American History
Review
• Remember the European countries involved in
colonizing America?
• Summary: There was a lot of warfare and Britain
won in the end.
– Here’s how…
• Known as the Seven Years
War in the rest of the world.
• English / French rivalry in
North America erupted into
war in 1754
• Lasted until 1763
• French defeat resulted in the
Fall of New France
• Britain became the world’s
greatest colonial power &
gained control of North
America
• June 1759, Royal Navy with 200
ships traveled up the St. Lawrence &
carried a powerful British army to
Quebec
• Bombarded Quebec for 9 weeks
• Attacked on Sept 13, 1759 with
British General James Wolfe
defeating Montcalm who led the
French forces
• Defeated the French on the Battle of
the Plains of Abraham & captured
Montreal in 1760
•At the Treaty of Paris (1763), British gained nearly all of France’s possessions in
North America including Canada and territory immediately to the west of the
Appalachian Mts.
•The war determined that English rather than French ideas and institutions would
dominate North America
• War Debt/Need for new
Taxes
– French & Indian War
– Seven Years’ War
– Needed more money to
maintain military & naval
forces
• Florida & Canada
– Needed to be governed &
reorganized according to
British ways
– How to make people living
their become loyal British
subjects?
• First, the Proclamation of
1763 (Set a border at the
frontier to increase control)
• Britain believed that all
colonies should help pay
for colonial defense so new
methods of raising revenue
were introduced
• This was done without
consulting the colonists
• The French and Indian War cost the British a lot of
money (doubled national debt) so the British adopted a
new policy towards the 13 Colonies
• Decided to maintain a large army in N. America
• Abandoned Salutary Neglect & attempted to make the
American colonists pay for the defense of their territory
that was under British rule.
Timeline/Chart Activity
Definitions
• George III: King of England during the
American Revolution
• George Grenville: British Prime Minister
• Thomas Gage:Commander in Chief of the
British forces in North America
• Sons of Liberty: Group of colonists who
rioted and protested British rule.
• Taxation without Representation:Colonists
were opposed to the idea that laws were
passed by a government that they could
not vote for.
• Writs of Assistance: Search warrants that
allowed a British official to search
anything.
Britain decides to implement
taxes in order to regain money
lost in the war.
Fill in your chart based on the
following slides.
• British Purpose
– Prohibits European settlement west of the Appalachian
Mountains.
– Britain wanted to appease First Nations and not have
them angry so as to cause another war.
• American Response
– Wanted more land because of over population in
the colonies
– Colonies were angry
• a direct tax paid directly to the government
• required that all printed material (newspapers,
shipping documents, playing cards) must bear a
stamp to show that a tax had been paid to Gr.
Britain.
• money collected was to be used to help pay the
costs of defending & protecting the American
frontier near the Appalachian Mountains
• Protests, petitions, and
boycotts of British goods
• Riots, burned stamps in
the streets, destroyed
stamp collectors offices,
tarred & feathered British
supporters
• Sons of Liberty : American
patriots who attacked
symbols of British
authority & power before
the American Revolution
1765 Stamp Act
• British parliament repealed the Stamp Act but affirmed
their right to make laws for the colonies
• American Response:
– Americans fought for “No Taxation without Representation”
– Taxation without Representation: Colonists were opposed to the
idea that laws were passed by a government that they could not vote
for.
• Levied import taxes on articles of everyday use in America
• Tea, lead, glass, & colors for paint
• Writs of Assistance were legalized to enforce it
– Search warrants that allowed a British official to search anything.
• American Response:
– Boycotts and protests
– British empire lost money due to boycotts
• Later repealed in 1770 following colonial protests & the
Boston Massacre
• First clash between the
American colonists &
British troops.
• Shots were fired when a
crowd began throwing
snowballs & rotten eggs at
British soldiers
• five people died
• Rumor spread, & it
became known as a
massacre
• British govt passed a law
that gave the British East
India Co the ability to sell
tea in the colonies without
paying tax
• This damaged the
businesses of local colonial
merchants
• American Response:
– Boston colonists, disguised
as Native Americans,
dumped wooden chests of
tea into Boston Harbour.
Boston Tea Party
• A series of Acts in response to
•
•
•
•
Boston Tea Party:
Port of Boston closed
Mass. colonists not permitted
to hold town meetings
Soldiers were to be quartered
(housed) in colonists’ homes
American Response:
– Other colonies replied with
letters of support for Boston
– Colonies start to support each
other
– Called them “Intolerable Acts”
• Tried to gain the support of French-Canadians
(enlarged the size of Quebec)
• Britain wanted to appease French Canada and
First Nations groups
• American Response:
• Colonists were again frustrated
• Many bought land before and with the passing of the
Quebec Act that land was worthless
• Answer the question under Declaring
Independence
• Read the article First Continental Congress and
highlight or underline any parts of the text that tell
you why the First Continental Congress is
significant.
• On Sept 5, 1774, 56 colonial
delegates met in
Philadelphia at the First
Continental Congress
• first time that leaders from
different colonies had met
face to face
• resolved that the colonies
should have the right to
make laws in the colonies
• In every colony a volunteer
army was organized and
weapons collected
Minutemen
• A colonial militia
(military group)
• Were able to quickly
mobilize (get ready
to fight)
Assignment
• Write a one page “Letter to the Editor”
– The letter will be written from the perspective of
A) A colonist fighting for revolution, or;
B) A British person who is against the revolution
- You need to take on their perspective, feel their
emotion, and use your imagination.
- You also need to include three examples of
historical events in your letter. “I can’t believe
the Americans responded by…”
- Due:
• Colonists were opposed
• Argued that because
they were not
represented in the
British Parliament, they
could not legally be
taxed without their
consent.
• Only colonial assemblies
could impose taxes
within the colonies