1. Colonial Resistance and Rebellion
Objectives:
Summarize colonial resistance to British taxation.
Trace the mounting tension in Massachusetts.
Examine efforts made to avoid war between the colonies and the British.
Summarize the historical background of the Declaration of Independence.

2. The Colonies Organize to Resist Britain
Between 1763 and 1774 the British government carried out a number of acts that outraged colonists
Proclamation of 1763 – Sought to halt colonial expansion west of the Appalachian Mountains
The Sugar Act
As a result of the French and Indian War, Britain was in a financial crisis
England had nearly doubled its national debt
To lower the national debt, King George III tightened economic control on the colonies
Sugar Act (1764) – Did three things:
Halved the duty of foreign-made molasses in the hopes that colonists would pay a lower tax rather than risk arrest from smuggling
Placed duties on certain imports that had not been taxed before
Provided that colonists accused of violating the act would be tried by a single judge rather than a jury of sympathetic colonists
Colonists argued that parliament had no right to tax the colonies because colonists had not elected representatives to the body

3. The Colonies Organize to Resist Britain
The Stamp Act (1765)
Imposed a tax on documents and printed items
A stamp would be placed on the document to ensure the tax had been paid
Unlike the Sugar Act, the Stamp Act was the first tax that affected the colonists directly because it was levied on goods and services
Colonists united to defy the law
Sons of Liberty – Secret resistance group founded to protest the Stamp Act
Merchants agreed to boycott British goods until the law was repealed
In 1766 Parliament repealed the law
The same day Parliament repealed the Stamp Act, it enacted the Declaratory Act
Stated that the colonies are bound to the laws set forth by Parliament
The Townshend Acts (1767) – Taxed goods imported into the colony and tea
In response, colonists once again boycotted British goods

4. Tension Mounts in Massachusetts
Violence Erupts in Boston
As hostilities between colonists and the British mounted, the atmosphere in Boston grew increasingly tense
Boston Massacre (1770) – Confrontation between colonists and British soldiers in which five colonists were killed
The Boston Tea Party
Tea Act (1773) – Granted the British East India Company the right to sell tea to the colonies free from the taxes that colonial tea sellers had to pay
This action would cut colonial tea merchants out of the tea trade
American colonists protested
Boston Tea Party (1773) – Event in which colonists disguised as Native Americans boarded and dumped 18,000 pounds of the East India Company’s tea into Boston Harbor

5. The Intolerable Acts (1774)
A series of measures passed by Parliament in response to colonial disobedience:
Shut down Boston harbor
Authorized British troops to quarter in private homes
Boston was placed under martial law
In response to the Intolerable Acts, the committees of correspondence held the First Continental Congress in 1774
Drew up a declaration of colonial rights
Defended the colonies’ right to run their own affairs

6. The Road to Revolution
After the First Continental Congress met, colonists stepped up military preparations
Minutemen
Fighting at Lexington and Concord
British troops moved to seize a weapons cache from colonists in Concord, Massachusetts
Battle of Lexington
First battle of the Revolutionary War
After Lexington, the British marched on to Concord where they found an empty arsenal
As they marched back to Boston, the British were attacked by Minutemen who fired from behind trees and stone walls

7. The Road to Revolution The Second Continental Congress
In 1775, colonial leaders held the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia
It was agreed that the colonial militia would be recognized as the Continental Army
George Washington was appointed as its commander
The Battle of Bunker Hill
British troops trapped in Boston, decide to attack nearby Breed’s Hill
On July 8, 1775 Congress sent King George the Olive Branch Petition hoping to return to the harmony that once existed between the colonies and England
King George rejected the petition and urged parliament to order a naval blockade of the American coast

8. The Patriots Declare Independence
The Ideas Behind the Revolution
The Enlightenment
John Locke – English philosopher who stated that all people have the natural rights to life, liberty, and property
“Social Contract”
Thomas Paine’s Common Sense
Common Sense – Pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that attacked King George and the monarchy
Stated American independence would give Americans the chance to create a better society
Declaring Independence
Congress appointed a committee to prepare a formal Declaration of Independence
Thomas Jefferson was chosen to write up the declaration
Jefferson drew upon Locke’s ideas
Declaration was approved on July 4th, 1776

9. The War for Independence
Objectives:
Trace the war through the winter at Valley Forge.
Examine civilian life during the Revolution.
Trace the war in the South through the siege of Yorktown.
Recognize the symbolic value of the Revolution.

10. The War Begins Loyalists and Patriots
Loyalists – Those who opposed independence and remained loyal to the British king
African Americans
Promised freedom
Native Americans
Saw colonists as a threat to their lands
Patriots – Supporters of independence
Early Victories and Defeats
As part of a plan to stop the rebellion by isolating New England, the British quickly seized New York City
Desperate for a victory to hold his army together, Washington risked everything on one bold move
December 25th, 1776 – Washington launches a surprise attack across the Delaware at Trenton
“Victory or death”
Defeated a garrison of Hessian soldiers quartered there
Hessians – German mercenaries hired by the British

11. American Strengths and Weaknesses
Familiarity of home ground
Leadership of George Washington and other officers
Inspiring cause of independence
Weaknesses
Most soldiers were untrained and undisciplined
Shortage of food and ammunition
Inferior navy
No central government to enforce wartime policies

12. British Strengths and Weaknesses
Strong, well trained army and navy
Strong central government with available funds
Support from colonial Loyalists and Native Americans
Weaknesses
Large distance separating Britain from battlefields
Troops unfamiliar with terrain
Weak military leaders
Sympathy of certain British politicians for the American cause

13. The War Begins (cont.) Saratoga and Valley Forge
Battle of Saratoga (1777) – American troops surround and defeat British General John Burgoyne
Turning point in the war
Bolstered France’s belief that the Americans could win the war
French sign an alliance with the Americans in 1778
Winter at Valley Forge

14. Life During the Revolution
Impact of War on Civilians
Women had to fill the roles held by men off at war
Managed farms and businesses
Some women traveled with their husbands where they assisted the army in noncombatant roles
Molly Pitcher
African Americans
Many escaped to freedom during the chaos of the war
Others served in the Continental Army

15. Winning the War
During their winter at Valley Forge, the Continental Army underwent a radical transformation
With the assistance of European military leaders, the Continental Army became a disciplined fighting force
Friedrich von Steuben
Marquis de Lafayette
The British Surrender at Yorktown
Treaty of Paris (1783) – Confirmed US independence and set the boundaries of the new nation

16. The War Becomes a Symbol of Liberty
During the war, social distinctions had begun to blur
Egalitarianism – A belief in the equality of all people
Ability and virtue defined one’s worth, not wealth or family background
In reality, this new concept only applied to white males
Women gained no new political rights
Most African Americans remained enslaved
Those who were free still faced discrimination