Governing New TerritoriesTreaty of Paris of 1763 – France gave up

its North American empireBritain now control land from

Appalachian Mtns. to Mississippi RiverFarmers and land speculators moved to

new regionEveryone seemed to be ignoring the

American Indian claim to the land

American Indian ResistanceBritish limited the amount of ammunition

and rum available for trade with Indians Naturally this angered many American IndiansConsidered trade items as fair payment for

landNeolin (American Indian), denounced European

goods and urged other Indians to drive out the British

Pontiac’s Rebellion – in 1763, many Indian tribes took up arms against the BritishKilled over 2000 troopsRebellion ended when Pontiac could not take

Fort Detroit or Fort Pitt (lack of supplies and cold winter)

The Proclamation of 1763Although British held military control in

“Frontier”, could not successfully protect all British settlers

Proclamation of 1763 barred settlement west of Appalachians

Hard to enforce, many colonists land hungry and continued to move west

[Colonists resented the Proclamation]

Financing the EmpireBritish in major debt after war, put some

of the financial burden on the backs of the colonists – creating more resentment

Question became how to raise revenue ($$$)

TAXESSugar Act of 1764 – import tax on foreign

sugar, molasses, and a few other items…. ***not first tax on sugar or molasses, but first time

it was seriously enforced Colonists could no longer smuggle goods into the

colonies

Financing the EmpiresSugar Act decreased business for

colonial merchants who profited from smuggling

Often refused to cooperate with inspectors of the Royal Navy in shipyards

Controversy continued….. In 1765, Parliament slapped another tax…..

Stamp Act of 1765Placed a tax on anything printed….

Colonial ProtestsBritish officials were unprepared for the

colonial resistanceParliament passed act without any direct

representation from colonies…“No taxation without representation”

May 1765, VA House of Burgesses passed several resolutions condemning the Stamp Act

A Call to ActionColonists signed non-importation

agreementsPromised not to buy or import British

goodsProtesters hit the streets, sometimes violently

Edenezer MacIntosh led a violent protest destroying the property of a stamp agent

Boston Sons of Liberty – artisans, lawyers, merchants, politicians

Repeal of Stamp ActSamuel Adams – elected to Massachusetts House

of Representatives in 1765Became a leader in the fight for the colonists

October 1765, delegates from 9 colonies gathered in NYC – Stamp Act Congress Pledged obedience to ParliamentVoiced objections to Stamp Act – had no right

to tax colonistsBritish merchants who were losing business

joined in the protestsREPEALED in March 1776

Declaratory Act of 1766 – asserted full power and authority of Parliament

The Townsend Acts Charles Townsend, a British finance

minister, believed colonists resented the Stamp Act because it was collected in the colonies

Townsend believed they would be willing to accept taxes at colonial ports

Townsend Acts of 1767Import taxes on tea, lead, glass, dyesBritish custom officials used writs of assistance

to enforce act – meaning they could search anything

Colonial OppositionPowerful opposition from the colonistsCrown placed additional soldiers in coloniesNY’s assembly imposed the Quartering Act

of 1765Refused to provided money to quarter the

soldiers

The Boston MassacreOn March 5, 1770, an angry crowd

gathered outside a customs houseCrowed yelled insults, threw snowballs,

rocks, and coal at the soldiersBefore long, a soldier’s gun went off, 3

colonists lay dead, 2 more die later

Continuing Unrest…1770, partial repeal of the Townsend Act,

Quartering Act expiredBritish kept a small tax on tea

King George – “always must be one tax to keep up the right”

Repeal quieted general unrest, for a little while1772, Parliament announced it would pay

salaries of governor and judges in Mass. Feared they would now ignore colonial demands

The Tea Act of 1773British East India Company almost

bankruptTo save company – Parliament passed Tea

ActExcused the company from paying certain

taxes and permitted the company to see directly to American agents

Most colonists refused to buy TeaSons of Liberty in Philadelphia and NYC

threatened tea importers and boycotted

Boston Tea PartyDecember 16, 1773

Governor refused colonist’s demands Later that night, dressed as Indians, a well-

organized group of colonists boarded tea ships in Boston Harbor

Dumped 342 chests of tea into water

Intolerable Acts of 1774Boston Tea Party infuriated British officialsParliament responded by passing the Coercive

Acts – designed to strengthen British control in Mass.Colonists Called these Acts the Intolerable Acts

Colonists had to repay for lost tea – Ports closed indefinitely

Forbade colonists from holding town meetings Royal officials charged of crimes to be tired in

other colonies Local officials had to provide housing and food for

British soldiers

The Intolerable Acts deepened Colonial hostility toward Britain

Along with the Quebec Act, which extended Quebec territory south, angered colonists

Move towards colonial unity….

Thus begins the Revolutionary War…

First Continental CongressPhiladelphia – October 26, 1774

Every colony except for GA represented -1st time colonies really acted as one

Not a lawmaking body – met to air grievances and consider their options

Stay with Britain or declare independence Declaration of Resolves

Expressed loyalty to the British crown, stated that colonists had rights as British subjects

Colonists had “free and exclusive power of legislation in their several provincial legislatures”

Called for a ban on all trade with Britain Agreed to meet again in May 1775

King George III saw this as the last straw…….rebellion must be shut down

Lexington and ConcordUnder orders from King George III – General

Thomas Gage decided to seize rebel military supplies in Concord, Mass.

April 18, 1775, under night sky, 750 British troops left Boston toward Concord

The Patriots (colonists who supported independence) had placed watchmen on the shore of the Charles River

As Gage moved in close, Paul Revere ran back yelling “The British are coming!”

April 19th, 70 minutemen waited for the arrival of the British

British finally arrive – “Lay down your arms rebels, and disperse”

Colonists began to flee and then out of nowhere (each accusing the other) a shot was fired – “shot heard round the world”

British open fire – 8 colonists dead, 10 wounded

British marched on towards the rebels military supplies in Concord

As the British headed back to Boston, 100s of minutemen from behind stone walls open fire of the red coats

273 British soldiers dead