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Stamp Act Part 2
The colonists' thoughts were summarized into a quote, "no taxation without representation". James Otis and Samuel Adam concluded that they disagree with Parliament taxing the colonies.. Also, Samuel Adams created a confidential organization called the Sons of Liberty, which led protests and challenged Britain. Actions such as taunting the tax collectors were taken. Not to mention, the British were taxing th colonists in order to keep their standing army running throughout the colonies. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act of 1765, was passed by Prime Minister Grenville, and it was the first attempt of Parliament to tax the colonists directly. He required colonists to pay for a governmental stamp whenever items including paper were purchased. The act included daily used objects such as legal documents, newspapers, licenses, pamphlets, and even playing cards. Ths angered the colonists because they believe that Parliament does not have the right to tax them without their permission. -
Stamp Act Congress
During October, a meeting was called for in New York, with the elected delegates from the nine colonies. The Congress gave the colonies a chance to represent their ideas. Several of the proposals mentioned in the Stamp Act Congress stated that the Stamp Act violated the colonists' rights and freedom. After the debate, Parliament was pressured to repeal the Stamp Act due to the London merchants who were suffering from the colonial boycott, and the Declaratory Act was passed. -
Townshend Acts
A group of taxes created by Carles Townshend were placed by Parliament after the repeal of the Stamp Act. Taxes were applied on paper, tea, paints, glass, and many daily used objects. Merchants boycotted British goods and rebellions were started by the motivation that Samuel Adams and John Dikinson brought for the colonists. In result, British troops were sent to America to keep things in order, but at the end, the Act was repealed by 1770, except for the taxes on tea. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre is a street fight between a group of colonists and British soldiers on patrol The tension led Captain Thomas Preston to bring back up troops who shot the colonists for defense, killing 3 and injuring 8 men. This resulted in the repeal of most of the Townshend Acts, but required trials in Admiralty Courts for the royal officials. At the end, two of the British soldiers were trialed and found guilty for murder. -
Tea Act
The Tea Act of 1773 placed an indirect taxation on tea in order to support the East India Company's sale on tea as well as to challenge the Americans' taxation issues. Although this act reduced chances of smuggling, the colonists were angry because British received a fair monopoly. Parliament was surprised with the colonists' outrage, because citizens in England are familiar with taxes similar to these. Instead, American merchants and shippers were directly affected, bringing negative results. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party is a famous rebellion played by the colonists. Three ships filled with tea from the East India Company arrived at the Boston Harbor. Adams disliked the ships entering the harbor, and wanted them to leave. Governor Thomas Hutchison demanded that the cargo to be brought ashore and taxed. Samuel Adams ordered a group of 50 men to disguise as Indians. They took this time to sneak into the ships and dumped 342 chests of tea into the sea, -
Intolerable/Coercive Acts
The Intolerable Acts are a series of punishments passed by Lord North to penalize the Bostonians for the Boston Tea Party and the past rebellious protests. Parliament tried to grow the colonies into a civilized and an orderly area by passing this act which was made up of the closure of Boston Harbor, Quartering Act, Quebec Act, Massachusetts Government Act, and the Administration of Justice Act. This brought a hard winter for the Bostonians and the major fall in economy. -
1st Continental Congress
Delegates from all colonies, except for Georgia, gathered in Philadelphia once more. The 1st Continental Congress was an opportunity for the colonial leaders to debate about different proposals, such as the Galloway Plan of Union (suggested by Joseph Galloway), the establishment of the Grand Council of the Americans, and the "Association" (a pact for boycotting English goods.) -
Concord/Lexington
The Battle at Concord and Lexington is known to be a skirmish between the British who were disarming the colonists while seeking breakfast, and the Americans. The Minutemen, or the American militiamen, fired their guns in hidden posions as the British soldiers, also known as the Redcoats, passed by. This angered the British because they believed that real soldiers would confront their enemies boldly. Final results proved that this conflict was won by the Americans, but there were many casualties -
Concord/Lexington Part 2
on both sides. Additionally, "shot heard round the world" is a popular phrase that refers to the first shot that was fired during this stand off. After this event, this phrase is used to hint the important of single actions that might seem minor. Furthermore, Paul Revere takes an important role in the Battle of Lexington. He is a patriot and he rode from Boston to Lexington to warn the other Americans of the British troops. Because of him, the colonists were able to hide the armies and keep safe -
2nd Continental Congress
The 2nd Continental Congress was the third meeting held at the State House in Philadelphia because of King George's refusal to pass the Declration of Rights and in order to settle the conflict in Lexington and Concord. This congress and the group of delegates that met were not fully organized or expereienced, but it is known to be a bold attempt to seek peace with Britain. Through this congress, the Continental Army (a colonial troop) was formed, with George Washington as the commander. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill is the first major battle which indicates the American Revolution. More than 15,000 colonial troops were gathered near Boston to defend Bunker Breed's Hills from the British. The Minutemen stood through a cannonade from British ships in the Boston Harabor, fought off attacks of 2,300 Redcoats, but at the end, they were forced to retreat. The British won the battle, but they realized that it would be difficult to overcome the rebels and their motivation. -
Olive Branch Petition
On July 1775, John Dickinson, a delegate from Pennsylvania, directed a proposal aimed directly at King Geroge 3. It requested for his majesty to end the war, repeal the Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts) and to bring back the friendly relationships they once used to have. The Congress approved of this pettion on Jule 5, but the king was horrified and refused it. -
Common Sense
"Common Sense" is a 47-page pamphlet that was written by Thomas Paine, an English political writer. He first handed his pamphlets out in Philadelphia. The pamphlets were the first piece of work that challenged the authority of the British government and the royal monarchy. His writing involved simple language that commoners can easily understand. This technique helped his pamphlets to reach the largest sale of any book in the American history. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was written by numerous delegates, but the principal writer was Thomas Jefferson, a delegate from Virginia. This legal document declared that the colonies should break apart from Great Britain's rule. It stated that the colonists lack freedom and rights due to the unfair taxing. Thomas Jefferson also declared that all people have equal rights. Many of the statements were common ideas which have already been expressed by people such as John Locke. The document was -
Declaration of Independence Part 2
signed by the delegates in order to show complete agreement. It was approved by the Continental Congress, and the colonies became the United States of America.
