegates of the First Continental Congress were sent from colonies to meet in Philadelphia. The delegates argued over the rights of colonists. The colonist were advised to establish militias and arm themselves. Also, they started another boycott of Great Britain. British troops in Boston were ordered to go to Massachusetts and take possession of weapons and ammunition from the colonists. The colonists had already formed groups of soliders known as minutemen. Shots were later fired. -
The Writting of the Declaration of Independence
In 1776, the Continental Congress met in Philadelphia with the intention of voting for independence from England. Congress selected a committee to draft a declaration of independence. Those in the committee were John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman. Jefferson began writing on June 11. He wrote many drafts. The final draft was revised by the committee, then submitted to the Continental Congress and later released to the public on July 4th.
