New timeline - Timeline

Proclamation of 1763 Fighting the French and Indian war had left Britain deep in debt and the colonists had caused the war by moving westward. The French were gone, but Native Americans remained in the region. So, King George issued a proclamation which forbade the colonists from settling in the lands won from France.

The Townshend Acts The Townshend Acts placed duties on a wide range of goods that the colonies imported from overseas. Once again the colonists resisted with boycotts and protests. One of the Townshend Acts allowed general search warrants which were used to combat smuggling.

The Tea Act The tea act wasn’t actually a tax, but it allowed a British company that grew tea in India to import its tea into the colonies without paying the existing tea tax which made the British company’s tea cheaper than other tea sold in the colonies. This upset the colonists though because Parliament had too much control over their taxes.

The First Continental Congress Representatives from 12 colonies met in Philadelphia to compromise a response to the Coercive Acts. The delegates discussed what to do about the colonies’ issues with Great Britain.

The Second Continental Congress In April, British troops and colonial militiamen had fought at Lexington and Concord. Congress had to decide whether to split from britain or continue working towards peace.

The Olive Branch Petition The Olive Branch Petition was adopted by the Second Continental Congress. It was an attempt to avoid a full-blown war.

Common Sense Thomas Paine published a pamphlet titled Common Sense. He argued that “common sense” called for the colonists to rebel against Britain.

The Declaration of Independence The Congress chose a committee to draft a document to explain to the world why the colonies should be free. John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman were all apart of the committee and Jefferson chose to write it.

The Boston Tea Party A group of Massachusetts colonists boarded three boats and dumped 342 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor to protest British Parliament's tax on tea.

The Declaratory Act The Declaratory Act gave Parliament the the right to tax the colonies and make decisions for them "in all cases whatsoever"