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The French and Indian War
- This war was over possession of the Ohio River Valley. Britain payed mad amounts of money to the Colonies to protect them and by the end of the war they were in debt.
- This contributed to the signing to the Declaration of Independence because when the British were in debt, they taxed the Colonies more. This made the Colonists feel betrayed and they needed a way to escape Britain's rule.

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Stamp Act
- This act was introduced in 1765 and ordered a tax upon all printed documents. This angered the Colonists because Britain was taxing them without the Colonies Legislatures consent. They feared this would put them in a more controlled position and enforce "taxation without representation".
- Taxation without Representation was another major factor in the Declaration. Without the immediate response to the Stamp Act, colonists would still be getting blindly taxed by Great Britain.

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Daughters of Liberty
- The Daughters Of Liberty were a group of women who boycotted (refused to buy/support) British goods. They also protested against the the Stamp Act and Townshend Acts. Other than this, they created and sold goods to replace the British imports.
- This contributed to the Declaration because the Daughters started a separation between the Colonies and Britain. By boycotting goods, the British couldn't tax the Colonists which made them lose money. This created a vital individualism of the Colonies that would help them turn into their own country in the future.

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Boston Massacre
- On March 5 in 1770, British soldiers were guarding the Boston Customs House. This was where the taxes Britain was ordering were being taken. The war was a sensitive topic at the time so many colonists had had enough. A mob of colonists came out of nowhere and started throwing snowballs and rocks at the British soldiers. In response to this, the soldiers started to fire, killing 5 colonists.
- The killing of colonists sparked a fire in the colonists' minds to fight for freedom. This was a big turning point because more and more colonists joined the cause for freedom and liberty, which lead to the new way of government and the Declaration.

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Tea Act
- This act enforced a tax on British tea in the colonies. The cost was 4 pence per pound of tea which is around $8 today. Not only did they tax their own tea, they also allowed the British East India Company to have a part in the act which meant the colonists could not buy tea from any other source.
- The way this lead to the Declaration is similar to the Stamp Act. The colonists felt this violated the right to "Taxation Without Representation" because of not only the insane tax amounts, but their supply only being limited to British tea.

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Boston Tea Party
- In response to the Tea Act, the Sons of Liberty (a rebellious group much like the Daughters of Liberty) organized a political protest against the British. On December 16, 116 people dressed up as Native Americans and dumped 342 imported chests of tea into Griffin's Wharf in Boston, MA. Their goal was to protest the Tea Act and how it violated their right to "Taxation without Representation".
- This made Great Britain realize the colonists would not succumb to anymore ruling and they were ready to fight for freedom. By this time, almost every colonist was up for fighting for liberty.

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Quartering Act of 1774
- This act ordered colonists to house and take care of British soldiers/troops during war. This meant that the colonists and legislatures would have to pay double or triple the amount they payed before to house and facilitate the soldiers. It was another unfair tax and violated the colonists rights.
- Colonists argued the injustice of this act and how it was taking money from their government to support enemies. Once again, this only encouraged the colonists to fight harder for their freedom. They were ready to run their own government and felt betrayed by Great Britain.

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Second Continental Congress
- The Second Continental Congress was a debate to decide what to do after King George sent more troops to America. In this congress, our government took the great step in confirming America's independence from Great Britain and set up the new plans to make the colonies an established country.
- This took the colonists ideas to the next level by affirming the future of a country free from Britain's rule. Now, the colonists only had to fight for freedom from Great Britain instead of fighting for cooperation with them.

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Common Sense by Thomas Paine
- Common Sense, a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine, expressed a new idea of a country/government free from British rule. Paine explained how the colonies could function under a different democratic government. He convinced the nation that American's were capable of this and how it had more benefits than being submissive.
- This pamphlet was America's inspiration for how they would rule independently. Instead of going into the independence blindly, the government had a template to base their new country off of. This only furthered the process in creating a individual and free principality.

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The signing of the Declaration of Independence
- After over a year of debate, the Second Continental Congress agreed to sign the Declaration. The final draft was confirmed on July 4, 1776 and on the official signing day, 56 delegates signed the document.
- The immediate after effect of the signing united the colonies in fighting against Britain as a unified country.