Background
"Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace — but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field!... I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" -Patrick Henry, March 23, 1775
The American Revolution officially started in 1775 when the thirteen colonies felt as though they deserved independence from Great Britain. Great Britain created many acts that angered the colonists and slowly lead to the American Revolution. Some of the acts lead to greater movements. For example, the tea act lead to the Boston Tea Party when the colonists dumped tea from several ships in the Boston Harbor.
Stamp Act
The stamp act occurred in 1764 when duties on sugar from the West Indies were increased in attempt to boost the revenue in which companies were making.
Political Cartoon: MAGNA Britannia : her Colonies REDUC'D, 1766
Source: Library Company of Philadelphia, Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary Exhibition
Source: Library Company of Philadelphia, Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary Exhibition
Boston Massacure
The Boston Massacre occurred in 1770 when the Colonists and British Soldiers were fighting on the streets of Boston. This event depicts the British cruelty that the Colonists endured during the Revolutionary War.
Bloody Massacre Perpetrated in Kings Street in Boston, 1770
Source: Paul Revere Heritage Project
Source: Paul Revere Heritage Project
Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts were acts placed on colonists due to the Boston Tea Party. These acts included the Boston Port Act (March 30, 1774), closing of the port until the tea and taxes lost during the Boston Tea Party were returned to the King; Massachusetts Government Act (May 20, 1774), stated that members of their government would be decided by the King rather than being voted in by the state and there would only be one town meeting a year; Administration of Justice Act (May 20, 1774), stated if royal officials were accused of committing a crime while working in the colonies the officials were able to change the location of the trial to another colony or even Great Britain; Quartering Act (1774), this was a revision of the previous quartering act that was ignored by colonists that expanded the types of buildings royal officials were able to stay within the colonies; and the Quebec Act, although did not directly affect the American Colonies it extended the Canadian borders and allowed the practice of Christianity and many feared it would spread the practice of Christianity to the colonies.