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End of the French & Indian War
The French & Indian War had ended when the British cut off French supplies with a blockade and their Indian allies had deserted their forts, leaving them vulnerable to attack. Eventually the Britsh had captured Fort Duquesne, Quebec, and Montreal, leaving the French to surrender the rest of Canada. After an unexpected end to a war that had last 7 years, the Britsh imposed new taxes and new regulations of colonial trade, these changes had angered the colonists. -
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The End of The French & Indian War - The Battle of Lexington & Concord
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The Sugar Act
In 1764, George Greenville, a new prime minister had proposed a law of raising money by collecting duties currently in effect. The law of course, was known as the Sugar Act. It had actually lowered the duty of foreign molasses when it was put in effect. But it had also assigned custom officers and created courts that prosecuted smugglers and collected duties. Greenville hoped this Act would encourage colonists to pay tax. -
The Stamp Act
In March 1765, Parliament had passed a bill which has intended to raise money from the colonies. The Stamp Act had required colonists to pay a tax on almost all printed materials. Intersting enough, this was the first time that Parliament had imposed a direct tax within the colonies. -
The Quartering Act
In 1765, another unpopular law was passed by Parliament which required the colonies to provide housing and supplies for the remaining British troops there after the French & Indian War. This act was called The Quartering Act. Some colonists complained but the rest went along with it because they had accepted Parliament's right to regulate trade and provide defense. -
The Boston Massacre
On the night of March 1770, five colonists were killed after hurling snowballs and rocks at scared British soldiers who guarded the Customs House. The dead included Crispus Attucks and an escaped slave/sailor. -
The Boston Tea Party
After the events of the Boston Massacre, Tea boycott had worsened fiancial problems for a struggling Britsish Tea Company. Eventually, Parliament passed a law where the company was allowed to sell tea directly to the colonists. Thinking this was a trick to get the colonists to pay taxes, the Boston Patriots dressed as Indians, boarded British ships and dumped boxes of tea into the harbor. -
The Coercive Acts
The Bostonians' actions during and after the Boston Tea Party had outraged Parliament and the Crown. As a punishment, Parliament passed the Coercive Acts which closed the port for trade until everyone who had participated in the Boston Tea Party paid for the destroyed tea, including tax. They even increased the power of the govenor and to enforce their measures, the British had sent troops and warships to Boston. -
The Intolerable Acts
In an outrage to these punishments by the British, in addition to the Quebec Act which extended Canada's southern border, cutting off several Colonies. They colonists called these acts the Intolerable Acts. In addition, Rural Massachusetts reacted to British actions with harsh violence including Clubs, Guns, Hot Tar, and Feathers for both a humiliating a painful demise. And thanks to Massachusetts, the other colonies opposed the Coercive Acts and had also viewed them as a threat of Freedom. -
First Continential Congress
During the fall of September 1774, delegates from every colony (except Georgia) met in Philadelphia for the First Continential Congress. During the meeting, fiery virginian delegate Patrick Henry and Patriot John Adams along with every other colony/colonist discussed that they all could unite and defeat the British along with Parliament revoking the Coercive Acts and stop the taxes. In nearly 2 years however, these events would prove Adams correct. -
The Battle of Lexington & Concord
The Battle had erupted when Gage sent troops to arrest Adams and Hancock in Lexington then had seized a stockpile of Patriot weapons and ammunition in Concord. After some bloodshed, the British had fled to Boston with their Loyalists while Provincial assemblies of Patriots seized control of the New England Colonies.
