Steps Leading to the American Revolution
Event
Step 1:
Proclamation of
1763
Date
1763
Step 2:
Sugar Act
1764
Step 3:
Quartering Act
1765
Summary
1. The Proclamation barred (prohibited) the colonists from moving
west past the Appalachian Mountains.
2. Three (3) Reasons:
 Believed it would keep peace with the Natives.
 Keep colonists near the Atlantic Coast – easy to control.
 Allowed Britain to control westward expansion & fur trade.
1. Tax on imported molasses (sugar, sweeteners) in the colonies. It
also allowed officers to seize goods from smugglers without a trial.
2. Colonists believed it violated their right to a trial by jury. They also
believed they had to right to be secure in their homes.
3. “No taxation without representation” means they did not have any
representatives working for the colonies interest back in England,
therefore England has no right to tax.
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Step 4:
Stamp Act
Step 5:
Declaratory Act
1765
March
1766
Step 6:
Townshend Acts
Step 7:
Boston
Massacre
The king sent 10,000 British troops to the colonies to enforce
the Proclamation of 1763.
Colonists were forced to provide the British “redcoats” a place
to stay and supplies.
1. Tax on all printed materials – newspapers, wills, playing cards.
2. People who protested: Patrick Henry, Samuel Adams (Sons of
Liberty.
3. Colonial leaders sent a statement to the king & Parliament
declaring that only the colonies could tax the colonists.
4. Parliament decided to repeal [cancel] the stamp tax; however,
they passed the Declaratory Act (see Step 5).
Parliament repealed [cancelled] the Stamp Act. However, they
passed another act that declared Britain had the right to tax the
colonies and make decisions “in all cases.”
1. This was a tax on imported goods such as glass, tea, and paper.
2. The colonists protested the acts. Daughters of Liberty were
formed. Mercy Otis Warren wrote pamphlets and plays urging
separation from Britain.
March 5,
1770
Group of youths & dockworkers started fighting with soldiers in
Boston. Angry townspeople surged forward at the soldiers. The
British soldiers fired their weapons, killing 5. The first to die was
Crispus Attucks (an African-American dockworker). The incident
became anti-British propaganda. John Adams was the defense
attorney for the British soldiers.
Steps Leading to the American Revolution
Step 8:
Tea Act
May 1773
1. Parliament passed this act to save the British East India Company
(tea company) from financial ruin.
2. Colonists were still angry because they didn’t want to pay any tax
on tea, and they didn’t want to be told who they had to buy their tea
from.
Step 9:
Boston Tea
Party
December
16, 1773
Three (3) ships full of tea came to Boston’s harbor. They British
governor ordered the tea be unloaded. The Boston “Sons of Liberty”
dress as Native Americans and dumped 342 chests of tea into the
sea.
This is an act of civil disobedience – refusing to obey laws that are
considered unjust.
Step 10:
Intolerable Acts
1774
1. Also known as the “Coercive Acts” – coercive means forceful
pressure used to make someone do something.
2. These acts were meant to punish the colonies and specifically
MA: banned town meetings & closed the port of Boston – no ships
can come in or go out.
3. Parliament tried to cut off MA from the other colonies, but instead
it drew the colonies together.
Step 11:
First Continental September
Congress
1774
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Step 12:
Lexington &
Concord
April 19,
1775
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55 delegates from 12 colonies (except GA) met in
Philadelphia to represent the interest of the colonies and
challenge British control.
They discussed grievances [complaints] and called for the
repeal of several acts.
They voted to boycott British goods. They would no longer
import or sell British goods in the colonies.
Gen. Gage had orders to seize weapons.
He orders 700 troops to Concord, MA.
Revere, Dawes and Prescott warned colonists the “Redcoats”
were coming.
70 minutemen gathered and tried to stop the British at
Lexington, but they were severely outnumbered.
After an easy victory, the British moved on to Concord.
British were met by more minutemen at Concord and forced
to retreat to Boston.