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Sugar Act
Indirect tax (out of sight = out of mind)
Duties on molasses and sugar -
Stamp Act
Tax on all paper products Official stamp/seal on all paper items (proof tax was paid)
Legal documents
Licenses
Newspapers
Pamphlets
Playing cards 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) -
Repealing Stamp Act
Boycott
Refusal to buy stamps or paper goods
Stamp Act Congress Parliament agrees to repeal (get rid of) the Stamp Act -
Declaratory Act
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 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
Crowd gathers and hassles soldier, throwing snowballs and shouting insults.
More troops arrive, colonists get more and more angry.
“Fire if you dare!”
This became known as the Boston Massacre. -
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
Loyalists/Tory = a person in the Colony who remains “loyal to the King & Great Britain. -
Quartering Acts
Quartering Act required colonists to house soldiers -
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
Large amount of land given to Quebec
General Thomas Gage became new governor of MA -
1st 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 British
-
1,000 Redcoats
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…” -
Lexington and 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 -
Capture of Fort Ticonderoga
Benedict Arnold and Ethan Allen capture the fort.
Get all supplies in the fort including cannons.
AMERICAN VICTORY! -
Second Continental Congress
Print Money.
Set up post office.
Created Continental Army led by George Washington.
Sent Olive Branch asking King to protect their rights.
King hires 30,000 Hessian Soldiers in response. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
Fought on Bunker’s Hill.
“Don’t Fire until you see the whites of their eye” - William Prescott
British Victory (Americans ran out of ammunition) British learn defeating Americans would NOT be easy. -
Washington Arrives at Boston with Continental Troops
Continental troops
Realizes men are disorganized and need disciplining.
Need weapons. -
Common Sense
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. -
Declaration of Independence Signed
-
Second Continental Congress Meet Again
Debate on declaring independence.
Thomas Jefferson is the primary author of the document. -
Votes for Independence
