The American Revolution

1. The American Revolution Chapter 4

2. Conflict in the Colonies Chapter 3 – 5

5. Britain’s Trade Laws

6. After the French and Indian War, Britain acquired a huge public debt. • As a result of the debt, the British saw the colonist as a source of revenue ($$) • Britain began taxing the colonist to pay for the war. • This will also contribute to distrust of Britain by the colonist.

7. Britain’s Trade Laws • George Grenville (Britain’s finance minister) thought the colonist should pay more toward British expenses in N. America. • His first step toward this was to prevent the colonist from smuggling (trading illegally) goods in the colonies.

8. To prevent smuggling, he issued a writs of assistance. (legal documents that allowed British officers to search the home and warehouses looking for smuggled goods.). • The writs of assistance horrified the colonist b/c gov’t officials could come into their homes w/o warning.

9. Grenville’s next act to raise $$ was to impose the Sugar Act. • The Sugar Act lowered the tax on molasses imported by the colonist and established courts to hear smuggling cases. The British appointed their own judges instead of having juries. • This measure really troubled the colonist.

11. The colonist believed that the Britain Parliament should not have the right to tax the colonist b/c they could not vote for members of Parliament. • Thus, came the slogan “Taxation w/o Representation is Tyranny.”

12. The Stamp Act

13. The Stamp Act • Parliament passed another, more disturbing law, the Stamp Act. • The Stamp Act placed a tax on almost all printed material in colonies (newspapers, pamphlets, wills, and playing cards). • This tax convinced the colonists that action needed to be taken against Britain.

14. The colonists argued that: • Parliament had interfered in colonial affairs by taxing colonist directly • Parliament taxed the colonist w/o their approval

15. Protesting the Stamp Act

16. Protesting the Stamp Act • Patrick Henry attempted to persuaded the Virginia House of Burgesses to take action against the Stamp Act. • Henry gave a passionate speech in which he informed the VA House of Burgesses, “To Give Me Liberty or Give me Death!” • Henry succeeded and the assembly stated that only the colonial gov’t had the right and power to tax its citizens. • Samuel Adams organized the Sons of Liberty to protest the Stamp Act.

17. Samuel Adams Patrick Henry

18. http://www.authentichistory.com/antebellum/revolution/19130600_Give_Me_Liberty_or_Give_Me_Death-Harry_E_Humphrey.htmlhttp://www.authentichistory.com/antebellum/revolution/19130600_Give_Me_Liberty_or_Give_Me_Death-Harry_E_Humphrey.html • Listen to the words of Patrick Henry when he gave his famous speech in the Virginia House of Burgesses.

19. The Sons of Liberty protested the Stamp Act by protesting the British stamps. They marched throughout the colony destroying houses belonging to Britain officials . • People began to boycott (refuse to buy) European goods and many Britain merchants begged Parliament to repeal the law.

21. Colonist formed the Stamp Act Congress where 9 of the 13 colonies were represented. • The congress told the king that he did not have the power to tax the colonies, only the colonial gov’t had that right. • Parliament repealed the Stamp Act as a result.

22. While the colonist celebrated their Stamp Act victory, Parliament passed another far reaching act, the Declaratory Act. • The Declaratory Act said that Parliament had the right to tax colonist no matter what the colonial gov’t did.

23. New Taxes

24. New Taxes • Parliament made another attempt to raise $$ for Britain by passing the Townshend Acts. • The Townshend Act applied taxes to all goods imported to the colonist. (glass, paper, tea and lead) Most of these goods were not produced in the colonies.

25. Once again, the colonist became outraged with any taxes imposed by Parliament. • They felt once again that only colonial gov’t had the right to tax the colonist. • As a result of the Townshend Act, colonist begin boycotting British goods once again.

26. Colonial Women Organize Protests

27. Colonial Women Organize Protests • Women took an active role in the protest against the Townshend Acts. • Women organized groups to support the boycott of British goods, sometimes calling themselves the Daughters of Liberty. • They urged Americans to wear homemade clothes.

28. Trouble in Boston

29. Trouble in Boston • British officers sent word back to Britain that he feared the colonist in Boston were planning a rebellion. • As a result, Parliament sent 700 soldiers to the Boston Harbor. • The soldiers were rude and violent toward the colonist.

30. On March 5, 1770, a fight finally erupted between the British soldiers and the colonist. The colonist moved throughout the streets picking up stones, sticks, shovels, and clubs to use as weapons against the soldiers. • The soldiers confronted the mob when they drew close.

31. The crowd responded by throwing stones, snowballs, oysters shells and wood at the soldiers. • After one of the soldiers were knocked down, the soldiers opened 7 shots on the mob; killing 5 colonist. Among the dead was the leader of the mob, Crispus Attucks. (a black male) • This tragic event is known as the Boston Massacre.

32. Crispus Attucks

34. The colonist used the Boston Massacre to their benefit. Samuel Adams and Paul Revere begin using propaganda to get the colonist to hate the British. • The massacre led the colonist to boycott British goods again, but stronger. • As a result, Parliament repealed the Townshend Act except on tea.

35. Samuel Adams reorganized the Committee of Correspondence to circulate writings about grievances the colonist had against the British.

36. A Crisis over Tea

37. A Crisis over Tea • The British East India Company had a surplus of tea; if they did not sell the excess tea, it would face ruin. • The British gov’t wanted to keep the East India Company opened; therefore, they passed the Tea Act.

38. The Tea Act gave the company the right: • The right to ship tea to the colonies without paying taxes on the tea. • The right to sell tea directly to the shopkeepers instead of the merchants. • This allowed the East India Company to have the cheapest tea in the colonies.

39. The colonist immediately boycotted British tea and denounced the British monopoly on tea. • 3 ships from British docked in the Boston Harbor to deliver their tea. • A group of men dressed as Indians boarded the ships and dumped 342 chest of tea in the Boston Harbor. • This event will be known as the Boston Tea Party.

41. Intolerable Acts

42. Intolerable Acts • When King George III received news of the Boston Tea Party, he realized he was losing control of the colonies. • The king and Parliament vowed to punish Boston for their actions. • Parliament passed the Coercive Act, which the colonist called the Intolerable Act.

43. George III

44. The Intolerable Act imposed the following punishments: • Closed the Boston Harbor until colonist paid for the ruined tea. (this prevented the importation of food and other supplies) • Prohibited town meetings (no more church) • Forced the Bostonians to shelter soldiers in their homes.

45. The Revolution Begins Chapter 4 – 1

47. The Continental Congress

48. The Continental Congress • 54 men from all the colonist except Georgia met in Philadelphia to establish a political body to represent the colonist interest. • This group was known as the First Continental Congress.

50. Major political leaders from all the colonies attended this meeting. • Those in attendance included: • Samuel Adams and his cousin, John Adams • John Jay • Richard Henry Lee • Patrick Henry • George Washington