Which of The Following Events Directly Led To The Writing of The Declaration of Independence?
From the mid of the 18th century, there were so many critical events that started happening in the 13 colonies of North America.
These events provoked American colonists to do rebellion against the Empire of Great Britain.
And finally, these events directly led them to the great American Revolutionary War and the writing of the Declaration of Independence.
So, the question is, what are those main events?
Those events are mainly:
- Seven Years War (1756-1763)
- Stamp Act (1765)
- Townshend Acts (1767)
- Boston Massacre (1770)
- Tea Act (1773)
- Boston Tea Party (1773)
- Intolerable Acts (1774)
- Battles of Lexington and Concord (1775)
- Rejection of the Olive Branch Petition (1775)
I understand that you are getting fascinated to know how these events influenced the whole phenomenon.
Right?
Therefore, let’s try to understand each one of them step by step.
1. The Seven Years War (Event Number One)
The Seven Years’ War took place from the year 1756 to 1763.
This war was a global conflict between the two great European powers.
Obviously, on one side it was the Empire of France and on the other side the Empire of Great Britain.
In this war, Great Britain managed to defeat France somehow; but at the same time, it ruined the economy of Britishers completely.
Therefore, to rebuild the economy, Great Britain started imposing some heavy economic taxes on their colonies throughout the world.
Especially, they targeted the 13 American Colonies saying that they had to fight the war for protecting colonists.
And the acts, through which they tried to implement heavy taxation were the Sugar Act (1764), Stamp Act (1765), Townshend Acts (1767), etc.
2. The Stamp Act of 1765 (Event Number Two)
In the year 1765, the Parliament of Great Britain passed an act called the Stamp Act or the Stamp Duty for imposing direct taxes on the 13 colonies.
Via this law, they taxed every printed commodity including newspapers, magazines, all legal documents, playing cards, etc.
Colonists considered this new law as unjust to them from the British Parliament and King George III.
Therefore, protest and violence widely spread throughout all the colonies.
Even, during those days, protestors started attacking government officials, duty collectors, etc.
As a result, on 18th March 1766, the Parliament of Britain obliged to repeal it.
At this period of time, the slogan “No Taxation Without Representation“ became quite popular.
After this law by the Parliament, people slowly began realizing that the British authority including King George III has no sympathy for them.
3. The Townshend Acts of 1767 (Event Number Three)
The British authority repealed the Stamp Act of 1765 and the Sugar Act of 1764 due to colonists’ pressure; but as a substitute to those taxation acts, they soon brought a series of other new acts, called Townshend Acts.
The acts included a total of 5 new laws. They were:
- The New York Restraining Act
- The Revenue Act
- The Indemnity Act
- The Commissioners of Customs Act
- The Vice-Admiralty Court Act, etc.
Although only the name was different; but the action via Townshend Acts was almost the same.
Even, it was worst than the previous Stamp Act and Sugar Act.
As in response, it also caused widespread protests from the colonists’ side.
Till 1770, this protest started taking violent form, leading to the infamous Boston massacre incident.
After this incident, the British Parliament obliged to repeal it on 12th April 1770.
4. Boston Massacre of 1770 (Event Number Four)
In the year 1770 on 5th March at Boston city, in the Province of Massachusetts; colonists’ were protesting for repealing the 5 Townshend Acts.
Everything was going peaceful, but soon mobs’ involvement led it towards a violent form.
Protestors started attacking British soldiers doing their duty with stones, snowballs, and oyster shells.
Getting no ways to control the violence, Red Coats began firing on the crowd; three died on the spot, two died later.
Though not too many people died from the protestors’ side; but the incident was publicized broadly around all over the 13 colonies.
Famous patriots like Paul Revere, Samuel Adams started using the incident as propaganda against the British crown.
They spared it among colonists as a ‘Massacre’.
Paul Revere had drawn a famous painting after the incident, where he showed Britisher’s brutality over innocent Americans.
Their techniques broadly influenced and changed public opinion towards British rule.
Now, most of the colonists started realizing that Britain doesn’t consider them as their own citizens; so, they now need to think about getting freedom.
5. The Tea Act of 1773 (Event Number Five)
Boston’s assassination incident forced the British parliament to repeal Townshend laws in 1770.
But again, they passed a new law called the Tea Act in 1773.
Through this new act, they tried to monopolize their North American colonies’ whole tea market alone.
For doing that, they reduced the tax from the East India Company’s tea that they can sell their product at a lower cost than other merchants.
This decision widely angered the 13 colonies’ small merchants and shippers.
As a result, it led to the Boston Tea Party on 1773 December 16th.
Around 116 patriots from ‘Sons of Liberty’ organization, led by Samuel Adams made this incident possible.
The tea party incident caused huge economic losses for the British East India Company.
Hence, to punish colonists’ for the sin, parliament again brought some vengeful laws, which colonists’ named ‘Intolerable Acts’.
Especially, the series of new laws targeted Boston city and the whole Massachusetts province.
6. The Intolerable Acts of 1774 (Event Number Six)
From the very early of 1774, the British Parliament started passing some laws as a punishment for the Boston Tea Party incident.
This was a series of 5 laws, which was completely against the interest of colonists.
Especially, the laws were deeply vengeful for Bostonians.
American colonists’ named them Intolerable Acts; because those laws tried taking away all their rights of living like British citizens.
In response from the colonists’ side, 12 of the 13 British American colonies got united in a meeting in Philadelphia at the end of 1774 (September 5 to October 26).
In the history of America, the meeting is popularly known as the First Continental Congress.
Here they took the decision that they would impose an economic boycott against British goods until they repeal all the 5 Intolerable Acts.
Also, at this same meeting, they decided to set up their own militias for probable armed conflicts.
7. Battles of Lexington And Concord (Event Number Seven)
The tension between British authority and colonists took a new height after the First Continental Congress.
Finally, on April month’s 19th, 1775, the Battles of Lexington and Concord broke out.
This was the very first battle between the American militias and British Red Coats, which kicked off the Revolutionary War of America’s full independence.
8. Rejection of The Olive Branch Petition (Event Number Eight)
Again from 1775’s May 10th, colonies’ delegates came together in the Second Continental Congress.
In the Second Continental Congress, they tried to avoid more probable armed confrontations with their mother country Britain.
Even to make that happen, they sent Olive Branch Petition.
But it made no effect.
Now, you may be wondering what was the Olive Branch Petition?
It was actually the very last attempt from the American colonist’s side, through which they proposed the British King George III and Parliament to come to a negotiation with them (repeal the Intolerable Acts) and avoid the war.
However, King George rejected their proposal, as he already declared them traitors.
As a result, they decided to fight the Revolutionary War with full dedication and write the Declaration of Independence.
They ratified the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, in which they themselves (13 colonies) declared independent states from the rule of Great Britain.
Conclusion
So these were the following events, which directly led to the colonists writing of the Declaration of Independence.
I hope the article has helped you a bit.
By the way, how it remained to you?
Let me know.
