Causes of the American Revolution

Do Now:• Consider a conflict or a disagreement that you have had

with a family member or a friend. What was at the center of the disagreement? How did you work out the conflict and reach a resolution?

Let’s Revisit this Unit’s Essential Questions:

• How did the revolutionary era demonstrate American ideals, the American character and the country’s will to succeed?

• Were the Americans justified in fighting Britain and becoming independent?

Proclamation of 1763• At the end of the French and Indian War, American colonists

began moving into the Ohio Valley, the land won from the French.

• The colonists had new conflicts with Native American groups over land and battled them in Pontiac’s War, which only lasted about 6 months.

• The British Parliament did not want the colonists to have further conflicts with the Natives, so a line was drawn along the Appalachian Mountains and forbade settlers west of the line.

• Britain ordered settlers who were already over the line to remove themselves immediately.

• 10,000 British troops were sent to the colonies to enforce the new law, even though most of them stayed on the East coast anyways

• Colonists were angered by the Proclamation, and many chose to ignore it.

Colonists were banned from going into territory won during the French and Indian War

-Britain already felt that governing the 13 colonies was difficult enough. If the colonists spread out even more, it would be even more difficult to regulate trade and taxes.

Britain Imposes New Taxes• Britain fell deep into debt as a result of the French and

Indian War and taxes in Britain rose sharply• Britain felt that the Colonies should share the burden,

considering they benefitted from the results of the war. The first tax that they passed was:

• The Sugar Act (1764)- A tax on molasses- which was a valuable item in the Triangular Trade. • Colonial Smugglers would be put on trial if they did not pay the tax.

The Stamp Act (1765)• Tax on legal documents such as wills, diplomas and

marriage licenses, and items such as newspapers, almanacs, playing cards, and dice.

• This was the first time that colonists had to pay such a tax.• The colonists respond with anger and riots in many

colonial cities.• When officials tried to enforce the Act, they were met with strong

opposition, including tar and feathering, and burning of effigies.

“No Taxation Without Representation!”• From the colonists’ perspective, there were English

traditions dating back to the Magna Carta (1215) which stated that there should be no taxation without representation.

• As long as they did not vote for representatives to the British Parliament, the British government did not have the right to tax them.

• The colonists thought taxes were fair only if passed by their elected colonial governments.

• The British were shocked by the anger of the colonists.• The British helped the colonists in the French and Indian War• People living in Britain were paying much higher taxes anyway

The colonies move towards unity

• Critics of the Stamp Act call for delegates from each colony to meet in New York City.

• Nine of the colonies sent delegates to the Stamp Act Congress

• The delegates drew up petitions to King George III and the British Parliament

• Petition- A formal written request to someone in authority, signed by a group of people.

• Within the Petitions, the delegates stated that Parliament had no right to tax the colonies

• Parliament ignored the Petitions

• Colonists also joined together to boycott British goods.

• Boycott- Refuse to buy certain goods and services.

• As a result of the colonists’ boycotts, British trade fell off by 14%, greatly hurting British merchants and workers who made goods for the colonies.

• Because of the economic effects on the British, Parliament, repealed (cancel or take away) the Stamp Act in 1766

• At the same time it took away the Stamp Act, it passed a law stating that Parliament had the right to raise taxes in “all cases whatsoever.”

The colonies move towards unity

Think about it….• What if the CEO of Chipotle said something mean about

people from New Jersey and everyone in the state decided to boycott Chipotle?

• What would happen to the businesses of Chipotle throughout the state? What would happen to the workers? What about the companies that supply ingredients to Chipotle?

• Do you think that the CEO would apologize to New Jerseyans to avoid the loss of money?

• The colonists made a big statement by boycotting items and forcing the British to lose $$.

• The British were forced to repeal the Stamp Act to stop the losses.

The Quartering Act (1765)• As Britain sent more troops to the colonies to tighten

control, they needed the soldiers to have a place to stay.• The Quartering Act stated that Britain would house

soldiers in American barracks and public houses.• However, if these living quarters were filled, the colonies

must provide inns, alehouses, barns and other buildings, at the expense of the owners.

