French and Indian War

Name the Event Native Americans were tired of being treated rudely by the colonists, who took and damaged their land. To fight back, the Indians joined the French in a war against the English settlers. England, called the “Mother Country”, sent soldiers to help defend the colonists. The war began in 1754 and lasted almost 10 years with the colonists and England as the victors. The war ended with the signing of a peace treaty in 1763, known as the Treaty of Paris.

The Navigation Acts

Name the Act Forced the colonists to buy almost everything they needed from Britain (England) – even if the product could be purchased for less money somewhere else. Also forced the colonists to sell almost everything they produced to Britain – even if they could get a better price for it somewhere else.

Sugar Act Stamp Act Townshend Acts

Name these Acts In order to pay for the soldiers sent to protect the colonists, England passed “acts”, or laws, to raise money from the colonies. One Act taxed sugar and molasses. One Act required a stamp be placed on all paper items – from newspapers to legal documents. A series of acts that placed taxes on cloth, tea, and other British goods.

Boycott

Name the Event Angry colonists decided not to pay any taxes to Britain. Colonial women refused to buy tea or use British cloth. The Sons of Liberty vowed to tar and feather anyone who was caught buying British goods.

Quartering Act

Name the Act The British Parliament passed this law that required the colonies to provide quarters (places to live) for all the British soldiers living in America. The colonies had to provide the soldiers with food and clothing too.

The Boston Massacre

Name the Event British soldiers and townspeople began to anger and taunt each other. Tempers were lost on March 5, 1770 when a young boy insulted a British soldier, who in turn, hit the boy with his musket. Colonists armed with rocks, snowballs, and fence railings faced Redcoats armed with muskets. Shots were fired resulting in 3 dead colonists with 2 others dying.

Boston Tea Party

Name the Event Since their boycott went into effect, colonists had put the British East India Company on the verge of bankruptcy. However, this company had a monopoly on selling tea to the colonies, and the colonists were outraged. The Sons of Liberty formed a plan to show England how they felt about their tea. On December 16, 1773, they dressed up as Indians, boarded the British ships in the harbor, and dumped all the tea into the water. This song was sung throughout the colonies after the event: “Rally, Mohawks! Bring out your axes, and tell King George we’ll pay no taxes on his foreign tea.”

Intolerable Acts

Name the Acts King George was furious when he learned about the Boston Tea Party. Parliament passed a new, stricter set of laws in order to punish the colonists for their behavior. The laws were so harsh, the colonists felt they could not be tolerated. British war ships were sent to Boston Harbor and closed the harbor to all business until the colonists paid for the 90,000 pounds of tea that were destroyed. 4,000 Redcoats came to Boston. Colonists were training for a fight. Everyone felt a war could break out at any time.