| A | B |
|---|
| Jamestown Founded | 1607: First successful English colony in America. Founded by the Virginia Company to make money on cash crops. |
| Navigation Acts | 1651: Laws restricting colonist to only trading with England and with only English ships. |
| Molasses Act | 1733: Restricted New England rum distillers from using anything but sugarcane from the British West Indies. Also taxed it. |
| Currency Act of 1751 | Banned New England from creating their own local currency. They had to use the British Pound. |
| Writs of Assistance | 1751: Law giving British Customs officials (tax collectors) permanent search warrants to search anyone's home or person at any time to combat smuggling. |
| French and Indian War | 1754*1763: Also known as the 7 Years War - War between England and the French and Native Americans joined together. War wasn't going well for British at first, but victory at Quebec was turning point. French ended up losing all American territory in the Northeast. England ended up in debt. |
| Albany Plan of Union | 1754: Ben Franklin proposed unifying the colonies under one federal government to strengthen themselves during the 7 years War. He thought they may lose th war if they didn't. It failed. |
| Proclamation of 1763 | Law restricting colonist from moving over the Appalachian Mountains. It was getting too expensive for them to protect against conflicts between the natives and colonists moving over into their territory. |
| Sugar Act | 1764: Restricted colonist to only buying granulated sugar from British distillers. |
| Currency Act of 1764 | Law banning colonists from printing their own currency anywhere in the colonies. They had to use the British Pound. |
| Stamp Act | 1765: Direct tax on all printed paper documents or items. Items given stamp when tax paid as a receipt. |
| Quartering Act | 1765: Colonists forced to take in British soldiers into their homes. They also had to provide them with all necessary living items. |
| Repeal of the Stamp Act, Weakening of the Sugar Act | 1765: Because the colonists were organizing against paying these taxes and they weren't working, Parliament got rid of it. |
| Declaratory Act | 1766: Passed when the Sugar Act was repealed. Stated that parliament still had every right to rule over and tax the colonies. |
| Townshend Acts | 1767: New "indirect" tax on tea, glass, paper and paint. |
| Boycotts of British Goods begin | 1767: organized by the Daughters of Liberty, this had a powerful effect on Parliament. |
| Sons of Liberty Established | 1765: Secret organization of men against British taxation and restrictive policies. Organized mayhem and acts of aggression against anyone associated with these policies, especially customs officials. |
| Stamp Act Congress | 1765: Secret meeting of colonial representatives in New York City to devise a plan against British taxation, especially the Stamp Act. |
| Boston "Massacre" | 1770: Street fight that occurred on March 5, 1770, between a "patriot" mob, throwing snowballs, stones, and sticks, and a squad of British soldiers. Several colonists were killed and this led to a campaign by speech-writers to rouse the ire of the citizenry. |
| Tea Act | 1773: Parliament gives the British East India company a monopoly on selling tea in America. Colonists are resentful. |
| Boston Tea Party | 1773: Reaction to Tea Act, a political protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston where they dumped British tea into Boston harbor while dressed as Native Americans. This enraged Parliament. |
| Coercive ("Intolerable") Acts | 1774: Laws punishing Boston for the Tea Party. Closed Boston Harbor, required repayment for the lost tea, removed all Massachusetts government officials. |
| 1st Continental Congress | 1774: A meeting of delegates from twelve of the thirteen colonies that met in Philadelphia to consider options, including an economic boycott of British trade; rights and grievances; and petitioned King George III for redress of those grievances. |
