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A colonial era showdown
3,731 Miles
They had a lot of freedom – they became used
to ruling themselves and ignoring the laws of
Parliament.
Side note: Parliament is the part of government in
England responsible for making laws.
Remember, they were 3,731 miles apart…
Who is that?
Other references to
England:
• England
• Great Britain
• The Crown (referring to
the King in British
government)
• Parliament
Great Britain had emerged on the world stage as a country of power….which often meant they were in wars.
Because of the wars they were fighting, Britain wasn’t paying much attention to the colonies
…out of sight, out of mind. Once their war with France was over, England
needed money as wars are expensive to fight. England turned to the colonies as a source of
income and increased taxes and started enforcing restrictions on the colonies in the form of acts…
One third of colonists enjoyed the freedom
from the British government they were
experiencing
• They felt that perhaps the colonies should become
their own country – they were called “Patriots”
Another third of the population felt differently –
they remained loyal to the British government
which is why they were given the name
“Loyalists”
The final third of the people didn’t have an
opinion either way – they hadn’t made up their
minds about independence
Which view would you relate to?
This law banned settlement in certain
western lands. The purpose was to
reduce tensions between the
colonists and Native Americans.
The British army could then
withdraw from the frontier
and, thus, save money.
Parliament and Patriots – make your
arguments!
This act gave the British navy greater power
to search colonial ships. The law also
required products such as tobacco, sugar
and timber to be shipped directly from the
colonies to Britain. The law set taxes on
cloth, sugar, coffee, and wine coming into
the colonies. The purpose of this law was to
stop the smuggling of goods into and out of
the colonies. Parliament and Patriots – make your
arguments!
This law imposed a tax on every legal
document, newspaper, pamphlet, and
deck of cards coming into the colonies.
Parliament and Patriots – make your
arguments!
The British government moved the army
from the western lands into the cities. The
law required colonists who were
innkeepers of public officials to house
and feed the British soldiers.
Parliament and Patriots – make your
arguments!
The law stated that Parliament has the right
to pass laws for the colonies in “all cases
whatsoever.” Its purpose was to remind
the colonists that the authority of the king
and Parliament was superior to colonial
governments.
Parliament and Patriots – make your
arguments!
This law gave the East India Company the
sole right to sell tea to the colonies – no
other companies were permitted to sell
tea. The East India Company was a large
and important corporation in Britain. The
purpose of the law was to keep the
company from going broke.
Parliament and Colonists –
make your arguments!
The colonists believed taxes like these
should only be passed by their colonial
legislatures • Remember, Parliament, who was imposing the
taxes, was over 3,000 miles away
Colonists were protesting the new
taxes in Boston
British soldiers open fired on the
protestors and killed 5 people.
This incident showed colonists that
the British would use military force
to make the colonists obey the laws
Colonial protestors were impeding the
unloading of tea in Boston Harbor • Remember, there was a monopoly and tax
placed on all tea in the colonies, making it
very expensive
Protestors emptied 342 chests of tea
and dumped them in the Boston
Harbor
The colonists decided it was time
to make their voices heard – it
was time to make a Declaration…
1774 – Colonists decided it was time to
come together to unite against the British
government.
The committees of correspondence had
representatives from the colonies come
together once a year to discuss the
interests of the colonies. • Committees of correspondence were how the
colonies stayed in communication about events
and opinions throughout the colonies.
The committees of correspondence
called representatives to come together
at a general congress (meeting): • At the First Continental Congress,12 of 13
colonies attended to decide on the best
approach to deal with the British government.
• The Congress decided to ban trade with Great
Britain.
The banning of trade with Great Britain
resulted in the outbreak of fighting between the
colonists and the British
The fight at Lexington and Concord would
become the first of the Revolutionary War
www.history.com
At the Second Continental Congress: • Congress officially decided to resist the British
• Congress selected George Washington to lead
the army
• After a year, Congress asked a committee of
representatives to create a document that stated
why the colonists decided to fight for
independence.
This document would become the Declaration of
Independence
Video by Soomo Publishing
