Road to Revolution 1754 - 1776

British Goals: Keep the Colonist out of Indian Territory to avoid spending money on protection and increasing the already doubled debt.Conflict with Indians = Military Protection = Increased Spending

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ANSWER• Tax the American colonists.• England believes that since

colonies are responsible for debt, they should help pay

Sugar Act (1764) – tax placed on sugar and molasses

Mercantilist PolicySmugglers would be

tried in courts without juries

Colonist are ANGRY!!!Taxing them without

their consent is wrongTrials without juries are

unfair

Reaction

Colonists thought of themselves as English citizens with the same rights as those living in Britain.

Colonists had no representatives/ members in Parliament to voice their concerns.

Tax laws were being passed without the colonists having a say so.

They did not want to be taxed without consent/ permission.

John Locke – wrote that government was a “Social Contract” Government has contract/obligation to protect

individual freedom and propertyIf they fail to do this, citizens have the right to

overthrow itWilliam Blackstone – defined the rights of

individuals in English law as well as property rights that could not be violated even by the king.

Patriots were American Colonists who wanted to be free and independent of British rule. Also called Whigs and Rebels.

John Adams Ben Franklin Sam Adams Thomas Paine

Alexander Hamilton Paul Revere George Washington

Loyalist were colonists who were loyal to the King of Great Britain. Also called Tories and Redcoats.

Stamp Act (1765) – tax on all printed material (printed publications and official documents)

Colonist protestColonist begin

Boycotts (refuse to buy) on British goods

Sons of Liberty formed by Sam Adams

Action Reaction

Quartering Act (1765)- Required the colonists to quarter (house and feed) British troops in America.

Colonist protestColonists were upset that

they were forced to house British soldiers. Colonists were expected to pay the expenses for British soldiers.

Action Reaction

Action

Stamp Act Repealed – Repeal means to revoke, take-back, officially withdraw

Townshend Acts (1767) - tax on lead, glass, paper, paint, and tea

Use Writs of Assistance to enforce tax - Writs of assistance were court

orders that authorized British customs officers to conduct general (non-specific) searches of premises for illegal imports or exports.

Sent more British soldiers to keep order

ReactionBoycotts continuedColonial governments

oppose themSons of Liberty take

action – attack customs officials

Samuel Adams

• Helped organize the first Committee of Correspondence, Sons of Liberty and the Boston Tea Party.

Mercy Otis WarrenHelped organize the Committee of CorrespondenceWrote pamphlets and stories against the British as a form of

protestMercy wrote the first history of the American Revolutionary

War using her notes from meetings and conversations. Mercy’s ideas and writing convinced many people in the

colonies to take up the Patriot cause.

The group of colonist in Boston taunted the soldiers and threw snowballs. By accident, the soldiers fired, and several protestors were killed.

Crispus Attacks, a man of mixed African and Native American Indian ancestry, was the first colonist killed.

There were 8 British soldiers, and they killed 5 colonists.

Samuel Adams called it the “Boston Massacre”.

Propaganda – information giving only one side of the story in order to influence the audience

Samuel Adams referred to the event as the Boston Massacre, despite the fact that only 5 of the 400 colonists present were killed

Adams asked Paul Revere to make an engraving of the event.

This image was circulated in newspapers all throughout the colonies in order to win public support against the British.

Image Analysis

ActionParliament repeals the

Townshend Acts, except for a tax on tea

Tea Act (1773) – tax on tea, East India Company monopolizes tea business

ReactionColonist protestBoston Tea Party

(1773) – colonist led by Sons of Liberty, dump 45 tons of tea into Boston Harbor

ActionCoercive Acts (1774) –

called Intolerable Acts by colonistsClosed Boston HarborQuartering Act was backEliminated elected gov’t

council British officials charged

with major crimes were to be tried in England

ReactionTension escalates to an

all time highFirst Continental

Congress is called