1. The Revolutionary War British Acts & American People

2. The Sugar Act The French and Indian War left England with huge debt and over 10,000 troops in the Americas. England, which would have gone bankrupt paying for the war on it’s own, asked the colonies to chip in via a Sugar Tax. It is not received well.

3. The Stamp Act This was a tax on almost all printed materials passed in 1765. It is an example of a Direct Tax on the Colonists. A boycott backlash was immediate. The Sons of Liberty lead the protests. Colonists refused to buy the stamps, burned them, harassed stamp distributors, and rioted

4. The Townshend Acts Put forth by Charles Townshend It was enacted on June 29, 1767 The key statute levied import duties on glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea. Its purpose was to provide salaries for some colonial officials so that the provincial assemblies could not coerce them by withholding wages

5. Boston Massacre On March 5, 1770, a platoon of British soldiers fired on some Americans who had been harassing them, killing five. Massacre? Regardless, it was bloodshed during a very tense time in America.

6. John Adams Very intelligent, very principled man. John Adams was the guy who stands in front of you and argues until you realize he is right, or maybe you agree just to get him to back off. He felt constantly disliked because of his style. He single handedly got most of the legislation passed based upon his prodding nature. He was the natural choice to replace Washington as President.

7. The Boston Tea Party In December 1773, Samuel Adams and others raided an English ship and threw all the tea in Boston Harbor. The first big popular protest against England.

8. Samuel Adams Many agree that without Sam Adams’ whipping up support of the war in the lower classes, the revolution would never have taken place. He brought the concerns of the FF’s to the average people in America. He gave them reason to believe that they would work for them, if they wanted them to. He was brash and loud and waaaay off topic sometimes, but he took the revolution to the streets. Cousin of John Adams.

9. The Tea Act In an attempt to support the East India Tea Company, parliament removed the tax on tea & allowed it to be sold in the colonies through its own agents, not American retailers. British tea was cheaper, but to buy it = pay a Townshend duty.

10. The Intolerable Acts Closed Boston HarborRemoved trials involving royal officials out of New England Allowed for quartering Extended Quebec’s of troops in colonists’ homesboundaries south, liberty threatened

11. Lexington & Concord April 19, 1775 Fighting soon spread and the English were forced to retreat to Boston with heavy losses The English backlash: Blockade Colonial Ports Hire German mercenary troops Urge slaves to take up arms against their masters

12. The Second Continental Congress In May, 1775, they met. They created: The Continental Army The Currency Proposed a way to reconciliation with England

13. Strengths and Weaknesses Continental Army (colonists) British Army StrengthsMotivation (Freedom!)Best military in the world Leaders are competent (have ability) British navy dominated the seas Home court advantageWell funded Weaknesse s Difficult to raise fundsWar is far from home Some still loyal to EnglandColonies are too big Native Americans loyal to Britain War was expensive

14. Battle of Bunker Hill After Lexington and Concord the British retreat to Boston. The Americans build a fort on Breed’s Hill overlooking Boston. On July 17, 1775, British attack. 1000 dead to 400 Colonial dead.

15. George Washington Awesome man for many reasons. First, as head of the Continental army, he is the perfect combination of a man of action and thoughfulness. Second, extremely principled. Took sides in nothing, but you always knew where he stood. Third, He was very thoughtful. Said to “speak little, listen to many, ruminate (ponder) much” before coming to a decision. The ultimate ruler. Truly.

16. The Declaration of Independence Adopted by 2nd Continental Congress on July 4, 1776 Declared that we Didn‘t say anything were free from England.about us being united.

17. Thomas Paine He was a common man who wrote many, many articles on the greatness of the American Revolution. He wrote Common Sense, which affirmed many peoples faith in our government system. Unlike the other FF, Paine’s writings were not sprinkled with bits of Latin and quotes from great literature. His writings were straight forward, strong discussions of the changes needed in the US.

18. Patriots v. Loyalists