Road to the Revolution

1763-1776

British Debt! 75 million pounds (before war-1754) ! 133 million pounds (after war-1763) ! Britain taxes colonies to help pay for

troops stationed there

British Taxes! Britain sends troops to defend from

Indians and regulate trade ! Quartering Act- colonies pay to house

British soldiers ! No standing army in peacetime (under

English Bill of Rights of 1689) ! Colonies provided food and supplies

Molasses Act of 1733

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Molasses Act of 1733! Tax of 6 pence per gallon ! Sugar Act was 3 pence per gallon

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Sugar Act of 1764! Strict enforcement ! Harsh punishment of smugglers ! Sugar Act-affects merchants ! Stamp Act-affects everyone

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Stamp Act of 1765! All legal & commercial documents

must have stamp showing tax has been paid

! Diplomas, contracts, wills, newspapers

! Direct tax on colonists ! Paid in silver coin (scarce)

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Stamp Act

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Stamp Act Protest

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Samuel Adams (Massachusetts)

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Samuel Adams (Massachusetts)

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Samuel Adams! “Why not our lands? Why not the

produce of our lands and, in short, everything we possess and make use of?”

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Patrick Henry (Virginia)

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Patrick Henry (Virginia)! Member of House of Burgesses ! Called for resistance to the tax ! “If this be treason, make the most of

it”

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Resistance! Stamp Act Congress ! Petition to King to protest Stamp Act ! Boycotts ! Tarring and feathering

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Sons of Liberty

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Anti-Stamp Act Tea Thing

Taxes Repealed! Sugar Act repealed in 1766 ! Stamp Act repealed as well ! Declaratory Act- Britain had supreme

authority to regulate the colonies

New Taxes! Townshend Acts-

– Suspends New York’s assembly – Import taxes on: glass, paper, paint, lead,

and tea – Taxes would pay governors salary – Writs of Assistance- search warrants to

enter homes or businesses to look for smuggled goods

Champagne Charlie! “And now will these Americans,

children planted by our care, nourished up by our indulgence until they are grown to a degree of strength and opulence and protected by our arms, will they grudge to contribute their mite to relieve us from the heavy burden which we lie under?”

Charles Townshend

Boston Massacre! Customs officers in Boston try to seize

the Liberty-a ship with smuggled wine ! Rioters force official to flee (run!) ! More British troops are sent to maintain

order

Boston Massacre! Dockworkers & Youths yelled insults at

soldiers (“Lobsters for sale!”) ! Fight breaks out ! Shots fired ! 5 killed

Boston Massacre! Massacre- deliberately and violently kill

a large number of people

Boston Massacre

Boston Massacre! Used as a propaganda tool ! John Adams defends soldiers ! Soldiers found not guilty ! Still remained symbol of British

oppression

Tea Act ! Same day of “Massacre”, Britain

proposes repeal of Townshend Acts ! Boycott worked ! Tea tax remains ! Boston Tea Party ! Offer to pay for tea-if act is repealed ! Britain wants repayment & punishment

for those responsible

Intolerable Acts AKA: Coercive Acts (British term for them) ! Series of laws to punish the

Massachusetts colony ! was a warning to other colonies ! Closed the port of Boston!

– (until Colonists paid for destroyed tea) ! Banned committees of correspondence ! British troops could stay wherever

necessary ! British officials accused of crimes-trial

back in Britain

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Quebec Acts! Extended the boundaries of Quebec

– all the way into the Ohio country ! Guaranteed colonists of Quebec to

practice Catholicism ! British wanted to appease French

Canadians ! Keep them from joining rebellion

! These laws limited colonists opportunity to expand West – The Colonists viewed as part of

Intolerable Acts – They felt like it was punishment

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Intolerable Acts’ Significance! They united the colonies AGAINST

Britain ! Patriot leaders began call for a meeting

– wanted to discuss the issues ! Each colony began to elect members

to attend this “congress”

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First Continental Congress! September 1774

– All colonies except Georgia were represented in Philadelphia

– Voted to ban all trade with Britain until Intolerable Acts were repealed

– Colonies called to train troops – Georgia agreed too (even though they

didn’t want to send delegates) ! Key step toward independence but

they weren’t ready for it completely yet

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First Continental Congress (cont.)

