Timeline of Tyranny
French and Indian War
This war is also known to be called the Seven Years’ War between the British and the French. France’s expansion into the Ohio River conflicted with the British and led to official war between the two on 1756. During the war, Spain also became involved with France against England. When the war ended in 1763 from a peace conference, the British had taken Canada from France and Florida from Spain, but had to give up Louisiana to Spain. This helped the American colonies by dispersing their rivals to the north and south.
Proclamation of 1763
After the war, the British strengthened control over colonies. This proclamation prevented westward colonial expansion. Citizens or colonial governments were not allowed to purchase land or to make agreements with the natives as a result.
Stamp Act
Even though the British had won the war, they were in huge debt. Since the war was to the American colonists’ benefit, the British decided it was fit to let the colonists carry part of the war’s cost. They began with new taxes on sugar and other goods, which was called the Sugar Act. The Stamp Act required legal documents and printed items to must have a tax stamp from distributors collecting the tax in return with the stamp. Violators of the act would be tried and convicted without a jury in the vice-admiralty courts. Patrick Henry was famous for his strong resistance to this and other acts by the British. The Sons of Liberty also were not fans of this act and hanged and beheaded a statue model of Boston’s stamp distributor.
Quartering Act
This act required colonies to have British soldiers in the colonies’ own barracks. If the barracks were too small then the soldiers were to be accommodated in local inns, stables, ale houses, etc. The New York colonial assembly did not like to provide housing for British soldiers without their consent so they refused to obey the law, so in 1767, Parliament passed the New York Restraining Act which prevented the governor of New York from signing any legislation until they agreed to follow the Quartering Act.
Townshend Acts
A series of acts were passed by Parliament by Charles Townshend in 1767, which put taxes on glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea imported to the colonists. The goal of the act was to take off imperial expenses in the colonies, but the colonists viewed as an abuse of power. In 1770, Parliament took off the Townshend taxes except for on tea which lead to a temporary truce between the two sides. Later, resistance to the tea tax did eventually became evident in the colonists too.
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was a crucial event in the American Revolution. The British soldiers presence in the town was extremely unwelcome. A riot broke out when around 50 citizens attacked a British sentinel. Captain Thomas Preston, a British officer, called for more soldiers and they were attacked, too. So the British opened fire killing three and wounding 8 others. The town called for a meeting and decided that they needed to find a way to get rid of the British and a trial of Captain Preston and his men for murder of the three men. This lead to the Royal Governor ordering the soldiers in Boston to evacuate.
Tea Act
This law made colonists pay insane tax on tea. The british then sent over three ships of tea that the colonists would have to pay for. The colonists retaliated by throwing the Boston Tea Party. The british were furious and decided to close all trade from Boston and tried to get even more over boston.
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea party is one of the most known events in the American Revolution. The colonists decided that the tea act was ridiculous so they decided to revolt. They dressed up as Native Americans and raided the ship of only the tea and didn’t damage anything else.
Intolerable Acts
These acts closed trade by ship in Boston, regulated the government in Massachusetts, and made provision for the government in Quebec. The colonists then created the First Continental Congress.
1st Continental Congress
At this time the colonies banded together to create a continental congress. They figured out ways to revolt against the british. This was very important for the colonists to help get their freedom. They also sent one last warning letter to King George to explain to him why they have been revolting and to give him a final chance to let the colonists have a say in things.
Battle of Lexington and Concord
These battles were the first military engagements in the American Revolution. The tension had been building for years and it finally started the war between the colonists and the British. This caused the rest of the American Revolution resulting in independence from Great Britain.