American flag summary

Events Leading to the American Revolution

By Rondel
  • End of the French and Indian War

    The French and Indian War concludes, with the English emerging as victorious.
  • End of Salutary Neglect

    Britain resumes enforcing their rules on the colonies, ending the freedom that many colonists had to trade with other countries.
  • Pontiac's Rebellion

    Group of Natives around the Great Lakes region that, due to repossession of land by the British from the French, rebelled.
  • Royal Procalmation of 1763

    Proclamation by King George III of Britain.
    It granted some land won in the Seven Year's War to the province of Quebec and created a border on the Appalachian mountains that seperated land able to be colonized (east of the border) from land that could not be colonized (west of the border).
  • Paxton Boys Uprising

    Poor, white men caused an uproar due to the raised taxes and demanded them to be tuned down.
  • Sugar Act of 1764

    Essentially lowered the taxation on molasses from the Molasses Act of 1733; also provided more strict rules and punishments for those that do not abide by the rules.
    Created a system for smugglers called "Vice Admiralty Courts", where the convicted were immediately presumed guilty.
  • Currency Act of 1764

    The British Parliament severely restricted colonial America's ability to print money and open banks, which was a major grievance in many of the colonies, due to complications in trading goods.
    English government issued British authorized money instead.
  • Stamp Act of 1765

    Act that required that all paper materials be bought from Britain. To confirm this, all parchment would have an official stamp of Britain on it.
    Stamp Act Congress meets to attempt to get Britain to repeal it.
  • Quartering Act of 1765

    Colonists were now forced to house British troops that wanted residence.
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    Sons/Daughters of Liberty

    A resistance movement against the British.
    Sons - Normally violence against those supporting or doing the British's bidding.
    Daughters - Normally more economic movements, such as boycotting.
  • Declaratory Act of 1766

    Act of Parliament that stated that Britain's authority in American colonies was the same as in Britain after it repealed the Stamp Act.
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    Townshend Acts

    Acts that were meant to raise the salaries of government officials in the colonies by taxing the commonwealth were passed; this was to keep the officials loyal to the crown.
  • Occupation of Boston

    British troops are sent to occupy Boston.
  • Boston Massacre

    Several British soldiers fire into a crowd of angry colonists, killing six and injuring eleven.
  • The Regulators

    Small movement in the Carolinas which matched the Sons of Liberty's actions.
  • Gaspey Affair

    British Navy ship out posted to catch smugglers is set by fire by Sons of Liberty.
  • Tea Act of 1773

    An act that required colonists to buy tea from the East India Company, which, at the time, was failing.
  • Boston Tea Party

    Colonists board a ship delivering tea from the East India Company and toss all of the tea into a harbor to protest the Tea Act of 1773.
  • Intolerable/Coercive Acts

    In response to the Boston Tea Party, Britain creates several acts that limit their ability to self govern, effectively making them completely under England's control.
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    First Continental Congress

    Several delegates from the colonies were sent to discuss how to combat the British oppression on the colonies, but specifically Massachusetts.
  • Petition to the King

    A petition concocted at the First Continental Congress to attempt to get the Intolerable Acts repealed.
  • Battles of Lexington and Concord

    First military engagement between the American militia and the British forces in the American Revolution.