Colonial Resistance and the Road to Independence, 1763-1776

Great War for Empire

French and Indian War increasing British debt significantly.

British Debt Increase

Debt rose from £75 million to £133 million.

Peacetime Deployment

7,500 British troops stationed in colonies post-war.

Proclamation of 1763

Prevented westward settlement by colonists.

George Grenville

British Prime Minister enforcing stricter colonial control.

Revenue Act of 1762

Anti-smuggling law aimed at colonial trade.

Currency Act of 1764

Banned colonial paper money to stabilize currency.

Stamp Act (1765)

First direct tax requiring stamps on printed materials.

No Taxation Without Representation

Colonial rallying cry against British taxation policies.

Sons of Liberty

Group led by Samuel Adams organizing protests.

Stamp Act Congress (1765)

Colonies' formal opposition asserting taxing authority.

Enlightenment Ideas

Natural rights philosophy influencing colonial arguments.

Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania

John Dickinson's argument for colonial liberty.

Whig Philosophy

Tradition emphasizing liberty and opposition to tyranny.

Townshend Acts (1767)

Imposed duties on paper, glass, and tea.

Boston Massacre (1770)

Confrontation resulting in five colonist deaths.

Tea Act of 1773

Favored British East India Company, angering colonists.

First Continental Congress (1774)

Colonies united against Coercive Acts after Boston Tea Party.

Declaration of Rights and Grievances

Document calling for economic sanctions against Britain.

Lexington and Concord

First armed conflict marking Revolutionary War's start.

Lord Dunmore's War (1774)

Conflict over westward expansion against Native Americans.

Common Sense

Pamphlet by Thomas Paine advocating for independence.

Declaration of Independence

Proclaimed on July 4, 1776, asserting colonial rights.

George Washington

Appointed military leader by the Second Continental Congress.

Olive Branch Petition

Failed reconciliation attempt with King George III.

Samuel Adams

Key leader of colonial resistance and protests.

Thomas Jefferson

Principal author of the Declaration of Independence.