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The French and Indian War
The French and Indian War was a war between France and Britian in the new world. Although the French were supported by the Native Americans, the superior naval power of the British allowed the British to expel the French from the New World. As they were expelled, they had no pull over the colonies. The large expenses undertaken in the war also necessitated the future taxes on the colonies to pay for soldiers. -
The Proclamation of 1763
Following the Frenchand Indian war, King George III issued a proclamation which declared a line that no American could settle past, near the Appalachian Mountains. The goal of the proclamation was to come to a mostly peaceful settlement between the colonies and the Native Americans. Many colonists objected to this proclamation, and coninued to settle beyond the line. The line was later adjusted in various treaties between the Native Americans and the colonists. -
Sugar Act
In order to raise revenue to pay for the expenses of the French and Indian War, the British implemented a series of taxes. The first of these was the Sugar Act, which implemented a tax on many goods, and listed a few other goods which could only be imported to Britian. The Sugar Act was suffeciently impactful to earn a few protests from colonists, however its indirect nature meant that far less people cared about it than the later Stamp Act. -
Stamp Act
In order to pay for troops stationed in the colonies, the Stamp Act declared that all colonial printed materials must be printed on a certain type of paper, embossed with a stamp in London. This act became infamous for its unpopularity with the colonists. As opposed to the previous taxes, this tax impacted a great number of Americans directly. Due to this, a majority of colonists complained that they were being taxed without their consent. This resulted in the Stamp Act Congress later that year. -
Quartering Act
After the events of the French and Indian war, many of the officers who participated, including commander-in-chief of British forces in America Thomas Gage, couldn't convince the colonials to pay for the expenses of the British forces. He asked Parliment for assistance, and on May 3 1765, they passed the Quartering Act. The act declared that any colonials with uninhabited houses, storehouses, stables, or any other unused structures that could quarter soldiers would be required to do so. -
The Stamp Act Congress
In response to the Stamp Act, the Massachusettes colonial legislature sent out a circular letter to every other colony requesting a congressional meeting. Nine out of the thirteen colonies attended, and they petitioned to Parliment to repeal the act. Parliment did so reluctantly, but they secretly passed the Declaratory Act, which declared their absolute legal power over the colonies. -
The Gaspee Affair
The Gaspee was a customs ship that was well known for its sucess in catching smugglers. In 1772, the ship ran aground off the coast of Rhode Island. A group of colonials took this oppertunity to disguise themselves as Native Americans, call the British off their ship, and set fire to the aforementioned ship. -
The Boston Tea Party
The boycott on British goods continued, but when the British refused to budge, the colonists acted out. A specific group of radical colonists, named the Sons of Liberty, disguised themselves as native Americans, travelled onto a British ship docked in the port of Boston, and dumped 342 chests of tea into the harbor. While the more radical colonists responded positively, a majority of colonists thought that the act was going too far. -
The Intolerable Acts
The king established four acts, which the colonials deemed the "Intolerable Acts." The first was the Port Act, which closed the entirety of the port of Boston until the destroyed tea was paid for. The second was the Administration of Justice Act which which meant that royal officials would be tried in England. Then the Quartering Act, which expanded its predecessor to the private homes of any colonial.The Massachussetes Government Act reduced colonial power while increasing royal authority. -
The First Continental Congress
In response to the Intolerable Acts, a committee of delegates from 12 of the colonies (Georgia did not attend.) assembled to determine an appropriate response. Ultimately, they decided on sending a petition to King George III demanding redress for his grievances. In the event that their petition was unsucessful, they elected to hold a second congress. -
The Second Continental Congress
King George did not approve of the petition, and so the second congress was held. In the wake of war, they encouraged each colonia to gather a militia. The congress acted as a de facto government for the time of the war. The first act was to give a final bid for peace to King George III in the form of the Olive Branch Petition. -
The Olive Branch Petition
As the colonials desired peace from Britian and not war, they issued one final petition to King George for peace. He refused to even look at it, and instead issued the Proclamation for Suppressing Rebellion and Sedition which comanded all soldiers to supress rebellion wherever possible. -
Common Sense
Thomas Paine's Common Sense was a pamphlet, published in January of 1776, which argued for the total seperation of the "United States of America" from British rule. At the time of its release it was considered highly radical, however, it was a major supporting factor in convincing the Second Continental Congress to consider the possibility of independece. -
The Declaration of Independence
On July 4th, 1776, the Second Congressional Congress was presented with the Declaration of Independece, written by Thomas Jefferson. It declared the transgressions of King George and their reasons for seperation. Jefferson declared it to be not only an issue of their complaints, but an example for other colonials who wish to revolt. Upon the presentation of the Declaration, the congress came to the decision to issue the document to King George, and officially engage in the war for independence.
