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The French and Indian War ends
The French and Indian was was the american version of the seven years war. The British and their colonists fought against the French with the help of the Indians. With this war resentment began to form between the colonies and their mother country. -
Sugar Act
After the French and Indian War the British had lots of debt. The sugar act was the first law parliament passed taxing the colonies. Prime Minister George Grenville pushed it through parliament. It highly taxed sugar coming from the West Indies. Originally the colonists were very upset but the duties were lowered and their anger died down. -
Stamp Act
The colonists least favorite act of all was the stamp act. This act was passed to fund military forces in america. Stamps were required on lots of things like bills of sale, documents, and even some commercial items. Grenville felt that it was totally far to ask the Americans to pay for their own protection just as the British had been, but the colonists were not about it. -
Quartering Act
This act forced colonies to provide housing and food for British troops. the colonists hated this act. They thought it was an encroachment on their rights. -
Declaratory act
This act was passed by congress when they repealed the stamp act and revised the sugar act. These actions were taken because rebellion against these acts were majorly hurting British trade. this act stated that parliament had authority in America just as they did in Britain. -
Townshend Acts
These acts were passed when a man named Charles Townshend was in parliament. He could convince anyone of anything with his speeches. These new regulations included duty on glass, white lead, paper, paint, and tea. Townshend made this tax payable at ports, so it was hard to get around. The colonists were already mad and this only made it worse. These taxes were meant to pay the royal governors which only made the colonists even angrier. The colonists brought back non importation agreements. -
Boston Massacre
5 colonists were killed by British soldiers and six more were injured. A mob gathered around a group of British soldiers in the street in Boston. The mob taunted the soldiers to the point the soldiers opened fire on them. This event was heavily publicized by the patriots in order to arise hate towards the thrown, and it definitely did just that. -
Boston Tea Party
Angry colonists, dressed as Native Americans, threw an entire shipment of tea into the Boston Harbor. They were angry about the tea act being imposed and the East India company's new monopoly over the tea market. This event greatly angered parliament and from this point on they discriminated against Boston. -
Quebec Act
This act established how the French in the Canadian area were to be governed. It expanded their territory giving them some American land, which obviously made Americans angry. it also granted them complete religious freedom (they were very catholic) this made anti-Catholics upset. -
First Continental Congress
The first continental congress was a meeting between twelve of the thirteen help in Philadelphia. The congress's purpose was discussing what the colonies would do about the intolerable acts. This was an important beginning of inter colonial communication and cooperation. This was a big step int he colonies all working together. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
This is known as "the shot heard round the world" because it began the American Revolutionary War. The first shots were fired at Lexington where eight minute men who refused to move were killed by red coats. The red coats proceeded to concord where they were to take stores of colonial gunpowder. The militiamen were ready for them when they arrived. The British ended up with almost three hundred casualties. the war had begun, changing history forever.
