The Boston Massacre is the name commonly given to the shooting of five civilians by British troops on March 5, 1770, which became a cause celebre among pro-independence groups and helped to eventually spark the American Revolutionary War. The Boston Massacre Historical Society website gathers all related resources in one place.

Sons of Liberty Secret Society

The Sons are widely known for their violent and destructive acts, one of which was the BTP. Actions included burning effigies of local tax officials in the town squares, burning the crown officials' property while the owner was held to watch. Uncontrolled violence and vandalism was more common among the newest and youngest members, who could be difficult for leaders to control. Read a quick summary on History Channel website.

Committees of Correspondence

In 1772, Samuel Adams who is widely believed to have orchestrated the BTP formed a committee in Massachusetts. Soon the committees were being used in every other colony. The committees of correspondence rallied opposition on common causes and established plans for collective action, and so the network of committees was the beginning of what later became a formal political union among the colonies. An article on U. S. History.com explains the details.

French and Indian War

The French and Indian War was the nine-year North American chapter of the Seven Years' War. The conflict resulted in the British acquiring Canada, while Spain gained Louisiana (New France) in compensation for its loss of Florida to the British. Encarta Encyclopedia has several pages dedicated to the war.

The 1765 Stamp Act

The Stamp Act was passed by the British Parliament on March 22, 1765. The new tax was imposed on all American colonists and required them to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper they used. Stamp Act History website has very good summary of the Act.

Taxation in English Colonies

No taxation without representation" was a catchphrase in the prior 1763-1774 that summarized a primary grievance of the American colonists in the Thirteen colonies leading to the Revolution. Americans complained vehemently that taxes were imposed by the imperial government in which the colonies had no voice. Wikipedia has the details.

Sugar and Molasses Act

Take a glimpse at the first edition of the Revenue Act of 1764, also known as the Sugar Act. The Manhattans Rare Book company site provides some interesting insights beyond the common knowledge facts. For example the Act allowed British officers to try colonists at a new court in Halifax, Nova Scotia, thus depriving the colonists of their right to trial by a jury of their peers.

Proclamation of 1763

The Proclamation of 1763 forbade English colonists to live west of the Appalachian Mountains. Any settlers currently west of the mountains had to move back east. Surprisingly the whole proclamation is only few pages long. “Whereas We have taken into Our Royal Consideration the extensive and valuable Acquisitions in America…” Read the original text on the Yale Law School website.

The Tea Act

The Tea Act (1773) once again inflames the radicals, in spite of the fact that it will lower tea prices. If the Americans accept the lower tea prices, they also accept the duties (taxation without representation), and put many of the founding fathers out of business smuggling tea. An interesting point of view can be found on the Georgia History site.

The Quartering Act

The Quartering Act of 1765 was intended to help the British defray the cost of maintaining troops in America. It led directly to the Third Amendment to the United States Constitution, which expressly prohibited the military from quartering troops without consent of the owner of the house. The only court case decide on the basis of this amendment was the 1982 Engblom v. Carey in New York.