• Most colonists did not like

having the British soldiers

around; they saw them as

bullies who were forcing

them to pay unfair taxes.

The Townshend Acts (1767)• By May 1767, Parliament was discussing new taxes to impose

on the Colonies• A new act was named after Charles Townshend, in charge of the

British Treasury• The Townshend Acts taxed goods such as glass, paper, paint,

lead and tea.• Colonists objected again, stating that Parliament had no right to tax

them.

The Townshend Acts (1767)

• The Townshend Acts also set up a system in which British customs officials could use documents called writs of assistance to inspect a ship’s cargo without giving a reason. They did this to stop smuggling of goods.• This angered the colonists because under English law, an

official could not search a person’s property without good reason for suspecting the owner committed a crime

• Colonial merchants across the colonies signed nonimportation agreements promising to stop importing goods taxed by the Townshend Acts.

• In 1770, The Townshend Acts were eventually repealed, except the tax on tea

The Sons and Daughters of Liberty• Sons of Liberty- group of colonists who were angry at the

British taxes and used organized protests to challenge the new British taxes, led by Samuel Adams• They staged mock hangings of effigies, intimidated tax collectors.• Sam Adams formed a committee of correspondence in which

members wrote letters and pamphlets which became tools of protest

• Daughters of Liberty- Group of women colonists who paraded, signed petitions and boycotted fine British cloth.• “It is better to wear a Homespun coat than to lose our Liberty.”

Patriots and Loyalists• During this time of British taxation of the colonies, more and

more people were seeing the need to become an independent nation because they saw the British as an oppressive force.

• Patriots were colonists who wanted to break from Britain and become independent

• Loyalists were colonists who stayed loyal to the British crown and did not want to become independent.• Often, Loyalists belonged to the upper class and had large land

holdings. Many belonged to the Church of England (Anglican)• They enjoyed their lives exactly how it was as British subjects.

• Historians have estimated that the colonial population consisted of 40-45% Patriots, 15-20% Loyalists, and 35-45% Neutral or not vocal on which side they supported.

Stop and think…..• Can you think of an issue in 2015 that has very strong opposing

sides?... Has this issue led to violence or does it strictly remain a heated debate.

• In our past and into the future, there has always been and will always be heated debates and controversial issues.

• We can stand up for what we believe in, but we must be open-minded, listen to the opposing views and understand that there are many different perspectives on the same issue.

• Being a Patriot or Loyalist sometimes divided families and friends

The Boston Massacre (1770)• Boston was known for having a large population of

Patriots, so more British soldiers were stationed there.• One night a crowd gathered outside the Boston customs

house yelling at the British soldiers guarding the building.• Then the crowd began throwing snowballs and chunks of

ice at the soldiers.• The scene continued to escalate and grow rowdier when

the soldiers panicked and shot into the crowd.• Five colonists lay dead and six injured in what the

colonies labeled “The Boston Massacre.”• The event outraged the colonists further as they assumed

guilt of the soldiers and called for their execution.

The Boston Massacre (1770)

-Paul Revere engraved this picture of the event.

-Why do you think Revere depicted the event the way that he did?

-Is the engraving an accurate portrayal of what took place that night?

-Was this event a massacre or an act of self-defense?

After the Boston Massacre…• The British soldiers were tried for murder. Six were

released and two were punished with a branding on their thumb.

• John Adams, a proud Patriot and lawyer defended the soldiers.

• Adams wanted to show the British that the Americans believed in fair justice, and would give the soldiers a fair trial despite the fact many colonists assumed them guilty.

• Adams argued that the crowd provoked the Soldiers and they acted in self-defense

• Following the Boston Massacre, the colonists were happy about the Townshend Acts being repealed and there was a couple years of calm between the colonists and British

Stop and think…• How did the trials of the British soldiers reflect American

values, ideals, and democracy?• How would you describe John Adams, a man who both

wanted to break away from British control, and yet defended the British soldiers and gave them a fair trial?

The Tea Act (1773)• The Townshend Act kept taxes on tea

• The Tea Act was created to help the British East India Company which was responsible for selling tea to colonial tea merchants. The company needed help financially

• Parliament decided to help the British East India Company by “taking out the middle man” and having the company sell directly to the colonists.

