The Road to Independence What events led the colonists to try to break free from English rule?

The French and Indian War From 1754-1763, England and the American colonists fought against the French in America. This conflict was called the French and Indian War. Proclamation of 1763: colonists forbidden from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains to avoid conflict with Native Americans. England created a huge debt for themselves to pay for the war. They decided to pay off the debt by taxing the colonists.

Navigation Acts The Navigation Acts were a series of laws passed by Parliament. Colonies could only ship goods on English ships and that they could only sell goods to British merchants. This angered colonists because they did not want a government 3,000 miles away telling them what to do or who they could sell their goods to.

British Taxes Stamp Act (1765): All printed documents (newspapers, fliers, mail, playing cards, etc.) had to have a stamp “No Taxation without Representation” – the colonists had no representatives in Parliament, so they were angry that they had to pay taxes. The colonists responded to the act by boycotting British goods  they refuse to buy goods made in England As a result of the boycott, the act was repealed. Boston Massacre: colonial protesters clashed with British troops in Boston resulting in the deaths of five colonists.

Boston Tea Party Tea Act (1773): a new tax on tea Boston Tea Party: A group of patriots in Boston called the Sons of Liberty staged a protest. They dressed up as Mohawk Indians, and threw hundreds of cases of tea off of British boats and into Boston Harbor

British Response to the Tea Party Intolerable Acts (1774): The British were very mad about the Boston Tea Party, so they instituted three new acts to punish the colonists 1. No trial by jury in the colonies 2. Quartering Act: colonists forced to house and feed English soldiers 3. Blockade of Boston: no ships allowed to enter or leave Boston harbor, resulting in terrible hardships for residents of Boston

First Continental Congress First Continental Congress (1774): Representatives from 12 of the colonies met in Philadelphia to address the Intolerable Acts. They sent a letter to King George III asking him to repeal the acts. He didn’t.

Lexington and Concord Lexington and Concord (1775): British troops believe weapons are being stockpiled in Concord, Massachusetts. On the way there, they were confronted by farmers and militia members at Lexington. The British troops defeated the colonials at Lexington, and then defeated more at Concord. This event became known as the “Shot heard around the world.” The colonists used guerilla warfare tactics against the British troops on their way back to Boston. In spite of the defeat, many New England colonists volunteered to fight.

Second Continental Congress Delegates meet again in 1776 to discuss the battles in Massachusetts. They were split about 50/50 on the issue of independence. Thomas Paine writes “Common Sense” in which he advocates independence Most delegates decide to support independence and set up a committee to write a declaration.

The Declaration of Independence Benjamin Franklin was expected to be the primary author, but Thomas Jefferson took the lead. Jefferson presents his argument with ideas taken from Locke and Rousseau. He then lists 27 examples of British tyranny. Finally, Jefferson states that given these circumstances, we not only had the right to become independent, it was our responsibility to do so.