! Determined to uphold colonial rights ! seeds for a future of independence ! “Nursery of American Statesmen”

-John Adams ! Agreed to meet in seven months if

necessary ! Fighting had already begun ! Most believed that any fighting with

Britain would be short31

The Midnight Ride! Sam Adams built a spy network

– keep watch on British activities ! British had spies too - Americans who were

loyal to Britain ! General Gage found out there was

ammunition in Concord, MA (20 miles from Boston)

! Night of April 18, 1775 ! Gage ordered troops to arrest Adams and

Hancock

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Midnight Ride (cont.)! Sons of Liberty had prepared for this ! William Dawes, Paul Revere and

others rode in the night – Spread the news

! “The Regulars are coming out!” ! Boston is on the coast ! They rode inland - WEST to Lexington and

Concord ! System of signals

– One lantern burned the Regulars were coming out by land

– Two lanterns meant they were coming by water

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! In Lexington they were joined by Dr. Samuel Prescott

! Revere and Dawes were riding West and stopped by British patrol – Split in all directions to distract them

! Prescott broke away and carried the message to Concord

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Lexington and Concord! Dawn of April 19, 1775

– 700 British troops reached Lexington ! Found Parker and 70 militiamen

waiting ! British ordered Americans to drop their

muskets – They refused

! SHOT HEARD ROUND THE WORLD – No one knows who shot first

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Shot Heard Round the World! Start of the American Revolution

– No one knows who shot first – a few min later 8 minutemen lay dead – one British soldier was injured

! British marched onto Concord – Destroyed military supplies

! Battle broke out on Old North Bridge – British retreated

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Lexington and Concord! 4000 Minutemen and militiamen

arrived in the area ! Lined the road from Concord to

Lexington ! British scrambled back to Boston ! Didn’t mean to start the war, but it

happened. ! Now everyone had to choose sides

– Loyalist or Patriot

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Declaring Independence Chapter 6.4

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The Continental Army is Formed

! Militia from all over started gathering around Boston – About 20,000!

! Gage moved soldier to the city ! Boston is surrounded by water ! Attack on Fort Ticonderoga

– NY side of Lake Champlain ! Ethan Allen

– Green Mountain Boys 39

! Captured the fort – Lots of artillery - cannons and large guns – Used later to drive the British out of

Boston! ! Second Continental Congress

– John and Sam Adams, John Hancock, Ben Franklin, GW, Patrick Henry

– Formed the Continental Army – GW was the commanding general – Printed paper money

! to pay the troops – Began to act as a government for the first

time! 40

The Battle at Bunker Hill! Militia seized Bunker Hill and Breed’s

Hill ! Built fortifications on Breed’s Hill ! British became alarmed and attacked ! Legend says Prescott said,

– “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes!”

! British got close and they unleashed murderous fire.

! British fell back ! Then charged again! ! Militia retreated off the hill

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! Redcoats won Battle at Bunker Hill – But…they lost 1000+ casualties – militia lost 400

! Inexperienced colonial militia held it’s own against most powerful military in the world

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A Last Attempt at Peace! Most colonists hoped for peace

– still subjects of the king ! Olive Branch Petition

– restore harmony – King rejected it – blocked American ships – Hired Hessians

! thousands of German soldiers to fight

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! Colonists were not going to back down – British were professional soldiers – Colonials were poorly trained, had little

gun powder ! Washington planned to invade Quebec

– wanted to defeat British – get Canadians on their side – Benedict Arnold

! Played role in victory at Fort Ticonderoga ! He switched sides and fought for the British

after a long harsh winter going through Maine into Quebec

! See second slide show for rest of section 6.4

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