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Navigation Act
- When people started to promote and follow self sufficiency and lead by themselves showing navigation.
- Restricted Colonial trade to England
- This happening was making a decrease in foreign imported things/goods
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The Sugar Act
An indirect tax on sugar and Molasses that the colonists had to pay, in order to repay for the French and Indian war. -
The Stamp Act
Tax on all paper items -
Townshend Act
- Taxes on glass,lead,paint, paper and tea
- Searched for smuggled goods
- Sons of Liberty start to do violent acts
- British soldiers arrive to protect tax collectors
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Tea act
- Passed in 1773 and allowed British East India Company (BEIC) to sell tea directly to colonists
- Lower prices than colonists merchant prices
- Tax tea cheaper than smuggled tea
- Less smuggling = More tax money
- Colonial Merchants feared by BEIC would put them out of business
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Boston Tea Party
- Members of Sons of Liberty dump over 340 chests f tea into the Boston Harbor
- "Boston Harbor is a teapot tonight!"
- Caused problems for loyalists/Tories
- Loyalists/ Tory = A person in the colony who remains "Loyal" to the king & Great Britain
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Quartering Act
- "When a soldier knocks on your door...you're sleeping on the floor"
- Soldiers would raid you of your own home and ell you where you need to go as if they lived there themselves
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Intolerable Act
- Passed to punish Boston for the Tea Party
- Boston Harbor closed until tea paid for
- Massachusetts charter cancelled
- Royal officials had a trial in Britain
- Quartering act required colonists to house soldiers
- "If a soldier comes knocking at the door..you're sleeping on the floor"
- A large amount of land given to Quebec
- General Thomas Gage became the new Governor of MA
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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.
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1000'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
- 1st battle of American Revolutionary War
- "Shot heard round the world" - Ralph Waldo Emerson
- BRITISH victory BATTLE OF CONCORD
- Americans stop the British and force them to retreat back to Boston.
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Second Continental Congress Meet
- Printed $$$
- Set up post office
- Created Continental Army led by George Washington
- Sent Olive Branch asking the King to protect their rights
- King hires 30,000 Hessian Soldiers in response
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Capture of Fort Ticonderoga
- Benedict Arnold & Ethan Allen capture the fort
- Get all the supplies in the fort including cannons
- AMERICAN victory
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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
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Washington arrives on the outskirts of Boston with Continental troops
- Realizes men are disorganized & need discipline
- Needs weapons
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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
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British surrender Boston
- Washington believes his army is ready & weapons arrive
- Washington puts cannons on Dorchester Heights overlooking Boston
- BRITISH retreat - AMERICAN victory
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Second Continental Congress meet again
- Debate on declaring independence
- Thomas Jefferson is the primary author of the document