1. AMERICANS 4

3. Stamp Act – March 1765 – Purchase of special paper for legal documents & tax on playing cards/dice. Sons of Liberty would organize demonstrations & mob threats throughout colonies causing stamp agents to resign. Colonies gathered in the Stamp Act Congress Oct. 1765 to issue Declaration of Rights & Grievances. Ideal: “No taxation without representation”. Parliament repealed act in March 1766 but sent a Declaratory Act stating that they could make laws for colonies to follow

4. Official Royal Stamp Patrick Henry delivering his speech against the Stamp Act to members of Virginia’s House of Burgesses

5. Townshend Acts 1767 – an indirect tax on imported materials into colonies from Britain & a $.03 tax on tea. This resulted in more rage & well organized resistance Boston Massacre – March 5, 1770 – fights over jobs at the dock. Crispus Attucks & several dockhands showed up; ended with the British soldiers firing & killing them. The British soldiers stood trial for their actions. All Townshend Act would be repealed except for the tea tax.

7. Site of Massacre Burial Site of those massacred

8. Boston Tea Party – British East India Company was allowed to sell tea tax-free directly to the consumer. Boston rebels would disguise themselves as Native Americans & dump 15K pounds of tea into harbor.

9. Intolerable Acts: Boston Harbor was closed Quartering Act - housing of British soldiers in vacant private homes & other buildings General Gage became governor & placed Boston under martial law. These acts resulted in more unity between colonists & the formation of the First Continental Congress

10. Minutemen began stockpiling firearms & gunpowder. British soldiers marched to Concord through Lexington where they ended up engaging in a brief battle. Paul Revere & others would “sound the alarm” when British soldiers began marching to Concord. No weapons found in Concord & British would return to Boston where they would be ambushed. Only reinforcements saved them

11. Painting of Paul Revere’s Ride Map of Paul Revere’s, William Dawes’, & Dr. Samuel Prescott’s route warning the other cities of British march to Concord

12. Second Continental Congress – insisted that colonies form their own governments; allowed Congress to print $$ & a committee to deal with foreign nations. Colonial militia men now formed the Continental Army with George Washington as their general. Battle of Bunker Hill cost the lives of 311 militiamen & over 1K British soldiers. Olive Branch Petition would be sent to try to bring peace. King George would reject it & asked Parliament to do a naval blockade.

14. Common Sense, written by Thomas Paine, encouraged colonists to break free from tyrannical England & gain its own independence Patriots – supported independence; Loyalists – wanted to remain with England

15. Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson, on July 4, 1776. Writing was influenced by John Locke, Enlightenment philosopher, who proposed ideals of “natural rights” – life, liberty, property. Relationship with government was a social contract. Jefferson referred to “unalienable rights” – life, liberty, pursuit of happiness & government derives powers from the consent of the governed.

16. Continental Army would station themselves at Valley Forge Battle of New York – March 1776 – Britain arrived in port with 32K soldiers plus thousands of German mercenaries referred to as Hessians. Britain defeated Continental Army Battle of Trenton – December 1776 – Washington crosses Delaware River to fight Hessians. Continental Army won.

17. Battle of New York Map Painting of Battle for Long Island, NY

18. Battle of Trenton Washington crossing river Map

19. Battle of Philadelphia – Spring 1777 – Britain sailed through the Chesapeake Bay & engaged Continental Army at Brandywine Creek. Britain won. Battle of Saratoga – October 1777 – Britain attempted to attack New England through Vermont by joining with Howe’s British soldiers. Howe would be preoccupied with Philadelphia & Burgoyne underestimated difficulties in traveling such a distance. Surrendered to Continental Army (General Gates)

21. Victories from Continental Army would gain recognition & assistance from France Colonial life was difficult as inflation would rise from the printing of continentals & profiteering that was occurring. Wives had to take on roles & solve problems that normally the men took care of. Some would participate in actual fighting during the war

22. Foreign help to the Continental Army would come from Prussia & France After defeat @ Saratoga, British altered strategy by starting in the South, sue Loyalist support, & then move north. General Charles Cornwallis would lead the British Cornwallis attempted to go into North Carolina & would have to retreat as Patriots & militia would split his army & cut communication lines

23. Americans & French would join forces to attack Cornwallis in Battle of Yorktown (October 1781), where he would surrender

24. Treaty of Paris 1782 – guaranteed America its independence & set boundaries from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River & from Canada to Florida border. American society changed stimulating more egalitarianism in the attitude of the people. Unfortunately it only applied to white males Slavery still existed with some changes in the North. Women did not receive any new political rights but some states allowed right to divorce Native Americans east of Mississippi were either destroyed or displaced