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Navigation Act
At the time, the colonies had been BOOMING in their businesses of selling sugar and tobacco to the English as well as other countries, most notably the Netherlands. This, in the eyes of the British, was an objective threat to their livelihood since THEIR colonies were selling to people who weren't them. The Navigation Act of 1651 created a closed economy between the colonies and England. All colony imports/exports went directly to the British, which was detrimental to the colonists. -
End of Statutory Neglect
The French and Indian War ended, and so did statutory neglect. While managing themselves was great for the colonies, the British needed money to line their desperate, weeping pockets after overspending to get themselves to victory in the war. This was the start of enforcing borderline abusive rules and regulations regarding imports, exports, and trading for the colonies. -
The Proclamation of 1763
A controversial law due to the gain and loss of completely separate, though not that different populations, the Proclamation (line) of 1763 stated that settlers and colonists were NOT allowed to go west of the Appalachian mountains. This was not only a means of better establishing British territory since the British King decided it, but also marked protection of Indigenous land for the area. -
The Sugar Act
This act was another attempt to bring money back to England by enforcing a tax on all sugar products, including rum, which was a major letdown. This, of course, sparked major outrage among the colonists since a large portion of their products were now being taxed without representation. -
The Intolerables: The Quartering Act
The British, an ever so spiteful people, decided to create an act where, in the event of a lack of barracks for their soldiers, the military would be able to force themselves into the homes of civilians who would then be required, by law, to feed and care for them. -
The Sons of Liberty
Created in direct response to the Stamp Act, the Sons of Liberty were formed to participate in protests or acts of violence—sometimes threats, but more often than not, the threats were more than talk—to quiet royalists and instill fear in the British so they would know the colonists intended to take a stand against this abusive treatment. -
The Townshend Act
The Townshend Act is most notable for marking the creation of a tax on glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea--all things fundamental to daily life as a colonist, give or take the lead in that statement. It was a major point of outrage within the colonist and lead the colonists to begin boycotting the purchasing of British products. -
The Boston Massacre
What was, at first, a small brawl between a civilian and an officer quickly became a bloodbath once shots were fired. The gunfire had initially been as a warning towards further violence as the chaos began to boil over, the bullet shot through an 11-year-old boy and no god could stop the white-hot anger of the, now, riot. -
Committees of Correspondence
The Committees of Correspondence were established to help better communicate with not just the colonies but also the people within them. This enabled them to inform the citizens on their rights and garner more support for independence. -
The Boston Tea Party
Taxation without representation was running high and people couldn't stand for it any longer. Naturally, after being ignored by the British for months to years, the only viable solution was to pirate one of the incoming British ships and throw 342 crates of tea into the harbor. More than iconic, it sent a message to the British that the colonies were done being abused and extorted. -
The Stamp Act
The French and Indian War came to an end, and so came the need for a quick solution to the dwindling British pound. The British needed a quick fix for easy cash and figured that charging for stamps, something required for all official and legal documents would do the trick. Unfortunately for the colonists, the costs stacked up fast, and affording stamps to mail your Mom her monthly life updates would soon be out of the question. -
The Intolerables: The Boston Port Act
As a result of the Boston Tea Party, the port of Boston was completely shut down until the colonies paid for all the tea dumped into the harbor. Understandably, this was deemed "intolerable," hence the name, since it punished the entire colony for a crime only commit by a few people. -
The Intolerables: The Massachusetts Government Act
The British, still angry about the Boston Tea Party, sent one of their own people over to become the new governor of Massachusetts. Normally, you would just ignore this guy and go about your day, but the Massachusetts Government Act made it so he had MUCH more power than was reasonably necessary, infuriating the colonists by stripping them of their power. -
The Intolerables: The Administration of Justice Act
This was the third of the Intolerable Acts to be passed and it stated that any and all trials towards government officials may be moved to England. This made it almost impossible to convict people because all the witnesses would have to travel weeks to months aboard a ship to give their statements. The picture wasn't meant to be, none of them will load for specifically this one. -
The Intolerables: The Quebec Act
Less important to future revolutionary ideas, but still valuable nonetheless, the Quebec Act expanded British-Canadian territory into the Ohio River Valley which INFURIATED many colonists since they were losing land that they believed, wholeheartedly, was theirs. -
The First Continental Congress
The meetup of the first Continental Congress marked a collective agreement that the colonists should have the same rights as the Englishmen as well as refusing to work with the English AT ALL for trade. -
"Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!"
Patrick Henry's "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death speech" was so impactful due to its rather drastic statement and declaration of the colonists' refusal to back away from the fight that this WOULD be an issue for the British if they chose to fight. -
Lexington and Concord
Lexington and Concord was so significant due to the uprising of the Massachusetts colonists that would quickly outnumber and defeat the British redcoats that had been there. -
The Second Continental Congress
The gathering of the Second Continental Congress marked the establishment of a continental army and promoted George Washington to a pretty significant position of power; Commander-in-Chief -
The Olive Branch Petition
The colonists all gathered together and, not entirely interested in starting a war, created a petition that would be sent to England to try and solve their problems democratically. -
Thomas Paine's "Common Sense"
To us, the idea of independence couldn't be more obvious, but many of the colonists still needed to be swayed. In light of this, Thomas Paine wrote his piece "Common Sense," which used careful articulation of the benefits of freedom and ridicule of British rule to help push the country in his favor. -
The Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was the colonists' biggest milestone. Officially tired of everything the British forced them to deal with, they declared their independence from Britain.