Rank order the top three events that contributed the most to the growing divide between Britain and her Colonies.

Question

 Rank order the top three events that contributed the most to the growing divide between Britain and her Colonies.

- proclamation of 1763, quartering act 1765, stamp act 1765, twonshed act 1765, boston massacre, boston tea party 1773, intolerable acts 1774, lexington and concord 1775.

Answer 1

Really, they want a rank order? These events occurred over time and the divide grew. I certainly hope this is an essay. From the colonists' point of view, the British begin to tax the colonies for the cost of the French and Indian war which ended in 1763. However these three stand out: the Stamp act of 1765, the first direct tax on the colonies. Colonists refuse to use the stamps so any trade they are doing is now illegal. The response of the colonies was to form the Committees of Correspondence (prelude to a confederation), form the Sons of Liberty, and do acts of rebellion and destruction. The act was repealed, but the idea of Taxation without Representation was now a firm complaint. Next consider the Boston Tea Party, 1773. This was destruction of tea in response to a tax for the benefit of the British East India Company. Colonists not only refused to pay the tax, they destroyed private property. The tax angered the colonists, but the act of destruction angered the British crown. The crown responded by blockading Boston harbor and increasing troop presence. General Gage, British commander, wants to destroy or take all colonial weapons and gunpowder. Finally, the colonists decide to protect their gunpowder and shot. They go to Lexington and Concord to prevent the British from seizing their guns. This event can be considered the proximate cause of the war.

However you could argue for the other events as well. The Boston Massacre angered the colonists, and the other acts added to their anger. They tried to negotiate with Britain using Ben Franklin as their agent, and by sending letters, but this fails. Make sure you know about each of these events as you prepare your answer.