What events led to the Revolutionary War??
1. The French and Indian War (1754-1763): Britain fought against France and Indians for control over North America. After winning the war, Britain incurred significant debts, which they attempted to pay off through taxes on the colonies.
2. Proclamation of 1763: Britain issued a proclamation prohibiting colonists from settling beyond the Appalachian Mountains, in an effort to reduce tensions with Native Americans.
3. Sugar Act of 1764: Britain enacted a tax on sugar and molasses to raise revenue from the colonies.
4. Stamp Act of 1765: Britain required colonists to use paper stamped with an official seal in all legal and commercial documents and publications, which included newspapers, pamphlets, licenses, and playing cards. This was the first direct tax on the colonies to raise revenue.
5. Quartering Act of 1765: Britain required colonists to provide housing, food, and other supplies to British troops stationed in their colonies.
6. Townshend Acts of 1767: Britain imposed taxes on imports such as tea, glass, paint, lead, and paper.
7. Boston Massacre (1770): A group of British soldiers fired on a crowd of colonists in Boston, killing five people.
8. Tea Act of 1773: Britain enacted a law giving the East India Company a monopoly on the tea trade with the colonies, and the company could sell directly to the colonies without paying taxes to Britain. This enraged colonial merchants who saw their businesses threatened.
9. Boston Tea Party (1773): In protest of the Tea Act, a group of colonists dressed as Native Americans dumped tea from three British ships into the Boston Harbor.
10. Intolerable Acts (1774): Britain enacted a series of laws in response to the Boston Tea Party that included closing the port of Boston, restricting town meetings, Quartering Act, and transferring power to the British-appointed governor of Massachusetts. These acts were seen by the colonists as oppressive and a direct attack on their freedoms, leading to the First Continental Congress and the start of armed conflict.