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Navigation Acts
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Sugar Act
-Indirect tax (out of sight = out of mind)
-Duties on molasses and sugar -
Stamp Act
-Purchased only with valuable silver coins
-If didn’t purchase = fined or jailed
-Protested Stamp Act, feeling rights were violated
-Direct Tax
(in your face tax) -
Declaratory
-Parliament declares it has power to make laws for the colonies “in all cases whatsoever”
-Parliament passes this to save face -
Townshend Acts
-Taxes on glass, lead, paints, paper, and tea
-Searched for smuggled goods
-Sons of Liberty start to do violent acts
-British Soldiers arrive to protect tax collectors -
Boston Massacre
Boston Massacre
March 5, 1770: soldier, strikes colonist.
Crowd gathers and hassles soldier, throwing snowballs and shouting insults.
More troops arrive, colonists get more and more angry
“Fire if you dare!” -
Tea Act
-Passed in 1773 and allowed British East India Company (BEIC) to sell tea directly to colonists
-Lower Prices than colonist merchant prices
-Tax Tea cheaper than smuggled tea
-Less smuggling = more tax money -Colonial Merchants feared BEIC would put them out of business -
Boston Tea Party
Members of sons of liberty dump over 340 chests of tea into Boston Harbor
“Boston harbor is a teapot tonight!”
Caused problems for loyalists /Tories
Loyalist/Tory = a person in the the colony who remains “loyal” to the King & Great Britain -
Intolerable Acts
-Passed to punish Boston for Tea Party
-Boston Harbor Closed until tea paid for
-Massachusetts Charter cancelled
-Royal officials had trial in Britain
-Quartering Act required colonists to house soldiers
“If a soldier comes knocking at the door….
you’re sleeping on the floor”
-Large amount of land given to Quebec
-General Thomas Gage became new governor of MA -
Quartering act
-Quartering Act required colonists to house soldiers
“If a soldier comes knocking at the door….
you’re sleeping on the floor”
-Large amount of land given to Quebec
-General Thomas Gage became new governor of MA -
Continental Congress meets
All colonies but Georgia have representatives
Voted to send a statement of grievances
Voted to Boycott all British Trade
Patrick Henry- VA rep. urged colonists to unite against Britain -
1,000’s of Redcoats in Boston
General Gage brings thousands of British soldiers to Boston with more on the way. -
Midnight ride of Paul Revere
Paul Revere rides to warn the Sons of Liberty in Lexington and Concord that the “British are coming… The British are coming” -
Battles of Lexington & Concord
Battle of Lexington-
1st battle of American Revolutionary War
“Shot heard round the world” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
BRITISH Victory
Battle of Concord-
Americans Stop British and force them to retreat back to Boston
AMERICAN Victory -
Capture of Fort Ticonderoga
Benedict Arnold & Ethan Allen capture the fort
Get all supplies in the including cannons
AMERICAN Victory -
Battle of Bunker Hill
Fought on Breed’s Hill
“Don’t Fire until you see the whites of their eyes” - William Prescott
BRITISH Victory (Americans ran out of ammunition) British learn defeating Americans would NOT be easy. -
Second Continental Congress
Print $$$
Set up office
Created Continental Army led by George Washington
Sent Olive Branch asking King to protect their rights
King hires 30,000 Hessians Soldiers in response -
Washington arrives at Boston with Continental Troops
Realizes men are disorganized & need discipline
Need Weapons -
British Surrender Boston
Washington believes his army is ready & weapons arrive
Washington puts cannons on Dorchester Heights overlooking Boston
BRITISH retreat - AMERICAN Victory -
The Declaration of Independence is signed
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Common Sense published by Thomas Paine
Pamphlet inspires more colonists to become patriots
“Everything that is right or reasonable pleads for separation. The blood of the slain, the weeping voice of nature cries, “TIS TIME TO PART” -Thomas Paine, Common Sense -
Second Continental Congress votes for Independence
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Second Continental Congress meets again
Debate on declaring independence
Thomas Jefferson is the primary author of the document