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Proclamation of 1763
The proclamation was enacted after the French and Indian War and Great Britain’s acquisition of French territory in North America. It forbade settlers to advance beyond a line drawn along the Appalachian Mountains (unless they had a permit from the crown and/or business, such as, fur trade across the line). They drafted it so London could control western settlement and prevent native conflict. -
Sugar Act
A result of Britain's national debt, this act raised duty on foreign refined sugar imported by colonies. It gave British plantation owners in West Indies a monopoly on the colonial market, which created tensions between colonial merchants and farmers and Britain's Parliament. -
Writs of Assistance
These documents allowed authorized customs officers to search any ship or building belonging to the colonists. A result of England's desire to stop smuggling that decreased their profits. Colonists thought it was an invasion of their privacy and said it was against “the fundamental principles of law”. Boston merchants hired James Otis as a lawyer, to dismiss the documents, but Great Britain won the trial and kept the Writs of Assistance in place. -
Stamp Act
Also as a result of Britain's war debt, the Act was a tax on printed documents on the colonies. Colonists saw that it was an attempt by England to raise revenue in the colonies without consent of the colonial assemblies. The colonies knew that England would do it again if the colonies didn’t resist. -
Quartering Act
A result of uncooperative colonists that refused to provide for the Red Coats after the French and Indian War and to let them stay in their dwellings. The act forced colonists to provide British soldiers with accommodations. It created a stronger hatred between the colonists and the patrolling Red Coats. It was an amendment to the Mutiny Act. -
Mutiny Act
Virtually the same as the Quartering Act of the same date. The first of the Mutiny Acts was passed back in 1689. Enacted to govern, regulate, and fund the British Army.. -
Stamp Act Congress
A result of the increased taxation of British Parliament. Representatives from nine of the colonies meet and gathered at Federal Hall to protest against the taxes forced upon the colonies. The congress organized a petition to the King and the two houses of Parliament. -
Declaratory Act
This act accompanied repeal of Stamp Act and the changing and lessening of the Sugar Act. It asserted Parliament’s authority over colonies “in all cases whatsoever”, which gave them the power to tax the colonies without representation from the colonies. The act created further resentment between British rule and the colonies, who refused to follow Parliament's unfair acts. -
Townshend Acts
These acts disbanded the New York assembly until they agreed to the Mutiny Act and levied new taxes on various goods imported to colonies from England. It also created a New board of customs commissioners in America. As a result, Boston merchants started to boycott, followed by other colonies who joined, and English products began to seem less desirable to Americans. -
Boston Massacre
A result of growing tensions between the British Soldiers in the colonies, such as the Quartering Act, and other acts before that caused resentment of the British.When a group of British Soldiers on duty in Boston were being heckled by colonists throwing snowballs, the soldiers fired back killing a total of five.The officer was Thomas Preston and he, along with eight of his men, were tried for manslaughter. The massacre and the trials that followed resulted in the passing of the Coercive Acts. -
Tea Act
The objective of the Tea act was to reduce the massive surplus of tea in London warehouses owned by British East India Company Also, to undercut the price of illegal tea that was being smuggled into the colonies. Opposition of the act came from colonial merchants and smugglers that feared they might lose their business. As a result, the Sons of Liberty protested in the Boston Tea Party. -
Boston Tea Party
In protest of the Tea Tax, the Sons of Liberty boarded the ships sent by the British East India Company, carrying crates of tea, and proceeded to throw all their tea overboard into the harbor, costing them over two million dollars at today's value. The protest resulted in Parliament's passing of the Coercive Acts. -
Coercive Acts
Also know as the intolerable acts, the acts were a result of the Boston Tea party and the Boston Massacre. Parliament hoped that the acts would cut Boston and New England off from the rest of the colonies. It punished them by closing the ports until all the tea was paid for, restricted Massachusetts's democratic town meetings, made British officials immune to criminal prosecution, and the passing of the Quebec Act. Eventually, resulted in the creation of the Continental Congress. -
Quebec Act
Apart of the Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts), therefore it was apart of the punishment for the Boston Tea Party and Massacre.
The act extended the freedom of worship to Catholics in Canada, as well as granting Canadians the continuation of their judicial system. Colonial protestants protested that Catholics should not be able to worship freely on their borders. Also, resulted in the creation of the Continental Congress. -
First Continental Congress
Result of the Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts) attempt to cut Boston off from the other colonies. Also a result from growing tensions and further conflicts against Parliament and British rule. 56 delegates from all colonies (except Georgia) meet at Carpenter’s Hall in Philly.
There, they drafted a declaration of rights and grievances. -
Lexington and Concord
A result of the colonists efforts to prepare for war because of the growing tensions. After learning of the news of a Redcoat invasion was coming to Concord, Paul Revere and William Dawes warned the colonists to prepare for battle. American troops meet the Redcoats in Lexington and engaged in battle and American troops caused 3x the casualties on the British. The battle marked the beginning of the American Colonist's War for Independence, The American Revolution. -
2nd Continental Congress
A result of the first battle of the American Revolution, Lexington and Concord. The congress succeed the first Continental Congress and was made up of representatives from each colony. They took the first steps in declaring Independence from the British by taking a vote for the separation from British Rule. Resulted in the drafting of the Declaration of Independence. -
Olive Branch Petition
A letter written by John Dickinson to King George III in an attempt to express reconciliation between the colonies and the British. Adopted by the Continental Congress, but did little to stop the progression of the War between Britain and the colonies. -
Declaration of Independence
The declaration was a result of the American Revolution coming in full effect. The Continental Congress adopted the declaration written by Thomas Jefferson that stated their independence from British Rule and their right to choose their own government. It resulted in continuation of the American Revolution.
