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The French and Indian War
The Seven Years War (1754-1763) was a conflict between France, the British Colonies, Native Americans, and Spain. It first started when England had a dispute with France over control of the Ohio River Valley/trading. Native Americans were fighting on both sides for weapons and other valuables while the countries were fighting over right to land/resources. It ended with the British winning and the Treaty of Paris, which distributed territory for the British, Indians, and Spanish. -
The Proclamation of 1763
A decree made by King George lll regarding settlement in the Americas. This followed the French and Indian War (ended in 1763) and created a boundary between the British colonies and Indian/Native American territory. This prohibited colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains (what they fought for) which made them dislike British authority even more. -
Sugar Act
The Revenue Act of 1764 was the first tax placed on the colonies to raise money and help Britain gain more power, resulting from the French and Indian War. It taxed foreign goods, molasses, sugar, some wines, coffee, piemento, printed/cambric calico, and controlled the export of iron and lumber. This increased the enforcement of smuggling laws and disrupted the economies of the American Colonies. -
The Stamp Tax
The Stamp Act was placed on the American Colonists which made them pay money each time they used a peice of printed paper (newspaper, magazines, legal document, etc.) It was the first internal tax in the colonies that was created to make up losses during the French and Indian War. The colonists would have described it as ¨taxation without representation,¨ and protests were made to resist unfair British rule. -
The Boston Massacre
A confrontation that resulted in British soldiers shooting/killing many colonists after being frayed by a mob. This was caused by Britain placing many taxes on the colonists. Stones, snowballs, and sticks were being thrown at the soldiers before they fired their guns back at the crowd. As a result, five colonists died and three were injured, leaving many unhappy colonists who would later unite against Britain. -
The Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a protest during a winter night by the Sons of Liberty at Boston Harbor in Boston, MA. Britain was taxing the colonies without representation, so Samuel Adams and about 60 others (disguised as Indians) dumped 342 chests of tea into the harbor. This was the first major act of defiance against Great Britain because of the unfair taxing placed on them because of the Seven Years War. Supposedly the value of the tea that was dumped came around $18,000. -
Continental Congress
A convention (Sept. 5 - Oct. 26, 1774) which many colonial delegates attended over the time of the American Revolution (the convention happened twice). During these events, they sent a letter to King George lll, the ruler of Britain at the time, and stated the reasons why they did not like they way they were being governed/taxed and threatened to boycott goods. They also established the Continental Army, issued the Declaration of Independence, and signed the Articles of Confederation. -
Intolerable Acts
A set of laws put in place by Britain (March 31 - June 22, 1774) as a punishment for the Massachussetts colony resulting from the Boston Tea Party. These acts include the Boston Port Act, Massachussetts Government Act, Administration Justice Act, Quartering Act, and the Quebec Act of 1774. The colonists saw these laws as a threat to their liberty which led them to unify and start the first Continental Congress. -
The Boston Blockade
The Boston Port Act was a punishment for the inhabitants of the Massachussetts Bay Colony because of the Boston Tea Party. Britain closed the port of Boston (set up a barricade preventing ships from leaving/coming in) and demanded that the residents of Boston pay up to $1 million (in today´s currency) to make up for the tea dumped in the previous event. Since this port was a major resource of supplies for Massachussets, southern colonies sent relief supplies, further uniting them. -
The Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was a proclamation made by the American Colonies that they would be separate from Britain. This was a result of the British treating the colonies unfairly by taxing them (large amount on used goods) and being forced to provide housing for British forces. The effects of this are the Revolutionary War (fought now between two separate countries) and it gave the United States freedom from British rule.
