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Period: to
French and Indian War
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End of French and Indian War
The French and Indian War, part of the larger Seven Years' War, ended with the Treaty of Paris, giving up French territories in North America to Britain.
Colonists celebrated the British victory but grew resentful of increased taxes and restrictions to pay for the war’s costs. -
Sugar Act
The Sugar Act increased costs on imported sugar among other goods to raise revenue for Britain and regulate colonial trade.
Colonists protested the act as an unfair tax, arguing it hurt their economy and violated their rights without representation. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act required colonists to purchase special stamps for legal documents, licenses, and printed materials to raise revenue for Britain.
Colonists fiercely opposed the act, forming the Sons of Liberty, boycotting British goods, and creating the Stamp Act Congress to protest taxation without representation. -
Declaratory Act
The Declaratory Act asserted Britain’s authority to make laws binding the colonies “in all cases whatsoever” after repealing the Stamp Act.
Colonists were wary of the act’s implications, seeing it as a threat to their autonomy despite the repeal of the Stamp Act. -
Townshend Act
The Townshend Acts imposed duties on imported goods like tea, glass, and paper, and established mechanisms to enforce British authority.
Colonists responded with widespread boycotts of British goods, increased smuggling, and protests, escalating tensions with Britain. -
Tea Act
The Tea Act allowed the British East India Company to sell surplus tea directly to colonists, undercutting t local merchants while maintaining a tax.
Colonists viewed it as another tax imposition, leading to the Boston Tea Party, where they dumped tea into Boston Harbor in protest. -
Start of Revolutionary War
The Revolutionary War began as a conflict between the American colonies and Britain over issues of taxation, representation, and independence.
Colonists rallied to form militias, with Patriots fighting for independence while Loyalists supported British rule, leading to widespread mobilization. -
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Revolutionary War