The American
Revolution
By
Cindy Barden
COPYRIGHT © 2001 Mark Twain Media, Inc.
ISBN 978-1-58037-825-3
Printing No. CD-1397
Mark Twain Media, Inc., Publishers
Distributed by Carson-Dellosa Publishing Company, Inc.
The purchase of this book entitles the buyer to reproduce the student pages for classroom
use only. Other permissions may be obtained by writing Mark Twain Media, Inc., Publishers.
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America.
The American Revolution
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
1About the American History Series
2
Time Line of The American Revolution
4
George III Becomes King
5
What Caused the Revolutionary War?
6Expansion of the British Empire
7
Colonists Forbidden to Move West
8
Poor Richard’s Almanack
9
Taxes on Sugar and Molasses
10
Two New Laws Affect the Colonies
11
Stamps Required
12Rules of Civility & Decent Behaviour in
Company and Conversation
13
The Rebels Unite
14
More Taxes in 1767
15Revolutionary Women’s Organizations
16
Would You Like a Cup of Tea?
17
The Boston Tea Party
18
Tidbits of Trivia
19
The Intolerable Acts
20
The First Continental Congress Meets
21
Patriots or Rebels?
22
The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere
23
The Rest of the Story
24
What Happened at Lexington and
Concord?
25
Singing “Yankee Doodle”
26In the News
27
The Second Continental Congress
Meets
28
Getting Ready for War
31
What Would They Have Said?
32
The Thirteen Original Colonies
33
Meet Thomas Jefferson
34
Time Line Activities
35
The Declaration of Independence
36
The Signers of the Declaration of
Independence
37
The Liberty Bell
38
Patriots or Traitors?
39
The Colonies Unite
40
Problems With the Articles of
Confederation
41
Be a History Detective
42
Fact or Opinion?
43
The Adams Family
44
What About the Founding Mothers?
45A Flag of Freedom
46
The War Rages On
47
The Turtle Goes to War
48
True or False?
49In Search of Foreign Aid
50
Surrender at Last
51Revolutionary Words
52Negotiating a Peace Treaty
53
Other Provisions of the Treaty of Paris
54
Plan an Interview
55
Writing the Constitution
56
The Bill of Rights
57A Battle of Words
58Revolutionary Word Search
29A Declaration of War—and of
Independence
30
Meet Benjamin Franklin
59Report on a Patriot
60
Suggested Reading
61Answer Key
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ii
The American Revolution
George III Becomes King
Name:Date:
George III Becomes King
Until George III became king of England in 1760, the
colonists had been largely ignored by the king and Parliament
of England, mostly because they had been too busy taking
care of other matters.
British laws had regulated the government of the colonies from the beginning. For the most part, however, England
felt the colonies existed mainly for one purpose—to provide
economic benefits for the mother country through trade.
The colonists could send raw materials only to England
and only on British ships. They were also expected to buy
goods only from England, sent on British ships. Goods imported from or exported to other countries were heavily taxed.
The colonists rarely objected at first, because the prices
of goods from England were usually less than the cost of the
same goods from other countries. Although they lived far away,
the colonists considered themselves subjects of England and
loyal to the king.
In 1760, a new king took over the
throne of England. King George
III, who ruled Great Britain for 60
years, played an important role in
the American Revolution.
1. How old was George the III when he became king of England?
2.Do you think the colonists would have agreed that they existed only for the benefit of the
mother country? Why or why not?
3. Use a dictionary to define import.
4. Use a dictionary to define export.
5. Why do you think England taxed goods imported from or exported to other countries?
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The American Revolution
What Caused the Revolutionary War?
Name:Date:
What Caused the Revolutionary War?
In 1763, Great Britain finally ended a period of wars with various European powers that had
gone on for over 70 years. The last of those wars was the French and Indian War (1754–1763)
in North America.
Although the British Empire was at the height of its power, the country was deeply in debt
and needed money to repay loans and rebuild the royal treasury.
Since the people in England were already paying high taxes, King George III and the
British Parliament decided to raise money by taxing the American colonists. After all, they reasoned, it had cost money for the British government to defend the colonies from the French and
Indians, so it was only right that they pay their fair share.
The taxes made many of the colonists very angry because they had no representatives
in Parliament to vote against the taxes or speak for the interests of the colonists. That’s what
Patrick Henry meant when he said, “Taxation without representation is tyranny.”
It would have been difficult for anyone to represent the colonies in Parliament at that time,
even if it had been allowed, because of the distance and time it took for messages to travel back
and forth by ship. If a representative in England had sent news about a proposed law or tax to
the colonies, it would have taken about two months for the news to arrive. Then it would have
taken another two months for the colonists to send a reply after they made a decision. By that
time, the situation could have changed completely.
1.Do you think King George III had good reasons for deciding to raise money by taxing the
colonists? Why or why not?
2. Use a dictionary to define tyranny.
3. List methods of communication and travel we have today that weren’t available to the
colonists.
4. Use the Internet or other resources to find out how long it takes to travel by plane from
New York to England today.
© Mark Twain Media, Inc., Publishers
The American Revolution
Expansion of the British Empire
Name:Date:
Expansion of the British Empire
Following the French and Indian War, England acquired much territory in the New World.
All of North America north of Spanish-controlled Florida and as far west as the Mississippi River
now belonged to England. This included land in Canada formerly controlled by France.
1. The area controlled by Great Britain prior to 1763 is shown on the map. Color in the area
Great Britain controlled after the French and Indian War.
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The American Revolution
Colonists Forbidden to Move West
Name:Date:
Colonists Forbidden to Move West
The French and Indian War lasted from 1756 until 1763. The
combined efforts of British troops and American colonists had defeated
the French and their allies. As a result, France was forced to give up
almost all of her territory in North America.
With French control broken, colonists expected to expand their
settlements to the “West.” At that time, the West meant the area from
the Appalachian Mountains to the Mississippi River.
Those hopes were dashed when England passed the Proclamation of 1763 forbidding any settlements west of the Appalachian
Mountains.
England had made promises to several tribes to keep colonists
east of the Appalachians. There had also been an uprising in 1763 led
by the Ottawa Chief Pontiac during which many settlers’ cabins were
burned and people were killed. England feared if more settlers moved
west, this would cause further uprisings. It would also force England to maintain a large army
to keep the peace.
The Proclamation of 1763 angered many colonists who had lived in that area for more
than 20 years. Some had been forced to flee during the uprising, but most planned to return to
their homes. Thousands of other immigrants planned to move to the new territory once the war
ended. Since the colonists had fought with the British against France and they were part of the
British Empire, they considered the territory theirs also.
For the most part, the colonists simply ignored the Proclamation of 1763 and continued
to move west. Led by Daniel Boone and other frontiersmen, settlers moved into western Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois.
1. Why do you think colonists considered the area from the Appalachians to the Mississippi
River the West?
2.Do you think restricting settlement in the West was a reasonable decision? Why or why
not?
3.Do you think the colonists had a legitimate complaint about the Proclamation of 1763?
Why or why not?
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