Early Causes of Separation• The French and Indian War changed how Britain

ran the colonies

• Britain was in a large debt because of the war and felt the colonies should help pay for it .

• Britain also needed to pay for the costs of defending the new land it acquired

• King George also wanted to enforce British laws

Early Causes of SeparationGov’t Before

British Gov’t involvement in the Colonies:

Allowed to develop on their own

Describe the action Britain took to tax the colonies:

King asked colonial assemblies to pass taxes

Gov’t After

Imposed new laws and restrictions

Parliament voted to tax the Americans directly

French and Indian War

To Tax or not To Tax

Colonist Argument British Argument

Parliament had no right to tax the colonies since they have no representation in Parliament

Colonist were subjects of Britain and enjoyed the protection of its laws so they were subject to taxation

Acts & Taxes

Act or Tax Date PurposeProclamation of 1763 1763 Put 10,000 troops in land west of

Appalachian mountains to prevent colonist form moving in there(wanted to keep land for Natives)

Sugar act 1764 Tax on sugar and molasses shipped to the colonies and punished smugglers

Acts & Taxes

Act or Tax Date PurposeQuartering Act 1765 Required colonists to house British

Soldiers and provide them with supplies(most in New York)

Stamp Act 1765 Required all legal/ commercial documents to carry and official stamp showing that a tax had been paid (repealed in 1766)

Stamp act Congress• 1st of 3 Continental congresses • 9 of 13 colonies present ( Southern Colonies did

not attend they did not have a issue with the stamp act)

• Established The Non-Importation Laws• Set up boycott of goods coming into the

American colonies

Acts & Taxes

Act or Tax Date PurposeDeclaratory Act 1766 Said that Parliament had supreme

authority to govern the colonies

Townshend Acts 1767 Series of laws that suspended New York's assembly and established taxes on goods brought into the British colonies

Acts & TaxesAct or Tax Date PurposeWrits of Assistance N/A Search Warrants used by the British

to search homes/ businesses for smuggled goods

Forms of Protest

Forms of Protest• Colonial merchants started to Boycott, or refused to buy

British Goods which caused the British to lose money

• Sons of Liberty- Secret society of colonist who protested against British policies(not always peacefully)

• Sam Adams -led the Sons of Liberty. He put pressure on

shopkeepers to not sell imported goods

• Daughter of Liberty -weaved their own cloth and used American products

Forms of Protest• Tar and Feather tax collectors

• Newspaper articles asked people to peacefully protest

• Colonists tried to petition the king

• Burning stamp paper

Boston Massacre

Boston Massacre

• British Soldiers (called redcoats or lobster back) were poorly paid so they hired themselves out as cheap workers

• Colonist (called Yankees) lost jobs because of this and some got into an argument with the soldiers

• 3/5/1770- insults lead to a fight and soldiers started shooting

• Four colonists were killed including Crispus Attucks(a former slave now sailor)

Boston Massacre

• The Massacre becomes anit-British propaganda in papers, pamphlets, posters which make more people upset

• Soldiers were put on trial in the American colonies

• John Adams successfully defends the soldiers(self-defense) because he wanted to show that colonists followed the rule of law

• Soon, almost all of the acts/laws were repealed by Britain

Tea-Act

• Tea was very popular in the colonies and most of it was smuggled in from Holland

• Tea Act (1773) gave British East India Company control over the American tea trade ( only they could sell or transport it)

• Colonist now had to pay a Tax on their tea which they didn’t like!

Boston Tea Party

Boston Tea Party

• Protest happened all over the colonies

• Sons of Liberty organized the Boston Tea Party (12/16/1773)

• Men disguised as Native Americans boarded 3 teas ships in Boston Harbor and threw 342 chest of tea overboard!

Boston Tea Party

• British government demanded repayment for the lost tea and wanted the individuals involved

• Parliament passed the Intolerable acts(1774)• These laws punished Massachusetts colonists for

the tea party• It included closing the Port of Boston• Allowing quartering of troops• Appointed General Thomas Gage as governor of

Massachusetts

1st Continental Congress

1st Continental Congress• Sept, 1774 delegates from 12 of the 13 colonies met

(Georgia did not attend still loyal to England)• Left their inter colonial problems at home they were

dealing with they issue of Britain• Declaration of Rights was written by the leader of the

congress John Adams (as loyal subjects they felt they should have the same right as loyal subjects

• The right to life, liberty and property• Representation in Parliament ( only one not in our Bill

of Rights)• Right to trial by Jury• The right to legal petition

• They hoped the boycott would force a repeal of the laws just like it did in the past.

• Britain stood firm increased restrictions and sent more troops

1st Continental Congress• The association- was an elite group who met at the

Congress. They were respected by everyone. They guided and led the colonist. They included our most prominent leaders• George Washington• John Adams• John Hancock• Alexander Hamilton• Benjamin Franklin• Samuel Adams

• As meeting was finishing the British heard of it and came to arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock • They were real radicals. They were both

members of the Association and the Sons of Liberty. They were willing to take a force approach to the English.

Lexington and ConcordMidnight ride.

• British learned (through a spy) that the Mass Militia was storing weapons in Concord and the Sam Adams and John Hancock were in Lexington

• April 18, 1775 British General Gage ordered the two men to be arrested and the weapons to be destroyed

• Both sides used spies

Lexington and ConcordMidnight ride.

• Paul Revere ( Boston Silversmith) and William Dawes were to ride from Boston and spread the news of any British troop movement

• 1 by land 2 by sea- Revere set up a lantern system in the Old North Church to warn the people of Charlestown (Mass) that the “British are coming”

• Samuel Prescott joined Revere and Dawes and finished the ride after the first two were stopped by a British patrol

Lexington and Concord

• Captain John Parker led 77 militiamen in Lexington versus about 700 British soldiers

• Minutemen– militia men trained to be ready in a “minute’s warning”

• British ordered the Americans to drop their muskets but we didn’t

Lexington and Concord• Shot Heard ‘Round the World – no one knows

who fired the first shot but 8 minutemen died

• British marched to Concord and destroyed the weapons

• 4000 Minutemen arrived in Concord and forced the redcoats to retreat to Boston

Independent Yet?

2nd Continental Congress

• Met in Philadelphia in Spring 0f 1776

• All 13 colonies were present

• At the start of the Congress they had not desire to seek independence

• They were coming together to find a peaceful end to the fighting

• After much debate they realized there could be no peaceful end

2nd Continental Congress

• Must fight with military force

• George Washington chosen as leader of the Continental Army

• Forming a navy was difficult- they had to convert trade ships to military ships and this hurt there economy

• 2nd Continental Congress became the governing body during the war.

• Common Sense was published by Thomas Paine. This pamphlet turned out to be the motivating factor pushing us to seek independence

Causes and Necessity for Taking up Arms

Loyalist vs Patriots

• Loyalist or “Tories” were loyal to Britain • only 20% of the colonist were loyalist• Older generation

• Patriots or “whigs” wanted independence• Only 30% of the colonist were Patriots

• What about the other 50%• They didn’t care. They didn’t want there

economic livelihood interrupted

Seldom have so few done so much for so many!

Declaration of Independence

• Adopted by Congress on July 4th 1776

• The Brilliant, world changing defense was wrote by Thomas Jefferson

• Explained to Britain why America was seeking Independence.

• Passing the Declaration was no a easy decision to come to.• Every man who signed it knew what would happen to

them if the Revolution failed.• They had good reason to believe it would