Chapter 4, Section 1-2

 Think back…  What has already happened in the colonies that could cause the colonists and the British to end up fighting?  Were any new laws passed that the colonists did not like?

 After the French and Indian War, Britain is left with a huge debt to pay  10,000 British soldiers are left in the colonies after the war ended  England decides the colonists should help pay for the soldiers and debt

 British have left the colonies alone  British try to enforce laws and taxes after the French and Indian War without the consent of the colonies  Colonies have formed own governments  Colonists are used to managing their own affairs  “Taxation without Representation”, colonists want to have a say in government through elected representatives

 The colonies are taxed to help raise money  The Sugar Act put a tax on sugar and molasses  Would especially hurt the Northern colonies who made a lot of their money through the manufacturing of rum

 The Sugar Act raised another issue  “No taxation without representation” – Samuel Adams  Major issue leading up to the Revolutionary War

 Another tax put on the colonists to raise money  Required a government tax stamp on all legal documents like contracts and licenses. Also on playing cards, newspapers, and almanacs  Colonists protested the law openly  Forced stamp agents to resign  Conducted a mock hanging of a dummy representing a stamp agent

 Patrick Henry – made a speech to the Virginia House of Burgesses saying Virginians should only pay taxes by their own assembly  Stamp Act Congress – Massachusetts Assembly protested the Stamp Act  Nine colonies met in New York to send a petition to the King and Parliament  They did not have the right to tax the colonies without proper representation

 Sons of Liberty – boycotted or refused to buy British goods. They were also known to tar and feather tax collectors  Daughters of Liberty – boycotted as well, wore clothes of homespun cloth

 Colonists must find quarters, or living space, for the British soldiers stationed in America  Colonists saw this as another attack on their rights

 Tax on lead, paint, paper, glass, and tea that were imported from Britain  Also brings back writs of assistance  Gave British officers the right to search colonial homes for smuggled goods without search warrants

 Merchants agreed to non importation agreements  They would not import goods that would be taxed by Britain  Their protest worked. Most of the Townshend Acts were repealed by 1770  Parliament keeps the tax on tea to show that they still have the right to tax the colonies

 March 5, 1770 – Colonists begin throwing snowballs at British officer  British officer calls for back up and the colonists continue their taunting  Someone yells “Fire!” and the British soldiers fire into the crowd 5 people die including Crispus Attucks, an African American sailor who may have led the crowd

 The soldiers are put on trial for murder  John Adams agrees to represent the soldiers  All of the soldiers were freed except for two who received light punishment  Troops move out of Boston

 Another tax, this time on tea alone  The colonies boycott British tea  November 1773 – three ships arrive in Boston Harbor with tea from the East India Company  December 16, 1773 – Colonists demand the tea be brought back to London, when it was not, a group of people dressed up as Indians dumped all of the tea overboard into the Boston Harbor, called the Boston Tea Party Samuel Adams and 70 other followers Infuriates British officials – stricter laws to come

 British officials wanted the colonists to pay for the Boston Tea Party  Parliament passes a series of laws called the Intolerable Acts or the Coercive Acts  Closed the Port of Boston  Gave the Royal government more control over Massachusetts He could hire and fire local officials Limited town meetings

 Prohibited Colonists from moving into Ohio River Valley  Colonists expected to settle into the region  Colonists thought it would limit their chances to settle on the western front

 Intolerable Acts unify the colonies  Sept 1774 – Delegates meet in Philadelphia for First Continental Congress  55 delegates from 12 colonies  Agenda – How to respond to the Coercive Acts and the Quebec Act?  Each colony would have a vote in Congress  Brought colonists together as Americans

 Believed Parliament had too much control  Declaration of Rights protesting British action  Parliament can regulate trade  Removal of British troops  Repeal of taxes and Intolerable Acts  Wont import or use British goods  Formed a force of minutemen

 Massachusetts colonists were preparing for conflict  Practicing drills  Stockpiling gun powder  British knew they were preparing

 April 1775 – New orders came from Great Britain  King orders British officials to arrest colonial leaders, Samuel Adams and John Hancock  Prepare British troops to capture gunpowder in Concord Surprise attack for night of April British troops set out for Concord

 Paul Revere and William Dawes make their midnight ride to warn the Minutemen of approaching British soldiers

 Lexington – Militiamen retreated because they were outnumbered  Concord – British retreated and had more casualties than the colonists

 May 1775 – Second Continental Congress meets in Philadelphia  New members: Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, and Thomas Jefferson Benjamin Franklin John HancockThomas Jefferson

 Delegates’ attitudes towards Britain were mixed  Many still felt loyalty to King George III Blamed his ministers and Parliament for bad policies  All delegates rejected Parliament’s authority to tax the colonies Only a few actually wanted independence

 Congress agreed to support the war, even though they could not decide on the final goal  Created a Continental Army  June 1775 – Chose George Washington as the leader of the army Had experience as an officer in the French and Indian War

 Thomas Paine publishes a pamphlet called Common Sense  He condemns the monarchy and George III  Calls for an American declaration of Independence, not just a protest against taxes

 Delegates named a committee to draft a declaration of independence  Members were: John Adams, Robert Livingston, Roger Sherman, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin  Thomas Jefferson was chosen to write the draft

 An entire section of the original document was cut out  Jefferson wrote a section that attacked the slave trade  This section was removed because of pressure from southern colonies

 July 2, 1776 – the final document was presented to the Congress  They voted to declare independence  Two days later, July 4, 1776, the Congress approved the entire document  Copies were sent out and read in public  Now, in the British eyes, the colonists were all rebels