Why did many people want independence from Great

Britain? By: Jaycie, Sarah, Jade, Chris

Slavery

Many people were slaves because everyone was not treated equally. Most of the slaves were African American. African American’s were treated that way because they were a different race. Whites did not appreciate them. They were mostly used to do farm work or even work as maids so they could pay off there way to the

New World.

Boston Tea Party

• There were many people that wanted the taxes to go down. The government agreed with them so they lowered the taxes down. But then the townspeople were still mad. The Sons of Liberty dressed up as Indians one day and unloaded gallons of tea off British ships. The government got mad at them for doing that, so they punished them by getting more British soldiers and putting more in their homes. They also closed down the Port of Boston until colonists paid for the damage done to the tea. They also closed down churches meaning people could not have meetings.

Boston Massacre

People who were workers were talking trash to British soldiers and then, more people joined around these soldiers and townspeople. They started throwing snowballs, shells, rocks, and bricks. A leader of those soldiers soon yelled," Fire!" and the British soldiers fired right away. Five people were killed in this massacre. The workers were probably nuts talking trash to those British soldiers.

Taxation Without Representation

For 150 years, Great Britain left the colonies alone, and a few years later, Great Britain sent soldiers to collect taxes from the colonies. The colonies were also sent a Proclamation of 1763 meaning that colonists could not go over the Appalachian Mountains to fight with the Indians. The colonies ignored the Proclamation and fought with the Indians anyway. They were also not allowed to vote in British government, this made the colonists say, “That is Taxation without Representation!”

Declaration of Independence

• During the war, Thomas Jefferson made a rough draft of the Declaration of Independence. He sent it up to the Continental Congress and they wouldn’t sign it because there was a part about slavery being wrong(Thomas Jefferson owned slaves!). He took the part out, and on July 4,1776, The Declaration of Independence was signed.

“Give me Liberty,

or GIVE ME DEATH!”

Patrick Henry