Beginning of British Boycotts Stamp Act Congress- October Delegates from 9 colonies met in NY to draft a petition to King George declaring that the colonies could not be taxed except by their own assemblies -In the cities ppl began to boycott British and European goods in protest *Effect* -British merchants lost business and the begged Parliament to repeal, cancel, the Stamp Act. Negative Effect: Parliament passed the Declaratory Acts

Boston Massacre British colonial officials began to warn Parliament that the colonist were at the start of a rebellion In response, Britain sent two regiments, military team, of troops to Boston Bostonians were angry about their arrival and where they were stationed, the center of the city

People were mad not only because they taxed them, but because they were occupying their city Tensions worsened and on March 5, 1770 a fight broke out between the towns people and the soldiers – Townspeople began throwing objects at them until one soldier who was knocked down fired into the crowd of ppl killing 5 of them – Among the dead was Crispus Attucks, a dockworker who was part black and Indian

Crispus Attucks

Spreading the Word: Propaganda Colonial leaders used news of the killings as propaganda against the British Samuel Adams put up posters describing the Boston Massacre as a slaughter of innocent Americans by blood thirsty redcoats (a nickname for British Soldiers) Adams also revived the Boston Committee of Correspondence to circulate writing about colonists’ grievances against Britain.

Samuel Adams

Paul Revere showed a British officer giving the order to open fire on an orderly crowd, to strengthen anti-British feelings in the colonies

Paul Revere’s painting: “The Bloody Massacre”

Minor victory for the colonist Parliament became aware of all of the opposition and repealed the Townshend Acts, except the one on tea. – Colonist ended all of their boycotts, except the one on tea.

The Tea Crisis Samuel Adams and others denounced the British monopoly and they said that the tea act was just another attempt to crush the colonist liberty. In Nov. 1773, the citizens of Boston refused to allow 3 British ships to unload 342 chest of tea

The Boston Tea Party On the evening of Dec. 16, 1773 Boston citizens Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty disguised themselves as Mohawk Indians and boarded the Midnight they threw 342 chest of tea into the Boston Harbor

King George’s Response King George responded by closing the port of Boston and also passed the Coercive acts for the people of Massachusetts

The Boston Tea Party is one of the most important events leading to the Revolution