Friday, February 3rd, 2017
Pre-Revolutionary War Events
Pg. 190-207
Key Vocabulary Terms
1. militia – untrained military – an army made up of ordinary citizens that can
be called upon in an emergency.
2. impose – to place an obligation upon a person by exercising authority
3. repeal – to withdraw or replace officially
4. surveyor – a person who measures and describes land
5. Parliament – the British lawmaking body
6. Loyalist –a colonist who was loyal to the King of England
7. Patriot – a colonist who opposed England and who fought for freedom
8. Inalienable rights – rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
French and Indian War
The battle at Fort Necessity marked the beginning of the French
and Indian War. The French and British were fighting to claim
land in the Ohio River Valley. George Washington warned the
French that they were building forts on England’s land because
he was a surveyor and he knew the land well. Most Indians
supported the French in the French and Indian War because the
English kept taking more and more Indian land. The French
were more interested in trading/trapping furs instead of taking
their land. The colonists learned from the French and Indian War
that the English were vulnerable and the Colonists had to work
together. Bush fighting was better in the colonies than line
fighting. Finally they learned the colonists could fight and defend
themselves from England.
The Declaration of Independence, written
by Thomas Jefferson, stated that all men are
created equal with inalienable rights of life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness. It was approved by
the Second Continental Congress on July 4,
1776. It listed the colonist’s complaints
against Great Britain and King George III.
It declared the colonists’ independence
from Great Britain.
The Shot Heard Around the World
The Revolutionary War started in 1775. The war broke out in Massachusetts. The battles known
as the Battle of Lexington and Concord. It’s referred to as, “the shot heard around the world’.
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress took place in Philadelphia in September 1774. Twelve colonies met
to make a plan for the colonies. They agreed to stop trading with England. They drew up a
Declaration of Rights and Grievances and sent it to King George III with their concerns. They also
called for “raising” of the militia. They planned for a second meeting IF the King refused to make
Patrick Henry
Patrick Henry was a member of the House of
Burgesses who spoke out against the Stamp Act. He
believed that Parliament had no right to tax the colonies
since the colonist had no say in the British government.
He believed in no “taxation without representation.”
His famous speech “Give me Liberty or Give Me
Death” at St. Johns Church encouraged colonists to
support the fight for independence.
Boston Massacre
Stamp Act
A tax placed by King George III on all
newspapers, calendars, playing cards,
legal documents (buying and selling
land), and marriage licenses. The
English imposed the Stamp Act to help
put money back into the King’s
treasury. The treasury was low after
paying for 10 years of the French and
Indian War.
Townshend Act
A fight broke out between a mob of colonists and British soldiers
in Massachusetts on March 5th, 1770. It resulted in the death of
five colonists. It angered colonists in ALL 13 colonies.
Colonists boycotted taxed goods so
Parliament repealed the Stamp Act.
They replaced it with the Townshend
Act. Now there was a tax on lead,
glass, papers, paint, and TEA.
Boston Tea Party
On December 16th, 1773, some colonists
boarded three British chips carrying tea into
the Boston harbor. They tossed 342 chests of
tea into the water. It was a protest against the
unfair taxes and greatly angered King George
III.
Parliament Believed
Colonists Believed
It had legal authority in the colonies
Their local assemblies had legal authority.
It had the right to tax the colonists.
No taxation, without representation.