Prelude to the Revolutionary War

What caused the British colonists to revolt?

In 1750, Great Britain and France

were the two most

powerful nations

with colonies east of the Mississippi

River.

Georgia History Timeline

In 1754, there’s WAR!

• Great Britain and France went to war over their world empires.

• The war began in North America, but most of it was north of Georgia.

• The fighting was savage with scalpings and other cruelties.

• The war spread to Europe.

The French and Indian War1754 – 1763

The French and Indian War was a nine-year conflict between England and France and their Indian allies (1754-1763).

Known in Europe as the Seven Years War, the French and Indian War was actually fought in North America, Europe, and on the high seas.

In North America, fighting began chiefly because both England and France had claimed the land known as the Ohio River Valley in the hopes of expanding their fur trades.

The first armed conflict took place at present day Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and involved future American hero George Washington. Most of the conflicts were waged along the Great Lakes or St. Lawrence River.

After nine long years, the French were defeatedThe final result of the French and Indian War

was the passage of the Stamp Act - Parliament's attempt to recoup financial losses from the war by taxing American colonists on all printed documents.

This event, which lead to many others, was the primary catalyst for the

American Revolution.

Treaty of Paris The Treaty of Paris,

which marked the end of the French and Indian War, granted Britain a great deal of valuable North American land. It declared the boundaries of settlement for all of the 13 colonies to be Appalachia.

Proclamation of 1763After Britain won the Seven Years' War and gained land in North America, it issued the Royal Proclamation of 1763, signed by King George III of England. It prohibits any English settlement west of the Appalachian mountains and requires those already settled in those regions to return east in an attempt to ease tensions with Native Americans.

Stamp Act in 1765• Created a tax on all legal documents, licenses,

newspapers, almanacs, pamphlets, and even decks of playing cards.

• It required that all of these kinds of documents and cards have a government stamp.

• You had to pay the tax to get the stamp.• Great Britain had spent a lot of money on the war

and wanted the colonists to pay their share.

Reaction to the Stamp Act• The colonists were angry about the Stamp Act.• They held a Stamp Act Congress to discuss what to

do.• Since the colonists had no one representing them

in Parliament when it passed new taxes, they believed they should not have to pay the taxes.

• Colonist protested and boycotted British products.• “No taxation without representation!” James Otis

The Boston Tea Party

Intolerable Acts 1773

• Britain’s response to the Boston Tea Party• Placed a military governor over Massachusetts• Closed Boston Harbor• Said they could not hold town meetings anymore• British officers were tried for capital crimes in

Britain instead of the colonies

Quartering Act

This act forced American colonists to house and feed British forces who

were serving in North America.

Somebody Wanted Post Reading (adapted from ASCD Action Tool, Reading Strategies for the Content Areas)

Title of Text ____________________________________________________

Somebody Wanted But SoEngland (or Great Britain)

France

Colonists

WesternNative Americans

Iroquois

Somebody Wanted (adapted from ASCD Action Tool, Reading Strategies for the Content Areas) Post Reading

Title of Text ____________________________________________________

Britain claimed that Georgia extended all the way to the Pacific Ocean until the Treaty of Paris in 1763 when we gave up all claims on land west of the Mississippi River.

The Mississippi River is Georgia’s western boundary.

Indians in the Georgia Area