Why did American Colonists want to free themselves from Great Britain?

 Compact  Law of nature  Sovereignty  Writs of assistance

 For years Britain basically left the colonies alone and allowed commerce to flourish until…  1763  British debt increased after Seven Years’ war with France ( )  Under pressure to reduce taxes at home  Ministers felt American Colonists should help shoulder debt for protection of the colonies

 Some colonists agree some do not  New restrictions (acts and taxes)  Understanding of representative government challenged (Locke; Second Treatise 1689)  Sons Of Liberty (Connecticut) instigate and resistance  Daughters of Liberty boycott English goods and produce cloth and other staples (breaking dependency)

 Writs of assistance as tensions grew Parliament extended revenue officials power  Property could be seized  People sent to Nova Scotia or England for trials…not expedited!  Troops are sent 1770  Skirmish breaks out “Boston Massacre”  Five Colonists are killed, but it establishes the fact: British are willing to take military action

 Proclamation Act: forbid settlement on Indian lands west of the Appalachian Mountains (avoid further costly conflict and protection)  Stamp Act (1765) excise tax on stamp needed for official documents, news papers, playing cards etc  Declaratory Act (1766) response to Stamp Act. Parliament repealed the Stamp Act in the spring of 1766, but, passed Declaratory Act, stating Parliament had full power to pass laws and levy taxes for America "in all cases whatsoever."  Townsend Acts: customs duties on colonial imports - paint, tea, paper, lead, and glass. The Townshend taxes were repealed by Parliament in However, the tax on tea remained… power play by British

1. After the famous "Boston Tea Party,“ closed the port of Boston until the city paid for the tea. 2. Massachusetts Government Act revoked the, suspending the colony's civil government and placing it under military rule. 3. Quartering Act, which forced colonists to provide food an housing for the soldiers who ruled over them. 4. A fourth act permitted British officials who injured people while enforcing the law to return to Britain for their court hearings

 Put your selves in the colonists shoes  Have a short group discussion about the assigned persons  Write a reflection from your point of view that represents your thoughts

 Groups are unhappy about lack of representation and form “committees of correspondence” and coordinate resistance  1774 all but Georgia meet in Philadelphia forming the First Continental Congress  Unites us, the government must respect the colonies…we have and identity separate from Mother England)  Vote top ban colonial trade with England  Brits see it as unlawful and make arrests  Militias and the minutemen begin to organize

 April 9, 1775 Concord Mass to raid munitions stores and arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock  Paul Revere and William Dawes alert colonists  75 Minutemen meet British in Lexington and Concord)  A random shot is fired, more follow  Shot heard round the world and war is ON!

 Aug England declares colonies in a state of rebellion  November King withdraws protections  Thomas Paine “Common Sense”, promoted independence  1776 independence is goal, Richard Henry Lee VA states in Continental Congress; we have the right to be free and independent and relationship with British should be dissolved

 Jefferson writes first draft which rejects sovereignty of the Crown  Risky business…we are talking war  They knew that they had to justify themselves based on legal principal Six Groups : break up and discuss the five main ideas and arguments. Each student will create a graphic organizer/presentation of these main concepts AND demonstrate their understanding of each….write it out…