Uniting for
Independence
Chapter 2 Section 2
I. Colonies on Their Own
A. Britain Tightens Control
1. French and Indian War
(1754-1763)
a. Fought between
Colonists/British
French/Indians
b. Threatened Britain’s
control of the
continent
c.
Result: Colonists
realized they did not
need the British to
protect them from
the French
2.
King George III takes the
throne
B. Taxing the Colonies
1.
Stamp Act (1765)
a.
Imposed the first tax on
the colonies on legal
documents, newspaper,
pamphlets, etc
b.
2.
3.
4.
It is repealed despite
the high revenue
Colonists continued to
get taxed
In a political protest, the
Boston Tea Party takes
place
Intolerable Acts
a. Closed the Boston
Harbor
II. Colonial Unity
A. Albany Plan (1754)
1. Proposed by Benjamin
Franklin
2. Proposed plan for uniting
the colonies during the
F/I War
3. Plan is rejected….but it
plants the seed for
colonists to start thinking
about Independence
B. Taking Action
1.
Stamp Act Congress
(1765)
a.
First meeting
organized by the
colonists to protest
the kings actions
2.
Committees of
Correspondence (1773)
a.
Communication network
amongst the colonies for
independence
3.
The First Continental
Congress (1774)
a. Meet as a result of
the Stamp Act
b. Propose an embargo
until Britain changes
its policies
c. British adopt
stronger measures
4.
Revolutionary War Begins
a. 1775--Battle of
Lexington and
Concord
b. George Washington
is in charge of the
Army and Navy
5.
The Second Continental
Congress (1775)
a. Acts as governing
body during the war
b. John Hancock is the
President
c. The debate begins
over independence
i.
Patriot
ii. Loyalist
6. Common Sense
a. Pamphlets written by
Thomas Paine
b. Influence many
colonists to support
the war and
independence
III. Independence
A. Declaration of Independence
1.
July 2, 1776--Colonies
officially break from
Britain
2.
July 4, 1776--Delegates
sign the document
3.
Written by Thomas
Jefferson
4.
John Hancock the first to
sign