The American Revolutionary War (1775-1783) was initiated by delegates from thirteen American colonies against Great Britain over their objection to Parliament's taxation policies and lack of colonial representation.

The Stamp Act of 1765 imposed a direct tax on the British colonies in America and required that many printed materials in the colonies be produced on stamped paper produced in London. Printed materials subject to the Stamp Act included legal documents, magazines, playing cards, newspapers, and many other types of paper used throughout the colonies. The Stamp Act was very unpopular among colonists, most of whom considered it a violation of their rights as Englishmen to be taxed without their consent.

It all started with a wig! A wigmaker's apprentice, 13-year-old Edward Garrick, accused a British officer, Captain Lieutenant John Goldfinch, of refusing to pay his master's bill. Tensions escalated, and British troops fired on rock-throwing civilians, killing five in what became known as the Boston Massacre.

Eight soldiers, one officer, and four civilians were arrested and charged with murder, and they were defended by future U.S. President John Adams. Six of the soldiers were acquitted. The other two were convicted of manslaughter but granted reduced sentences by pleading benefit of clergy, which reduced their punishment from a death sentence to branding of the thumb in open court.

The Boston Tea Party was a political protest in defiance of the Tea Act of May 10, 1773. Protesters destroyed an entire shipment of tea sent by the East India Company.

The Sons of Liberty was founded by Samuel Adams to fight taxation by the British government. Their motto became "No taxation without representation."

The names of many of those involved in the Boston Tea Party remain unknown. Thanks to their Native American costumes, only one of the tea party culprits, Francis Akeley, was arrested and imprisoned.

The Intolerable Acts (referred to as the Coercive Acts in Great Britain) were meant to punish the Massachusetts colonists for their defiance in the Tea Party protest. The acts took away self-governance and rights that Massachusetts had enjoyed since its founding, triggering outrage and indignation in the Thirteen Colonies.

The Quartering Act applied to all of the colonies, and sought to create a more effective method of housing British troops in America. It allowed a governor to house soldiers in other buildings if suitable quarters were not provided. While many sources claim that the Quartering Act allowed troops to occupy private homes, historian David Ammerman's 1974 study claimed that this is a myth, and that the act only permitted troops to be quartered in unoccupied buildings.

Common Sense was a 47-page pamphlet published anonymously on January 10, 1776. It became an immediate sensation and was read aloud at taverns and meeting places. Historian Gordon S. Wood described Common Sense as "the most incendiary and popular pamphlet of the entire revolutionary era."