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The Sugar Act, officially titled the "American Revenue Act of 1764," was a British law passed on April 5, 1764, aimed at raising revenue from the American colonies to help pay for the costs of defending them. It reduced the tax on foreign molasses but was intended to be strictly enforced, unlike the previous Molasses Act. -
The Proclamation of 1763 was a British law that prohibited Anglo-American colonists from settling on lands west of the Appalachian Mountains. Issued by King George III on October 7, 1763, it aimed to stabilize relations with Native American tribes after the French and Indian War. -
The Stamp Act was a British law passed in 1765 that imposed a direct tax on the American colonies, requiring colonists to purchase a government-issued stamp for legal documents, newspapers, playing cards, and other paper goods. -
The Townshend Acts were a series of British acts of Parliament passed in 1767 that imposed taxes on goods imported into the American colonies. These acts, named after Charles Townshend, the British Chancellor of the Exchequer, aimed to raise revenue to pay for the cost of governing the colonies and to assert British authority. -
The Tea Act, passed by the British Parliament in May 1773, aimed to bail out the financially struggling East India Company by granting it a monopoly on tea sales in the American colonies. While the act lowered the price of tea, it also maintained a tax imposed by earlier legislation, which angered colonists who saw it as another form of taxation without representation and a move to force them to accept British rule. -
The Coercive Acts, also known as the Intolerable Acts in the American colonies, were a series of four laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774. These acts were primarily aimed at punishing the Massachusetts Bay Colony for the Boston Tea Party, but their impact was felt throughout the colonies and ultimately helped to fuel the American Revolution.
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The First Continental Congress, held in Philadelphia from September 5 to October 26, 1774, was a gathering of delegates from twelve of the thirteen British American colonies. They met in response to the Intolerable Acts, which were punitive measures passed by the British Parliament against Massachusetts following the Boston Tea Party -
The Battles of Lexington and Concord, fought on April 19, 1775, were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. They took place in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, specifically in the towns of Lexington and Concord. The British, under General Thomas Gage, aimed to seize military supplies stored in Concord, but colonial militia, alerted by Paul Revere and others, confronted them. -
The Second Continental Congress, which convened on May 10, 1775, in Philadelphia, served as the de facto government for the thirteen American colonies during the Revolutionary War. It played a crucial role in organizing the war effort, declaring independence, and establishing a new nation. -
"Common Sense" is the title of a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1776, which advocated for American independence from Great Britain. It was a powerful and influential piece of writing that used plain language to persuade colonists to embrace the idea of breaking away from British rule. The pamphlet's arguments, rooted in Enlightenment ideals, helped galvanize support for the American Revolution -
The Declaration of Independence, adopted on July 4, 1776, is a foundational document of the United States, formally declaring the thirteen American colonies' separation from British rule