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The Sugar Act
Indirect tax (out of sight=out of mind)
Beauties on molasses and sugar
Parliament= law making group of Great Britain James Otis
Colonists had no representatives in parliament,BUT they had to follow their rules. -
The Stamp Act
Tax on paper products
Official stamp/seal on all paper items (proof tax was paid)
Purchased only with valuables sliver coins
If didn't purchase= fined or jailed
Direct tax -
Repealing Stamp Act
Boycott
Parliament agrees to repeal (get rid of) the stamp act -
Townshend Act
Taxes on glass,lead,paints,paper,and tea
Searches for smuggled goods -
Boycott
Refusal to buy British goods
Colonies hoped to hurt British's economy
Hoped it would convince Parliament to lift the new taxes -
The Tea Act
Passed in 1773 and allowed British East India Company
(BEIC) to sell tea directly to colonists
Lower prices than colonist merchants prices
Tax tea cheaper than smuggled tea
Less smuggling=more tax money -
The Boston Tea Party
Members of Sons of Liberty Dump over 340 chests of tea into Boston Harbor
Caused problems for loyalist/tories
loyalist/tory = a person in the colony who remains "loyal" to the King & Great Britain -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was a meeting of delegates from 12 of the 13 British Colonies, that met to deal with the Intolerable Acts. Georgia was the only colony that did not send a representative to the Congress. They agreed to boycott British goods at first, if Parliament would not repeal the Intolerable Acts. Patrick Henry VA rep. urged colonists to unite against Britain. -
The Intolerable Acts
Passed to punish Boston for Tea Party
-Boston Harbor Closed until tea paid for
- Massachusetts Charter canceled
-Quartering Act required colonists to house soldiers "if a soldier comes knocking at the door .... you are sleeping on the floor" -
1,000's of Redcoats in Bostin
General Gage brings thousands of Britain soldiers to Boston with more on the way -
Midnight rude 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
Battles if 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 fort including cannons
- AMERICAN Victory -
The Second Continental Congress Meet
- printed money
- set up the post office -created the continental army lead by George Washington
- sent Olive Branch asking the king to protect their rights
- king hires 30,000 Hessian soldiers in response
-
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. -
Washington arrives on the outskirts of Boston with Continental troops
- realizes men are disorganized and need discipline
- need weapons
-
"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
-
British surrender Boston
- Washington believes his army is ready and weapons arrive
- Washington put cannons on Dorchester Heights overlooking Boston -British retreat -American Victory
-
Second Continental Congress meet again
- Debate on declaring independence
- Thomas Jefferson is the primary author of the document
-
Second Continental Congress votes for independence.
- All 13 colonies vote YES on declaring independence
-
The Declaration of Independence is signed
THEY CELEBRATED