1. September 2, 2015

2.  King George III created a stronger central government in the British Empire  Enforced the Proclamation of 1763 – law against colonists living west of the Appalachian Mountains  Imposed a series of taxes to pay for wars to gain land and protect its colonies without the colonists’ consent  Didn’t allow its colonies to send representatives to the British parliament “NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION!”

3.  Proclamation of 1763 (First Strike) Britain directly controls colonial settlement and sends 10,000 British troops to colonies to enforce new laws  Sugar Act – Tax on molasses. Lowered the original tax but it became mandatory and British officials strictly enforced new tax at the ports of entry. It also becomes easier for British officials to bring colonial merchants to trial and this hurt colonial business and profits.  Stamp Act - Tax on all legal documents. All documents to become official needed to have a “stamp”. To get the stamp colonists need to pay the tax.  Townshend Acts - This act taxed all goods at the port of entry into the colonies. taxed basic goods such as paper, glass, paint, lead, and tea; and there were new ways to collect taxes.  Writ of assistance made it legal for British officers to search ship cargo without giving a reason. Writ of assistance violates 4 th Amendment

4.  Boston Massacre (Second Strike) – Use of propaganda to unite colonists against Britain. Paul Revere tried to create outrage about the shooting.

5.  Tea Act - Let the British East India Company bypass tea merchants and sell directly to colonists. Colonial tea merchants must charge a higher price due to the tax they must pay and become mad because of the loss of business and colonists think it’s a trick to get them to pay tea tax. Even tea drinkers protest.  Boston Tea Party - Sam Adams and the Sons of Liberty threw tea into harbor to show their anger towards British taxes  Intolerable Acts – (Third Strike) Parliament issued the Coercive Acts – 1)shut down Boston harbor, 2) forbid Massachusetts from holding town meetings, 3) colonists accused of major would be trialed crimes in Britain or Canada, 4) Forced Bostonians to house British soldiers in their homes.  Quebec Act - Set up a government for Canada, gave complete freedom of religion to French Catholics and let them set up settlements west of Appalachian Mountains and extended Quebec’s borders onto lands British colonists claimed.

6.  First Continental Congress- Representatives from the 13 Colonies met in Philadelphia, PA, colonists discuss independence  Militia – formed by colonists – an army of citizens to serve as soldiers in emergencies  Colonists are finally united and ready for war with Britain!

7.  April 19, 1775 - Lexington and Concord First battles of American Revolution  1775 - Congress drafted the Olive Branch Petition asking Britain to be reasonable and repeal the Intolerable Acts and explained that they want to be loyal subjects to the government and their king.  King George was furious at the request and sent 20,000 more troops to crush the revolt.  July 4, 1776 – the Continental Congress drafted the Declaration of Independence

8.  1776  Thomas Jefferson  The colonists felt it was necessary to give Britain its reasons for declaring independence  Four parts – Preamble, Natural Rights, The Grievances, and Declaration of the United States.  The people themselves intended to take the reins of power, make their own laws, choose their own leaders, organize their own courts, and establish their own taxes.  They would create a government designed to protect and benefit the rights of its own people.