Key Events of the Revolution   As the New England colonies became populated, the people became restless. King George III enacted a proclamation called mercantilism which regulated colonial commerce. Along with this came many laws that angered the colonists and caused them to split in to two groups, the Patriots and the Loyalists. The Patriots were against British rule while the Loyalists believed in sticking with it. Group 1 1765 - The Stamp Act The Stamp Act was a law passed by the British Parliament which required Americans to pay a tax when purchasing publications and other goods such as playing cards. The colonists believed this outrageous act must be stopped, so they took immediate action. Overview of the Revolutionary War American History Sources for Students Group 2 October of 1765 - The Stamp Act Congress The Stamp Act Congress declared the stamp tax unconstitutional because the colonies were not represented in British Parliament. They argued, "Taxation without representation!" American Revolution - Primary Sources The Revolutionary War Group 3 1767 - The Townshend Acts The Townshend Acts, created by Charles Townshend and passed in 1767, was Parliament's answer to the repealed Stamp Act. The harsh law placed a tax on various imported goods. The colonists reacted violently with the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party.   American Revolution Timeline American Revolution Newspaper Chronicles Group 4 1770 - The Boston Massacre Fed up with the taxes and laws from Parliament, the colonists rioted when British soldiers were spotted. The soldiers hoisted their guns and fired, killing fiver colonial citizens. Although only five Americans were "massacred", the word got around that "10" were killed. Then, somehow, "100" colonists were killed. The number kept rising higher until it was thought to have actually been a massacre. American Revolution Web Sites Revolutionary War Events Group 5 1773 - The Boston Tea Party On the night of December 16, 1773, Samuel Adams and John Hancock sent out the Sons of Liberty, a secret organization formed by business men, politicians, and lawyers, disguised as Native Americans to dump the tea shipment from Britain into the Boston harbor. The men boarded three tea ships and proceeded to throw the tea overboard. This was in protest to the tea tax issued by King George III. Later, King George passed the Intolerable Acts. Timeline from the Library of Congress Archiving Early America Group 6 1774 - The Intolerable Acts The Intolerable Acts included five literally intolerable laws. One section of the act closed Boston harbor to further tea shipments until Bostonians paid for all the tea they had destroyed in 1773. Another law restricted the activities of the Massachusetts legislature and gave added powers to the post of the governor of Massachusetts. Now, colonists thought of King George as more of a dictator. The colonists organized resistance to the acts, and the First Continental Congress was created. The American Revolution Homepage Revolutionary War Events from U.S. History.org

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