17731774

The period spanning 1773 and 1774 was a pivotal time in the lead-up to the American Revolution. In 1773, significant events included the Boston Tea Party, a protest against the Tea Act where American colonists, disguised as Native Americans, dumped tea into Boston Harbor. This act of defiance was a direct response to British taxation policies and the perceived monopoly granted to the British East India Company. In the same year, the Quebec Act was passed by the British Parliament, which extended the boundaries of Quebec and granted religious freedom to French Catholics. While intended to appease the French population of Canada, it was viewed with suspicion by the thirteen colonies, who saw it as another example of British overreach.

The year 1774 saw the British Parliament enact the Coercive Acts, also known as the Intolerable Acts by the colonists. These punitive measures were a direct response to the Boston Tea Party and included the Boston Port Act, which closed the port until the destroyed tea was paid for, and the Massachusetts Government Act, which curtailed self-government in Massachusetts. The Quartering Act was also strengthened, requiring colonists to house British soldiers. In response to these acts, the First Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia, bringing together delegates from twelve of the thirteen colonies. They coordinated a colonial response, including a boycott of British goods, and began to lay the groundwork for unified action against what they perceived as tyrannical British rule. These two years were crucial in escalating tensions and solidifying colonial opposition to British authority.