TAXES, REPRESENTATION, AND A TEA PARTY

HOW WAS THE BOSTON TEA PARTY ONE CAUSE OF THE REVOLUTION?

FREEDOM?

KEY VOCABULARY Parliament Repeal Committee correspondence

Parliament – a group of representatives or elected officials that have the power to make laws Repeal – to revoke or withdraw Committee – a group of people elected to perform some service or function like reporting news. Correspondence – communication by exchange of letters

BOYCOTTS WORK One month after the Boston Massacre, Parliament repealed all parts of the Townshend Acts except the tax on tea.

WHY WERE COLONISTS ANGRY AT ALL THESE TAXES?

COLONISTS ARGUED THAT… Taxing colonists was a violation of the British Constitution.

HOW WAS TAXING THE COLONISTS A VIOLATION OF THE BRITISH CONSTITUTION?

PARLIAMENT Representative government British subjects could not be taxed without the approval of elected representatives

The colonists did not have any elected officials representing them in Parliament!

LOYALISTS

PATRIOTS

AFTER THE REPEAL OF THE TOWNSHEND ACTS…

Samuel Adams did not want people to forget the cause of liberty

SO……

COMMITTEES OF CORRESPONDENCE These groups exchanged letters on colonial affairs. Soon committees throughout the colonies were in contact with one another.

TEA ACT

1773 – Parliament passes the Tea Act Before… Colonists could get cheap smuggled tea

BUT AFTER THE TEA ACT Colonists had to pay tax on tea

WHAT DID THE COLONISTS DO?

Evening of December 16, 1773 A group of men disguised as Native Americans boarded three tea ships docked in Boston Harbor BOSTON TEA PARTY

342 chests of tea were thrown in Boston Harbor and destroyed

HOW WAS THE BOSTON TEA PARTY A CAUSE OF THE REVOLUTION? TURN IN YOUR RESPONSE BEFORE YOU LEAVE

FREEDOM?