The American Revolution
Major Events that Led to the
American Revolution
9/2
●Pick up a half review sheet from front
Major Events that Led to the American
Revolution: French and Indian War
●French and Indian War
o Great Britain fought a
costly war against France
(1756-1763)
●Proclamation of 1763
o Colonial settlers were
forbidden from settling
west of the Appalachian
Mountains
French and Indian War:
Effects
●Defeat of French
o colonists become less
dependent upon Britain
for protection
●Britain increased
taxes and restrictions
on colonies to pay off
war debt
New Restrictions and Taxes on
American Colonies by the British
●Britain, in an effort to
alleviate war debt,
passed the:
o Sugar Act (1764)
o Quartering Act (1765)
o Stamp Act (1765)
A Closer Look:
The Stamp Act
●Britain taxed:
o Newspapers, legal
documents, playing cards,
and advertisements
●“Taxation Without
Representation”
●Virginia House of
Burgesses
o Patrick Henry condemned
the Stamp Act
Colonists United in Opposition to
Great Britain
●Boycotted British goods
●In response to increased
taxes and restrictions,
colonists united together
o Committees of
Correspondence
o Sons of Liberty
o Stamp Act Congress
Committees of Correspondence
●Organized by Samuel
Adams
●American Colonies
maintained
communication with
each other through this
institution
●Eventually evolved into
the First Continental
Congress
Sons of Liberty
●Formed to protect
the rights of
colonists
●Fought abuses of
taxation by the
British Government
●Meetings:
o Liberty poles and
Liberty trees
Sons of Liberty cont.
●Violence and protest
groups
●Role in the Boston Tea
Party
●Motto: “No Taxation
Without
Representation!”
Stamp Act Congress
●Stamp Act Congress
(1765)
o Nine of thirteen colonies
met in New York City
●Prepared a declaration
against Britain’s
actions that was sent
to King George III
Stamp Act Congress: Effects
●British Parliament
repealed, or cancelled,
the Stamp Act
●Parliament passed the
Declaratory Act the
same day:
o Parliament has the right to
tax and make all decisions
for the American colonies
Townshend Acts
●Passed in 1767 by
Parliament
o Named after British
Parliament member, Charles
Townshend
●Townshend Acts
o Increased duties on glass,
tea, paper
o Legalized the use of ‘writs of
assistance’
Townshend Acts: Effects
●Colonists unite to
protest new taxes
●British troops sent to
Boston
o Help maintain order and
enforce the Townshend
Acts
●Boston Massacre
Boston Massacre
●March 5, 1770
●British soldiers fired
into a crowd, killing 5
colonists
●Impacted the American
Revolution in a
profound way
o increased the support for
independence
Boston Massacre: Effects
●Increased anti-British
sentiment
●5 victims became heroes
o 12,000 Bostonians
participated in funeral
●Majority of Townshend
Acts are repealed
o Left a tax on tea
The Tea Act of 1773
●British East India
Company
o Gave the East India
Company the right to ship
tea without paying most
taxes
●Boston Tea Party
o December of 1773
Boston Tea Party
●“No Taxation Without
Representation!”
●Angry colonists
disguised as Native
Americans dumped 342
chests of British Tea
into the Boston Harbor
Boston Tea Party: Effects
●Unified Parliament
against the colonies
●Punished the colonies
with Coercive Acts
o Also known as the
Intolerable Acts
o Consisted of four
punishments for the
Massachusetts colonists
Intolerable Acts of 1774
●Included 4 Acts that were
aimed at punishing the
Massachusetts colonists
1. 1st Intolerable Act (Boston Port Act)
2. 2nd Intolerable Act (Massachusetts
Government Act)
3. 3rd Intolerable Act (Administration
Justice Act)
4. 4th Intolerable Act (Quartering Act)
Intolerable Acts: 1st and 2nd Acts
●1st Intolerable Act
(Boston Port Act)
o Closed Boston Port until all
destroyed tea had been paid
for
●2nd Intolerable Act
(Massachusetts
Government Act)
o Banned town meetings
o Town officials were no
longer elected, but
appointed
Intolerable Acts: 3rd and 4th Acts
●3rd Intolerable Act
(Administration Justice
Act)
o All trials in the colonies
sent to Great Britain and
heard under a British
judge
●4th Intolerable Act
(Quartering Act)
o Soldiers housed with
colonists in their homes
Intolerable Acts: Effects
●Colonies rallied around
Massachusetts providing
aid
●Met in Philadelphia to
discuss Intolerable Acts
o known as the First
Continental Congress