Before 1773

British East India Co.Colonial Tea Merchants

Colonists

Tea Act

British East India Co. Colonists

The Tea Act (1773)• By eliminating the tea merchants, the British East India Co. was

able to sell their tea to the colonists for less than the colonists were paying before.

• Colonists were again angered by this Act• Tea merchants around the colonies would lose their jobs• The British would sell tea at lower prices than tea illegally

imported from the Dutch, creating a monopoly in the tea trade for the British East India Co.

• New boycotts against tea took place in the colony.• Colonists decided to give up tea and drink coffee instead.• Daughters of Liberty encouraged others to make “liberty tea”

from raspberry leaves.

The Boston Tea Party• The largest boycott came when Sam Adams led a group of men to the

harbor and on board of the tea ships. Many of them were dressed as Mohawk Indians.

• They split open the chests and dumped 46 tons of tea into the harbor• In today’s U.S. dollars, the East India Co. lost about $1 million worth of

tea, and the colonists refused to pay it back

Make a prediction…• How do you think Britain will react to the Boston Tea

Party?• Do you think Britain will be understanding of the colonists’

viewpoints and actions, and try to make amends?..... OR• Will Britain punish the colonies like a parent would punish

a child for wrongdoing?

The Intolerable Acts• King George III was furious with the colonists’ act of

lawlessness and looked to punish Massachusetts.• The Intolerable Acts included four laws:

• 1) Parliament closed down the Boston harbor until the colonists paid for the lost tea.

• 2) Massachusetts colonists were forbidden from holding town meetings more than once a year without the governor’s permission

• 3) British customs officers and other officials charged for major crimes would have their trial in Britain, not in Massachusetts.

• 4) A new Quartering Act allowed British commanders to force citizens to house troops in their homes

Support for Boston• The Committees of Correspondence spread the word to the

other colonies of the Intolerable Acts and warned that the Bostonians faced hunger while their port was closed.

• The other colonies sent food and goods to Boston• First Continental Congress- Sept. 1774- Colonial leaders from

12 colonies met in Philadelphia.• The delegates agreed to boycott all British goods and stop exporting

goods to Britain until the Intolerable Acts were repealed.• They urged each colony to set up and train its own militia- an army

of citizens who serve as soldiers during an emergency• The delegates agreed to meet again in May 1775

• Minutemen were volunteer soldiers who got their name because they kept their muskets at hand and were prepared to fight at a minute’s notice.

Lexington and Concord• After the Intolerable Acts, Britain sent more troops to Boston bringing

the number to 4,000.• Early in 1775, British General Thomas Gage heard a rumor that

minutemen were storing arms in a town called Concord, a village 18 miles from Boston.

• Gage planned a surprise march to Concord to seize the arms.• When the 700 British troops left Boston, the Sons of Liberty were

watching and hung two lamps from the Old North Church in Boston, signaling that the British were on the move.

• Messengers on horseback, including Paul Revere, warned villages that the redcoats were coming.

Lexington and Concord• On the way to Concord, the British troops reached Lexington,

and about 70 minutemen were waiting on the village green.• The British ordered the men to go home.• Suddenly a shot rang out, and nobody knows who fired the first

shot.• In the brief struggle, 8 colonists were killed and one British

soldier wounded.• The British pushed on to

Concord but found no arms in

the village, and decided to

head back to Boston.

Lexington and Concord• On a bridge outside Concord fighting broke out with 300 Minutemen.• The British were forced to retreat and by the time they reached Boston,

the redcoats lost 73 men and 200 were wounded or missing.• For the Americans, 49 were killed and 44 were wounded or missing.• This battle was significant because it was the first battle of the war,

and it showed that a peaceful agreement with Britain would not be reached before blood was lost.

• The battle also gave the colonists early confidence that they could go toe to toe with the most powerful army in the world.

In closing…• Pretend you are a colonist living in Massachusetts.

Yesterday was the battle of Lexington and Concord. • Are you happy, scared, angry or sad about the growing

conflict between the colonists and Britain? Why?• If you can speak to King George III right now what would

you say? • Is there any hope that peace can be restored or are further

battles unavoidable now?