What events led up to the American Revolutionary War?

The French and Indian War

The French and Indian War was a series of battles between the French and the British Army. There were Native Americans that fought for both sides, however they were more influential for the side of the French. The war was over land in the Ohio River Valley. Eventually the British won and the French were forced north.

The Proclamation of 1763

The Proclamation was intended to prevent conflicts between Native Americans and colonists over land, however it failed and was repealed by 1764.

The Sugar Act

The Sugar Act of 1764 was created by British Parliment as a way to help pay for the French Indian War. The act imposed a tax of 3 pence per pound on sugar for the colonists. Although this wasn't a lot of money, the colonists were outraged because they had no representation in Parliment. This sparked the famous phrase, "No taxation without representation!"

The Stamp Act of 1765

The Stamp Act was passed by British Parliament in 1765. This meant that colonists had to pay a tax on all paper goods including newspapers, documents, and even playing cards. Parliament intended to use this money to pay for the British troops who were living in the colonies. Like many of the other taxes, colonists resisted and it was eventually repealed.

The Townshend Acts

The Townshend Acts were a series of taxes passed on several different items such as glass, paint, paper, and tea. Again, the colonists banned together and rejected these taxes. They spread the word to boycott these items and even created propaganda posters to communicate their displeasure. Due to this, the British Parliament repealed all of the taxes in 1770, except for the tax on tea.

The Boston Tea Party

To protest the Tea Act, which gave East India Tea Company a monopoly to sell tea to the colonies, colonists did many things to protest. Some colonies refused to let the ships unload the tea onto their docks. Other colonies let the tea sit at the docks, not purchased, until it rotted. On December 16, 1773, a group of colonist threw about 342 crates of tea into the Boston Harbor. This became known as the famous Boston Tea Party.