1. The Road to the Revolutionary War

2. The Road to the Revolutionary War
Why did we fight the Revolutionary war? On lined paper, explain in a few sentences.

3. The Treaty of Paris
France --> lost Canadian possessions, most of empire in India, and claims to lands east of the Mississippi River.
Spain --> got all French lands west of the Mississippi River, New Orleans, but lost Florida to England.
England --> got all French lands in Canada, exclusive rights to Caribbean slave trade, and commercial dominance in India.
North America was now divided between Great Britain and Spain with the Mississippi River forming the boundary

4. The Effects of War Britain
It increased colonial empire in the Americas.
It greatly enlarged England’s debt.
Britain’s contempt for the colonials created bitter feelings because they felt they had to support the colonists overseas
The Colonies
It united them against a common enemy for the first time.
It created a socializing experience for all who participated increasing feelings of being “American”
It created bitter feelings towards the British that would only intensify.

5. The Proclamation of 1763
After Pontiac’s rebellion in the west the British responded by drawing a boundary line
This line effectively ended settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains
Colonists protested that the Proclamation deprived them of land they had a right to settle causing more friction between colonists and the crown

6. The Sugar Act
British taxed colonists on many of the goods coming into the colonies from other places
The most important of these was the Sugar Act of 1764
Colonial merchants realized that enforcement of this act would wipe out profits of the trade with the Spanish and French West Indies

7. The Stamp Act
In 1765, British imposed taxes upon all paper products and stamped the item once the tax had been paid.
This tax was paid directly to the government – direct tax
Products affected ranged from documents and wills to playing cards and newspapers

8. Quartering Act
March 24, The Quartering Act goes into effect in the colonies which requires residents to provide housing for British troops stationed in America.

9. At your table, address the following question What would be the worst part of having a soldier randomly living in your house?

10. Protests
February 13, 1766 – Benjamin Franklin testifies before Parliament about the Stamp Act and warns that if the military is used to enforce it, this could lead to open rebellion.
March 18, The Stamp Act is repealed. However, the Declaratory Act is passed which gives the British government the power to legislate any laws of the colonies without restriction.

11. The Townshend Acts June 29, 1767
This act placed duties on tea, paper, glass and paint
The British repealed this tax in 1770 except for the tax on tea

12. Sons of Liberty
The Sons of Liberty carried out organized resistance by keeping watch on shopkeepers suspected of selling British goods
A group existed in almost every colony.
Members included middle and upper class citizens, anyone could join if they were trustworthy and had the skills the group needed.
Famous members included Paul Revere, John Adams and his cousin, Samuel Adams.

13. Daughters of Liberty
Colonial women organized the Daughters of Liberty to boycott British goods
They gave up imported clothes, made tea out of local herbs, and produced homespun cloth
One of the most influential Daughters of Liberty was Mercy Otis Warren, who published pamphlets supporting the resistance – she had to publish in a man’s name

14. At your table, address the following question… Which Act would be worst to live with? Why?

15. The Boston Massacre
After Parliament repealed the Townshend duties, the first clash between British and Americans took place
On the night of March 5, 1770, a crowd of 50 or 60 men and boys gathered to taunt British soldiers outside the Boston Customs House
When the crowd went as far as to throw sticks and snowballs at the redcoats, the soldiers panicked and opened fire, killing five men
The event quickly became known as the Boston Massacre

16. The Tea Act
May 10 - The Tea Act goes into effect, retaining the import tax on tea and giving the East India Company the ability to undersell colonial merchants.

17. The Boston Tea Party
In 1773 the British East India Company, facing bankruptcy, appealed to Parliament for assistance
Parliament quickly voted to give them a monopoly for the trade of tea in America
Opposition groups mobilized against the plan and forcing ships to turn back at New York and Philadelphia harbors
In Boston, Governor Hutchinson ordered that no ship could leave harbor without being unloaded
Colonists on a signal from Sam Adams disguised themselves as Mohawks, boarded the ship and heaved 342 chests of tea into the harbour

18. The Intolerable Acts (Coercive Acts)
The Boston Port Act - closed the port of Boston to trade
The Massachusetts Government Act - revoked the colony's charter and forbade town meetings
The Quartering Act -
The Impartial Administration of Justice Act - removed British officials from the jurisdiction of Massachusetts courts
Until Tea is paid

19. The Quebec Act
It was passed at the same time and considered by many as one of the Intolerable Acts
It extended the Canadian province of Quebec south to the Ohio River
It also allowed French Canadians use of their own legal system which did not recognize trial by jury
The colonists believed The Quebec Act was designed to keep American settlers out of western lands forever

20. Do you agree with the protesting done by the colonists in response to British treatment?

21. The First Continental Congress
56 delegates from 12 colonies attended the first Continental Congress in Philadelphia in September, 1774
The Congress petitioned the King for relief from the Intolerable Acts and vowed to stop trade with Britain until the acts were repealed

22. Here come the Brits!
Early on April 19, 1775, 700 British soldiers were secretly sent to destroy the military supplies the colonists had collected at Concord
After learning the soldiers’ destination, the Sons of Liberty sent Paul Revere & William Dawes to warn the Minutemen of approaching British soldiers.
Fighting between the Americans and the British broke out near Boston – a city occupied in 1774 by the British army under General Thomas Gage

23. Lexington and Concord
When the British soldiers reached Lexington, Captain Jonas Parker and 75 armed Minutemen were there to meet them.
The Minutemen were greatly outnumbered. The British soldiers fired, killing 8 Minutemen and injuring 10 others.
While the British soldiers continued on their way to Concord, the men and women of Concord were busy moving the arms and ammunition to new hiding places in surrounding towns.

24. The British Retreat to Boston
A large force of patriots gathered in response to the British troops.
As the British soldiers headed back to Boston, they were attacked by the Minutemen.
All along the route, Minutemen, local farmers and townspeople continued the attack against the British.
By the time the soldiers reached Boston, 73 British soldiers were dead and 174 more were wounded.

25. Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress was a body of representatives appointed by the legislatures of several British North American colonies which met from May 10, 1775, to March 1, 1781
By the time the Second Continental Congress met, the American Revolutionary War had already started with the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775.
Thus, the Second Continental Congress found itself in the unenviable position of being the decision-making body of a military alliance at war with a far more powerful enemy.

26. Thomas Paine and Common Sense
In January 1776, Thomas Paine published Common Sense
He attacked the strongest bond tying America to Britain – the King
He pointed out the advantages of freedom from British rule and commercial restrictions
The book divided Americans into either Patriots or Loyalists

27. Independence!
Beginning in April of 1776, the colonies advised their delegates to vote for independence
On June 7th, Richard Henry Lee introduced a brief “Resolution of Independence”
On July 2nd, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted Lee’s resolution “that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states.”

28. The Declaration of Independence
The Official Declaration of Independence was agreed upon on July 4th, 1776
Its purpose was to justify the Revolution, state that the colonies were independent and to express the nation’s principles
The rest is history!