1. Britain Taxes the Colonies
George Grenville’s plan: Tax the colonies!
Money raised from taxing would be used to help pay the costs of defending the colonies
King George III and Paliament supported the idea of taxing the colonists
To them, the tax seemed fair
The colonists were benefitting from the British army, so the colonists should help pay costs

2. The Stamp Act In 1765, Parliament passed the Stamp Act
Placing a tax on printed materials in the colonies such as legal documents, newspapers, and playing cards
Whenever a colonist bought these items, they had to purchase a stamp to show they paid for the item
“No Taxation without representation!”
Colonists never had a say in Parliament so they believed they should not be taxed

3. Colonists Protest
Patrick Henry, a young Virginia lawyer, was not afraid to speak out against the Stamp Act
In Williamsburg, Virginia, Henry went in front of the House of Burgesses (colony’s legislature)
Made an intense speech warning King George III that he had no right to tax the colonists
Other colonists were inspired and protested the new tax

4. Stamp Act Congress
October 1765: leaders of 9 colonies held a meeting in NYC where they urged Parliament to repeal the Stamp Act
Colonies were beginning to unite against British taxes
Samuel Adams of Massachusetts soon became a very important leader

5. Sons of Liberty Samuel Adams organized the Sons of Liberty
A group of protesters against the new tax
these groups were started in all different towns throughout the colonies
Members burned stamps and threatened stamp agents
People who were hired to collect the stamp taxes

6. Sons of Liberty threaten!
In Boston, Adams and other members made a life size puppet and hung it from a tree
They hung a sign on the puppet that said “What greater joy did New England see, than a stamp man hanging from a tree.”
Threats worked! No agent dared to sell the stamps

7. Stamp Act REPEALED!
Leaders in Britain saw that it was not going to work so they repealed the Stamp Act in 1766
Colonists celebrated, but Britain still felt they had the right to tax the colonies

8. King George III and Charles Townshend
Charles Townshend was the treasurer of Britain
He agreed with the King – Britain has a right to tax the colonies!
1767 – Parliament passes the Townshend Acts

9. The Townshend Acts
Placed a tariff (tax on imported goods) on paper, wool, tea, and other goods imported from Britain
These acts were used not only to get money but to show the colonies who was really in CHARGE

10. New Protests The acts caused colonies to protest AGAIN!
From New Hampshire to Georgia colonists boycott British imports
A refusal to buy goods
Colonists rather not have British goods than pay the new taxes

11. Friday, March 2, 2018 Homework: page 282 # 2,3,4
Do Now: In your own words, describe the Boston Massacre

12. The Tea Act
In 1773, Committees of Correspondence began writing about the Tea Act
A new law that said the East India Tea Company would be the ONLY company allowed to sell tea to the colonies
This meant that if you owned a store in the colonies, you could only buy and sell the tea from that company (YOU HAD TO PAY THE TAX)

13. The Tea Act There was 2 goals:
Help the struggling business – The East India Company
Get the colonists to pay taxes to the British

14. Colonists Rebel!
The colonists had refused to pay taxes up until now…WHY SHOULD THEY START?!?
The colonies declared that ships bringing British tea would not be allowed to unload in any colonial port

15. The Boston Tea Party
In 1773, 3 British ships carrying tea were at Boston Harbor
The members of the Sons of Liberty dressed as Mohawk Native Americans and rowed out to the ships
They were shouting “Boston Harbor a teapot tonight!
They opened the chests of tea and dumped it into the Harbor…Britain was furious
Britain believed the colonists must be punished!

16. Britain Punishes Boston
New laws were enforced!
The British soldiers were sent back into Boston
The colonists must house and feed the soldiers
The colony of Massachusetts was put under the rule of British general Thomas Gage
The port of Boston was CLOSED until the colonists would pay for the tea they had destroyed
These new laws became known as the Intolerable Acts to the colonists

17. Colonies come together
The economy of Boston was hurt and many people were out of work
Other colonies began sending food, money and supplies
Colonists must choose sides between Boston and Britain
Patriots vs. Loyalists

18. Continental Congress
September 1774 – representatives from all colonies except Georgia met in Philadelphia
This became known as the First Continental Congress
George Washington represented Virginia
A wealthy farmer and member of the Virginia House of Burgesses

19. Continental Congress
Washington and his fellow Patriots voted to stop all trade with Britain until the Intolerable Acts were repealed
They also voted to form militias in each colony
Volunteer armies
Some colony armies called themselves minutemen because they could be ready at a minute’s notice

20. Liberty or Death
March 1755 Patrick Henry makes a famous speech in Richmond, Virginia:
Warned Virginia’s militias to prepare for battle
“I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”
King George III was also not willing to back down.
Both knew war was about to begin

21. If you were a colonist in 1773, would you choose to be a patriot or a loyalist? Explain (minimum 1 paragraph response)

22. The British are coming…
April 8, 1775 – 700 British soldiers began marching from Boston to Concord
A town about 20 miles northwest of Boston
British soldiers were on their way to “seize and destroy” the weapons that the colonial militias had been storing in Concord

23. The British have another goal
There were rumors that they wanted to arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock, both men were staying in Lexington
They did not want either of the militias in Lexington or Concord to know they were coming
They ordered no one was allowed to leave Boston

24. Paul Revere and William Dawes
Paul Revere had gotten word about the British
He set out to warn the militias
He rowed across the Charles River
He then rode through the streets warning the British are coming
William Dawes, a shoemaker, talked his way out of Boston
He rode towards Lexington to spread the warning

25. Revere reached Lexington first warning Adams and Hancock
They prepared for their escape
Revere and Dawes met up and rode towards Concord together
Samuel Prescott joined them
British soldiers spotted the 3 riders
Revere was captured
Dawes jumped from the horse and ran into the woods
Prescott rode on to warn the Concord militia

26. Minutemen get ready 5 AM on April 19th – the drums were sounded
This was the warning to get ready
John Parker, captain of the Lexington minutemen gave the soldiers orders
Don’t fire until fired upon
Someone fired, no one is sure who
Battle begins!
8 minutemen killed and 9 wounded
Only 1 British soldier was wounded

27. The shot heard round the world
That first shot at Lexington becme known as the shot heard round the world
The British marched off from Lexington towards Concord
The militias were ready for the British
The British must retreat back to Boston but suffered many losses – 250 soldiers were killed or wounded
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION HAS BEGUN

28. Breed’s Hill
Colonel William Prescott marched 1,200 Patriot men to the hills of Charlestown
If they could control these hills, they could bring up cannons and fire down at the British
They built a fort on Breed’s Hill
More than 2,000 British soldiers prepared to attack

29. The British attack British ships fired on the fort
Prescott’s men waited
The British began to march up the hill to the fort
Again, Prescott’s men waited
Finally, once the British were close, the men fired back
The British were pushed back twice

30. Battle of Bunker Hill Prescott’s men were now low on ammunition
The British attacked a third time
This is known as the Battle of Bunker Hill
The British won this battle
Although they lost, Patriots were proud of the way they had fought