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Navigation Act
Laws passed by the British parliament that restricted trade for the American colonies. The colonies could only export their commodities to Britain and could only purchase imports brought from Britain. -
Proclamation of 1763
Made it so American colonists could not settle on French territory after the French and Indian war. -
End of Salutary Neglect
Salutary neglect occurred during the French and Indian war and was a lack of enforcement of the British parliamentary laws on the colonies. This allowed the colonies for more freedom, until the war ended. Britain needed to pay off debt, so they ended Salutary Neglect and started to reinforce trade restrictions and place taxes on the colonies which they did not like. -
Sugar Act
A tax on sugar by the British parliament on the American colonies so debt from the Seven Years War could be paid off. -
Sons of Liberty
An organized group of patriots that plotted against the British rule. -
Stamp Act
The British needed money for their militia in the colonies, so they decided to put a tax on various papers and documents in the colonies such as newspapers or pamphlets. -
Townshend Acts
To pay for the expansion of the colonies, the British parliament put a high tax on British imports to the colonies. -
Boston Massacre
British soldiers shot into a crowd of people and killed five people. This grew the colonies' outrage against Britain and increased their desire to be independent. -
Committees of Correspondence
A system of communication used by the colonies to organize protest against Britain. -
Boston Tea Party
American colonists threw roughly about 340 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor as a stand for their liberty and in retaliation against British rule. This increased tensions between the colonies and Britain. -
Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts consist of the Boston Port Act, the Massachusetts Government Act, the Administration of Justice Act, and the Quartering Act. These Acts were passed to try to punish Boston which the colonies saw as a violation to their rights. -
First Continental Congress
First Continental Congress was a meeting that included 12 delegates from the 13 colonies. It
occurred in response to the Intolerable Acts. They decided that colonists should have the same
rights as Englishmen. -
Second Continental Congress
It was during this meeting that delegates from the thirteen colonies came together to draft the
Declaration of Independence after the King had deemed them traitors. They also formed a Continental army,
which George Washington was made Commander-in-Chief in. -
Lexington and Concord
The battles of Lexington and Concord are best known for starting off the American Revolution. The opening shots of the battles are historically known as "the shot heard round the world". -
Patrick Henry "Give me Liberty or Give me Death" Speech
Patrick Henry was a founding father of the United States. The main purpose of his speech was to convince colonists that going to war with Britain was the only option, and his famous quote "Give me Liberty or Give me Death" highlights how crucial he believed it was that the colonies be separated from Britain for their freedom was at stake. -
Olive Branch Petition
The Olive Branch Petition was sent to the king from the colonies as a last attempt to have peace
between Britain and the colonies, however the document was deemed illegal and was rejected by the king who
deemed the colonists traitors. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence announced the colonies' complete independence from Britain,
making them a new country. It stated the God-given rights to man of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. -
Thomas Paine "Common Sense"
A book by Thomas Paine that stated that America was prepared to govern itself.