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Causes of the American Revolution
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End of the French and Indian War
After the war, Britain went into debt because the war was expensive. To repay the debt he taxed the colonists. The colonists were not happy with this. This led to boycotts and violence. The boycotts helped lead to the outbreak of war. -
The Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation of 1763 was when King George III said colonists couldn’t move west of the Appalachian Mountains. He did not want to protect them from the Indian attacks. The colonists were angry that the king would not protect them. Most colonists ignored this and moved west anyway. The fact that the King wouldn’t protect them made the colonists even angrier. -
The Sugar Act
The Sugar Act was a tax on sugar and molasses. The colonists thought this was an unfair act because they were not represented in Britain’s government. That was when many people started to use the phrase “No taxation without representation.” The colonists, as a result, boycotted taxed sugar and started to smuggle goods. This helped lead to the war because the colonists were angry that they were being taxed when they were not represented in Parliament. -
The Stamp Act
The Stamp Act required special tax stamps for legal documents, dice, newspapers, and cards. The colonists thought this was unfair because they were not represented in Parliament but they still had to pay. The reaction the colonists had were boycotts, petitions, smuggling, and violence. -
Quartering Act
The Quartering Act forced colonists to house British soldiers stationed in the colonies. Colonists felt outraged and that it was a violation of their rights. As a result, colonists refused to house soldiers and showed violence towards them. -
Townshend Act
The Townshend Act was a tax on imports like glass, paper, and tea. It also allowed officers to use Writs of Assistance to search colonial ships for smuggled goods. The colonists felt that the Writs of Assistance were violations of there rights. In response, merchants signed Non-Importation Agreements, and more boycotts took place. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre really wasn’t a massacre at all. What happened was the colonists were throwing ice, rocks, and clubs at the soldiers. They made mobs that surrounded the soldiers. One of the soldiers accidently fired which led to several more gunshots. When all was over, 5 colonists were dead. The colonists were scared and shocked. The Committee of Correspondence then spread propaganda which spread the news about this incident. -
Tea Act
The Tea Act allowed colonists to import British tea directly from India. The tea was still taxed, but it was much cheaper. Colonists saw it as a trick to accept being taxed without representation. Their reaction was to not purchase the tea, along with more boycotts. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was when The Sons of Liberty dressed as Mohawk Indians and snuck onto British East India Co. ships. While they were on the ships they dumped all of the tea into the Boston Harbor. Some colonists were not pleased with the actions of The Sons of Liberty. However, some colonists were pleased with the idea. However, there were great consequences for this action. -
Coercive/Intolerable Acts
These acts were punishments for Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party. These punishments consisted of banning town meetings, closing the Boston Harbor until the tea was paid for, and a new Quartering Act. The colonists were outraged and felt these punishments were way too harsh. Other colonies helped support Massachusetts, and the First Continental Congress was held. -
The First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was a meeting of representatives from 12 of the 13 colonies in Philadelphia, PA. They held this meeting because they wanted to discuss how to respond to the Intolerable Acts. They demanded a repeal on the Intolerable Acts, and ordered all colonies to train militias. They also started new boycotts. -
Paul Revere's Ride
Paul Revere's Ride was a warning to the colonists that the British were coming. Two of the other riders were Billy Dawes and Sam Prescott. The colonists were grateful that they were warned of this attack. This lead to the Battle of Lexington and Concord. -
Lexington and Concord
Lexington and Concord was the first battle of the American Revolutionary War. No one knows who fired the first shots because each side was biased. Minute Men showed up at Lexington and were told to go home. They refused and shots began to ring out. A bigger battle was then fought in Concord.
