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Beginning in 1763, economic policy was followed when it came to the 13 colonies. England saw the colonies as a market for English goods wanted to get money (taxes) natural resources from the colonies. -
7 Years' War between France and England. In the colonies, it was called the French Indian War because the colonists fought with British soldiers against France the Indians who were on the side of France. Because of the war, England had a massive war debt began to tax the people in the 13 colonies. -
"Hands off" approach by Great Britain; British policy of loosely enforcing laws and regulations in the American colonies, allowing them to govern themselves. -
Passed by the British Parliament on March 22, 1765, the Stamp Act was the first direct tax on American colonists, requiring them to pay for an official stamp on legal documents, newspapers, and playing cards to fund British troops. -
The Townshend Acts, passed by the British Parliament in 1767–1768, imposed duties on imported glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea to pay for the administration of the American colonies and weaken colonial resistance. Proposed by Charles Townshend, these acts aimed to assert parliamentary supremacy and enforce stricter customs regulations, including the use of vice-admiralty courts
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The Boston Massacre was a deadly riot on March 5, 1770, where British soldiers fired on a taunting crowd in Boston, killing five colonists—including Crispus Attucks—and wounding six. Occurring amid high tensions over taxation and military occupation, this event fueled anti-British sentiment and accelerated the move toward the American Revolution.
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On December 16, 1773, American colonists, protesting the British Tea Act and "taxation without representation," boarded three ships in Boston Harbor and destroyed 342 chests of tea.
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The Quartering Acts (1765, 1774) were British parliamentary laws requiring American colonies to provide food and housing for British troops. While not forcing soldiers into private homes, the 1765 act burdened colonies with costs for barracks, while the 1774 act expanded, allowing housing in public buildings, fueling colonial resistance leading to the American Revolution.
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Four punitive laws were passed by Parliament to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party. They closed Boston Harbor, suspended local government, allowed royal trials in Britain, and expanded troop quartering, directly accelerating colonial unity and leading to the First Continental Congress.
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The Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, marked the start of the American Revolutionary War, where colonial militia successfully confronted British troops in Massachusetts.
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Adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 5, 1775, and signed on July 8, the Olive Branch Petition was a final attempt to avoid a full-blown war with Great Britain.
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Published on January 10, 1776, Thomas Paine’s 47-page pamphlet Common Sense advocated for American independence from Great Britain in clear, persuasive language.
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The Declaration of Independence, adopted July 4, 1776, announced the American colonies' separation from Great Britain, outlining foundational principles like natural rights (life, liberty, pursuit of happiness)
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The Second Continental Congress (1775–1781) was the de facto national government of the Thirteen Colonies during the American Revolution.
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A meeting of 12 delegates from five states (NY, NJ, PA, DE, VA) aimed at addressing trade barriers under the Articles of Confederation.
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It was an armed uprising of Massachusetts farmers, many Revolutionary War veterans, protesting oppressive debt, high taxes, and foreclosures.
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The Constitutional Convention (May 25–September 17, 1787) in Philadelphia was held to address the failings of the Articles of Confederation.
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Served as the United States' first constitution, in effect from 1781 to 1789, creating a weak central government and a "league of friendship" among the 13 sovereign states.