CH. 4-1 THE ROAD TO REVOLUTION

AMERICAN HISTORY

BRITAIN PASSES NEW LAWS GRENVILLE AND THE SUGAR ACT French and Indian War left Britain with large

war debt Colonists thought British troops were there

to intimidate them British PM George Grenville decided the

colonists should directly pay for troops Grenville decided to tax the colonies to

raise money

Sugar Act Tax on sugar and molasses imported

from the French and West Indies Northern merchants feared the tax

would hurt the rum industry “No taxation without representation”

THE STAMP ACT BRINGS PROTESTS Stamp Act 1765 Required a government stamp on all

legal documents, such as contracts and licenses

Newspapers, almanacs, and even printed sermons and playing cards had to have official stamps

First direct tax on American people

Rep. Patrick Henry (VA) said colonists should only pay taxes voted on by the people of VA

Stamp Act Congress (October 1765) Parliament did not have the right to tax “Sons of Liberty” organized protests Group originally made up of unskilled

workers, artisans, and small farmers Merchants and lawyers joined Women joined as Daughters of Liberty

Boycotts organized British merchants asked Parliament to

repeal the Stamp Act Quartering Act (1765)—colonists must

find quarters, or living space, for British troops stationed in America

TOWNSHEND ACTS 1767—Minister Charles Townshend

proposed a tax on lead, paint, paper, glass, and tea that were imported from Great Britain

Writs of Assistance—gave soldiers the right to search colonial homes for smuggled goods—without a warrant

This violated a person’s right to privacy

THE COLONISTS RESPOND Colonists formed groups against

importation Most of the Townshend Acts repealed in

March 1770

THE BOSTON MASSACRE Seeing British troops on city streets

reminded colonists of British control

March 5, 1770—A crowd of colonists began throwing snowballs at the sentry guarding the customs house

British soldiers were brought in to help Workers taunted the soldiers—known as

redcoats—calling them “lobster scoundrels”

Someone shouted “FIRE” British soldiers opened fire

5 people were killed including an African American sailor named Crispus Attucks (potential leader of the colonists)

This event called the Boston Massacre Colonists called it an intentional attack

on civilians Soldiers were put on trial for murder but

released Troops moved out of Boston

Samuels Adams introduced “Committees of Correspondence”

Spread the news of British injustices from colony to colony

THE TEA ACT AND THE INTOLERABLE ACTS

The Tea Act caused the Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773

INTOLERABLE ACTS --closed the port of Boston --gave the royal governor more power in MA --imposed rules for quartering soldiers

THE QUEBEC ACT --expanded the province of Quebec south to

the Ohio River & west to the Mississippi River

--The Roman Catholic Church would be legal and French Catholics were guaranteed their rights

Colonists alarmed Settling on the western frontier would

be limited

THE FIRST CONTINENTAL CONGRESS September 1774 – Philadelphia, PA Patrick Henry, George Washington, John &

Samuel Adams, John Jay Each colony would have 1 vote during the

Congress “The distinctions between Virginians,

Pennsylvanians, New Yorkers, and New Englanders are no more. I am not a Virginians but an American” – Patrick Henry

Colonists realized that had to work together

Declaration of Rights --accepted Parliament’s right to

regulate trade --called for the removal of British troops --repeal of taxes and the Intolerable

Acts Congress agreed not to import or use

British goods

--stopped exporting goods to Britain --created “minuteman”—colonial

soldiers ready to resist British attacks with short notice.

Congress agreed to meet again in the Spring of 1775

THE BATTLES OF LEXINGTON AND CONCORD Minutemen in MA were drilling and

stockpiling weapons and gunpowder. British General Thomas Gage was

becoming more hostile toward the colonists

April 1775—King George III ordered Gage to arrest colonial leaders—especially Samuel Adams and John Hancock—and capture colonial gunpowder and weapons

Gage planned a surprise attack on the night of April 18, 1775

At 10:00 pm, 700 British troops crossed the Charles River in small boats and set out for Concord

SPREADING THE ALARM Ride of Paul Revere and William Dawes

LEXINGTON AND CONCORD Militia was waiting for the British at

Lexington 70 minutemen vs. 700 British redcoats British leader Major Pitcairn shouted at

the colonists: “Ye villains, ye rebels, disperse!”

A shot rang out from somewhere on the Lexington green

8 minutemen were killed No one is sure who fired the first shots

of the Revolutionary War – Colonists or British

Minutemen were more successful at Concord

British casualties far greater than colonial casualties

THE SHOT HEARD ‘ROUND THE WORLD July 4, 1837—Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote a

poem for the dedication of the Battle Monument at Concord

Emerson wrote: “Here once the embattled farmers stood/And fired the shot heard ‘round the world.”

THE END