AIM: What caused the colonists to rebel against the British?

Do Now: What is the difference between the policy of Salutary Neglect and Mercantilism? What event changed Britain’s policies towards the colonies from Salutary Neglect to Mercantilism?

HW: American Revolution, Parent/Child Analogy Worksheet.

Proclamation of 1763

Townshend Act

Stamp Act

Boston Massacre

Boston Tea Party

Intolerable Acts

Causes for American

Revolution

Sugar Act

A Revolution of Ideas“What do we mean by the American Revolution? Do we mean the American war? The Revolution was effected before the war commenced. The Revolution was in the minds and hearts of the people…This radical change in the principles, opinions, sentiments, and affections of the people was the real American Revolution.” – John Adams, February 13th, 1818

What is John Adams saying about the American Revolution in this quote?

Proclamation of 1763● The Proclamation of 1763,

signed by King George III of England, prohibited any English settlement west of the Appalachian mountains.

● It required those already settled in those regions to return east in an attempt to ease tensions with Native Americans.

Response of Proclamation of 1763● Colonists resented not

being able to settle west of the Proclamation line, especially in places like the Ohio Valley.

● With the French removed, they believed it their right.

● Moved in anyway, angered the British.

Sugar Act of 1764●The Sugar Act was passed by Parliament to pay for the war debt brought on by the French and Indian War and to help pay for the expenses of running the colonies and newly acquired territories.

●This act actually decreased taxes on imported sugar, however it enforced the tax, prosecuting smugglers who tried to avoid paying the tax.

Stamp Act of 1764● In March, the Stamp Act

was passed by Parliament imposing the first direct tax on the American colonies, to offset the high costs of the British military organization in America. Thus for the first time in the 150 year old history of the British colonies in America, the Americans will pay tax not to their own local legislatures in America, but directly to England.

Stamp Act of 1764● Under the Stamp

Act, all printed materials were taxed, including:● newspapers● pamphlets● bills● legal documents● licenses ● almanacs● dice and playing

cards.Colonist

Response

● Why were many colonists angry at the passage of the new acts, especially the Stamp Act?

● How could the Stamp Act limit the freedom of the press?

● Was the British government justified in implementing the acts in the colonies in an attempt to reduce their national war debt and defend the colonies?

Response to the Stamp Act

● The American colonists quickly united in opposition, led by the most influential segments of colonial society - lawyers, publishers, land owners, ship builders and merchants - who were most affected by the Act.

Colonial Protests Intensify

● Tax resistance among the colonists took three forms: ● Intellectual protest● Economic boycotts● Violent intimidation

Intellectual Protest● Colonial leaders wrote pamphlets,

drafted resolutions, gave speeches, and delivered sermons to persuade colonists to defy the new taxes.

● Patrick Henry, a member of the Virginian House of Burgesses, drafted a radical document called the Virginia Resolves (1765).

● “Resolved therefore, That the General Assembly of this colony, together with his majesty or his substitutes have, in their representative capacity the only exclusive right and power to lay taxes and imposts upon the inhabitant of this colony; and that every attempt to vest such power in any other person or persons whatever than the General Assembly aforesaid is illegal, unconstitutional, and unjust, and has a manifest tendency to destroy British as well as American liberty.” – Patrick Henry, May 29th 1765Why did the Virginia House

of Burgesses consider this resolve to be too radical for passage?

Violent Intimidation● Those who opposed British taxes started

calling themselves Patriots.● A group called the Sons of Liberty formed

to lead protests. Lead by Samuel Adams, cousin of John Adams.

● People who openly supported Britain’s tax policy were attacked in the streets of Boston. By the end of the year, every stamp collector in the colonies had resigned, leaving no one to collect taxes.

Colonist pouring hot tea down the throats of a tax collector after he has been tarred and feathered.

How do you think this type of artwork affected colonists still loyal to the British Crown?

Economic Boycott● Some colonials opposed the tax, but also

opposed the violent reactions.● Stamp Act Congress (1765) held in NYC,

where members encouraged a consumer boycott of goods imported from Britain. These were called nonimportation agreements.

● Threatened British merchants and manufacturers with economic ruin.

● Daughters of Liberty.

STAMP ACT REPEALED!!!

● …however, British passes a declaratory statement saying that they have the right to levy taxes on the colonist.

Townshend Acts

● In 1767, The English Parliament passed the Townshend Revenue Acts, imposing a new series of taxes on the colonists to pay for the costs of administering and protecting the American colonies. Items taxed included imports such as paper, tea, glass, lead and paints.

Boston MassacreThe Boston Massacre occurred when a mob harassed British soldiers who then fired their muskets pointblank into the crowd, killing three instantly, mortally wounding two others and injuring six.

Boston Massacre Response● The Boston Massacre was, of course, not a

“massacre,” in the classic sense. Colonialist responded through propaganda and immediately capitalized on this incident, using it to fan colonial passions of seeing the British unjustly governing the colonies.

● British, feeling the tension mounting, repealed the Townshend Act, but kept the tax on tea.

● British tea was still lower than imported tea. Colonist weren’t buying it.

Boston Tea Party

On the evening of December 16, 1773, a group of men calling themselves the "Sons of Liberty" went to the Boston Harbor. The men were dressed as Mohawk Indians. They boarded three British ships, the Beaver, the Eleanor and the Dartmouth, and dumped forty-five tons of tea into the Boston Harbor.

Boston Tea Party● The Boston Tea

Party was a direct response from colonists who opposed tea which was taxed by someone other than their own representatives.

Intolerable Acts● The Intolerable Acts (or Coercive Acts)

were a series of laws sponsored by British Prime Minister Lord North and enacted in 1774 in response to the Boston Tea Party. The laws were these:● Boston Port Act● Quartering Act● Massachusetts Bay Regulating Act● Impartial Administration of Justice Act

ColonistResponse

Boston Port Act

● Closed the port of Boston in 1774 until the price of the dumped tea was recovered, moved the capital of Massachusetts to Salem, and made Marblehead the official port of entry for the Massachusetts colony

Intolerable Acts

Quartering Act

● Allowed royal troops to stay in houses or empty buildings if barracks were not available

Intolerable Acts

Massachusetts Regulating Act

● Made all law officers subject to appointment by the royal governor and banned all town meetings that didn't have approval of the royal governor

Intolerable Acts

Impartial Administration of Justice Act

● Allowed the royal governor of a colony to move trials to other colonies or even to England if he feared that juries in those colonies wouldn't judge a case fairly

Intolerable Acts

Response to the Intolerable Acts

● These were by far the harshest of the acts passed. Those living in Boston and Massachusetts would lose money from the Boston Port Act and be forced to provide housing to soldiers through the Quartering Act.

● The colonists called for a convention, resulting in the First Continental Congress.