The Path to Revolution, 1763-1776
By Olivia Leach and Kaci Reyes
Proclamation of 1763
British: The Proclamation of 1763 allowed London to control westward movement, and also protected the native american lands, reducing military costs due to minimal conflicts.
Colonist: Settlers west of the line were forced to relocate. Colonists believed they had a right to move west and wanted the more fertile lands that the Proclamation prohibited.
Sugar Act
Date: April 5, 1764
British: The passing of the Sugar act created profit for Britain and eliminated illegal sugar trade and widespread smuggling. The Act strengthened the duty on sugar and lowered duty on molasses.
Colonist: Believed the sugar act was justified, however it imposed a high tax on sugar. Many colonists experimented with Boycotts to get Britain’s attention.
Currency Act
Date: 1764
British: The colonists were no longer allowed to issue paper money which prevented inflation and helped pay for war debts. The Act also reapplied old principles of mercantilism.
Stamp Act
Date: March 22, 1765
British: Allowed Britain to collect more revenue and also reinforce ideals of mercantilism.
Colonist: Colonists believed this act infringed on their right to self govern and that no action would mean they were okay with more unreasonable taxes. Many stopped buying goods which benefitted the Britain.
Quartering Act
Date: May 3, 1765
Britain: Soldiers were needed to control the smuggling and the soldiers outnumbered the number of colonial housing. The soldiers were protecting the colonists.
Colonist: The colonists didn’t need their assistance and protection and being required to house soldiers seemed to violate their bill of rights.
Repeal of Stamp Act and Passage of Declaratory Act
Date: March 18, 1776
Britain: The Stamp Act was repealed and the Declaratory Act was passed as a response to a growing disrespect to the crown and colonist determined to govern themselves without parliament's consent.
Colonist: Colonists ignored the Declaratory Act and rejoiced over the appeal. They believed the Declaratory Act was contrary to things stated in the Magna Carta.
Townshend Duties
Date: 1767
Britain: They wanted to keep control of the colonists, but feared taxing them. They could have a stable army and navy with these new laws.
Colonists: They believed England was raising revenue without representation and considered it an assault of rights of the provisional government. They urged their government to stand against the taxes so that they would have a stronger support group.
Tea Act
Date: May 10, 1773
Britain: The passing of the Tea Act offered financial bail out to the East India Company.
Colonist: Colonists reacted by throwing tea into the harbor because they thought that the tea act infringed on their rights to legislate and tax themselves.
Coercive or Intolerable Acts
Date: 1774
Britain: In response to the Boston Tea party, Britain passed the intolerable acts to reinforce their domain over the colonies.
Colonist: The Intolerable acts attacked their liberties and convened the First Continental Congress to discuss plans of future relations with Britain.
Lexington and Concord
Date: April 19, 1775
Britain: British soldiers intended to capture Sam Adams and John Hancock as well as seize an arms cache.
Colonist: Paine’s Common Sense as a response to Lexington and Concord convinced many colonists that association with the king was undesirable based on “natural rights.”
Second Continental Congress
Date: 1775
Caption: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This event raised armies in the new nation and called for the appointment of diplomats. The result of this event is that it took charge of the war effort and created the Continental Army, and most importantly created the Olive Branch Petition which led to the path of independence.
Battle of Bunker Hill
Date: June 17, 1775
Caption: Fought on Breed’s hill, this battle was the cause of the most amount of fatalities in the war, in which the British decided to move out of Boston and into Nova Scotia. The effect of this on the war was that the British were driven out temporarily from the colonies and moved the rest of the battles to the north or south of Boston in unknown territory.
Declaration of Independence
Date: July 4, 1776
Caption: The second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and created the Declaration of Independence to separate from England. This increased patriotic support and stated that all men were created equal which was a new idea to other European countries. This was their official splitting from the mother country and what drove them to write the constitution.
Battle of Saratoga
Date: September 19, 1777 – October 7, 1777
Caption: This battle was fought in Saratoga County in New York and was considered the turning point of the Revolution. America had established a direct alliance with France, which in the end led to the British losing the battle and losing power and influence in the colonies. This made the Continental Army stronger and more determined to win the war.
Battle of Yorktown
Date: September 28, 1781 – October 19, 1781
Caption: This battle was fought in Yorktown, Virginia which was the ending battle that the Americans won and British surrendered. There was no significant fighting after this surrender and this led to the creation of the Treaty of Paris that ended the war between Britain and America.
Treaty of Paris
Date: February 15, 1763
Caption: This treaty was signed in Paris, France in which Britain ceded land over to American form the southern boundary of Canada to the North of Florida all the way to the Mississippi River. The British agreed to leave America and George Washington became an American hero.