Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness Written by: Greg Clevenger

Major Causes The French and Indian War The Sugar Act Stamp Act Quartering Act The Townshend Acts Intolerable acts The Revolution wasn’t an impulsive act that just happened overnight. There are multiple historical events leading up to the fighting of the Revolution. The major causes in chronological order are the French and Indian War, the Sugar Act, and the Stamp Act.

The French and Indian War—1754 Great Britain and France fought over who would control the 13 colonies The war lasted nine years and was very expensive for Great Britain. Great Britain protected the colonies and beat the French. Great Britain expected the colonies to help pay for the protection with taxes “No taxation without representation” Taxes were created by the king but he never asked the colonist how they felt. Great Britain hadn’t budgeted for such an expensive war. Great Britain needed money to pay for the war debts, which had nearly doubled. Thus, Great Britain expected the Colonies to help pay for their protection during the French and Indian War. The war lasted for nine years and ended in 1763.

The Sugar Act - 1764 Tax on sugar and molasses not imported from Great Britain Import- to bring products and resources into one country from another. Making colonists purchase British-made goods instead of products from the French West Indies was Great Britain’s first plan to regain lost monies. Great Britain passed the Sugar Act, which included a tax on all non-British imports, to strongly encourage colonists to “buy British.” This act was also an attempt to regulate American smuggling. The Act called for a tax of threepence on every gallon of molasses, taxed wine and other goods, and provided for strict enforcement.

The Stamp Act—1765 Must pay for an official government stamp on legal papers. The colonists hated the Stamp Act. It deeply impacted and infuriated American lawyers who dealt with legal documents. Many of these lawyers, including Sam and John Adams, were vital contributors to the Revolutionary Movement.

The colonist had to give British soldiers a place to sleep and eat. Quartering Act of 1765 The colonist had to give British soldiers a place to sleep and eat. This was in the colonist own homes Colonist had no choice

The Townshend Acts—1767 Import tax on tea, lead, glass, and paint colors Money used to pay royal governors The Townshend Acts, or duties, were the last straw. They were an attempt to get Americans to pay extra taxes on a variety of items most often used in the Colonies, such as tea, red and white lead (paint pigments), glass and paint tints. The money raised by taxation was used to pay royal governors in Great Britain and the colonists had no official representation within the government. “No taxation without representation” became a rallying cry for American revolutionaries. Townshend

The Intolerable Acts—1774 Closed the Port of Boston American town meetings banned British officials who broke laws in the colonies were sent to Great Britain for trial. The British had to retaliate to save face. They couldn’t let this act go unpunished. They responded to the Tea Party by toughening their stand against the Colonies, passing a series of “Intolerable Acts,” which restricted the Colonies in numerous ways, including closing the Port of Boston (essential to the colonists for importing and exporting goods), banning colonists from holding town meetings, and having British officials who had committed crimes sent from the colonies to Great Britain for trial, where they were rarely prosecuted.

First Continental Congress 56 Delegates Met in Philadelphia – 1774 Decide no longer to buy goods from Great Britain Fifty-six colonial leaders, including George Washington, Patrick Henry, and Sam Adams, decided to figure out what course of action to take after the Intolerable Acts were passed. They met in Philadelphia in 1774 and became known as the First Continental Congress.

Second Continental Congress Decided to create a declaration of Independence from Great Britain Declaration- A statement of what someone will do Independence- Freedom from a government Group picked to write down grievances for separation Grievance- complaint It was time to make the split from Great Britain official. After the initial battles of the war, the Second Continental Congress convened in May 1775 in Philadelphia to call for an official separation from Britain. A committee including Thomas Jefferson was selected to write a draft of all the reasons the colonists wanted complete separation from Britain. Jefferson was chosen by congressional vote to draft the document.

The Declaration of Independence Written by Thomas Jefferson It is the “Birth Certificate of the United States” 3 parts Preamble and Declaration of rights List of Grievances against King George III Announcing independence A new country was about to be born. Thomas Jefferson was the unanimous choice to draft the document that would become the “Birth Certificate of the United States,” the Declaration of Independence. Benjamin Franklin and John Adams aided Jefferson with Declaration revisions. The document clearly listed colonists’ rights and their grievances against King George III.

Key Quotes in the Declaration “We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal” “That they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights” Unalienable rights- rights you are born with (life, Liberty and to be happy “That among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” Many of the phrases that Jefferson included in the Declaration of Independence came from the works of the British political philosopher John Locke. Several of the Declaration’s quotes are well-known by most Americans even today. Some edited to match today’s punctuation rules include: We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights and that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Locke