American Revolution
April 19, 1775-September 3, 1783
Causes of the American Revolution
Proclamation of 1763
• In 1763, Parliament issued the
Proclamation of 1763, which ordered
colonists not to settle west of the
Appalachian Mountains.
• The British government believed this
would keep peace with the Native
Americans.
• The colonists thought the British
government should not interfere.
The Stamp Act
• In 1765, Parliament passed the Stamp Act.
• It forced colonists to pay a tax on almost
everything printed on paper—newspapers,
legal documents—even playing cards.
• The colonists reacted so strongly against
the tax that Parliament revoked it a year
later.
The Stamp Act
The Townshend Acts
• In 1767, Parliament passed the
Townshend Acts, which taxed lead, glass,
paper, paint, and tea imported to the
colonies.
• Colonists resisted by refusing to buy these
items.
• The tax was lifted on everything except
tea.
Boston Massacre
March 5, 1770
• In 1768, 4,000 British soldiers moved into Boston,
Massachusetts.
• Colonists were forced to keep them in their homes, so
Boston became an occupied city.
• This occupation triggered the Boston Massacre.
• On March 5, 1770, a number of colonists got in an
argument with the redcoats and began throwing
snowballs and chunks of ice at them.
• Soldiers fired shots into the crowd and 5 Americans were
killed. Crispus Attucks was the first African-American to
die for his country.
The Boston Massacre
Boston Tea Party
• In 1773, British East India company ships
full of tea were docked in Boston Harbor.
• On December 16, colonists dressed as
Mohawks boarded the ship and dumped
the tea in the water.
• The event became known as the Boston
Tea Party.
Boston Tea Party
The Intolerable Acts
• To punish the colonists for dumping the tea, the British
passed even stricter laws.
• The colonists called these laws the Intolerable Acts
because the colonists decided they would not tolerate
(accept) them.
• The First Continental Congress met to protest the
Intolerable Acts.
• Every colony except Georgia sent delegates, or
representatives.
• In Sept. 1774, the congress demanded that the
Intolerable Acts be taken back and that the colonists be
given more power in making decisions.
The War
• The war began when fighting broke out in
Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts.
• Minutemen were members of groups of armed
men who were ready at a minute’s notice to take
to the field against the British.
• The British were called “redcoats” due to the
bright red color of their uniforms.
• There were 25,300 casualties of Americans.
• There were 24,000 casualties of British soldiers.
Soldiers
Minutemen
Redcoats
The Second Continental Congress
• The Second Continental Congress met in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in May 1775, a
month after the American Revolution had begun.
• The colonists realized that they must fight
together against the British if they were to defeat
the British.
• George Washington was nominated to be the
Commander in Chief of the Continental Army—
everyone voted for him.
Results of the American Revolution
• The thirteen colonies became an independent nation
called the United States of America, which was
recognized by Britain.
• Britain gave the United States the land east of the
Mississippi river, north to Canada, and south to the
border of Florida.
• All British control of American trade was lifted.
• A new government with elected representatives was
formed under the Articles of Confederation.
• The successful revolution encouraged other people,
especially the French, to overthrow their governments.
The British
King George III
Gen. Cornwallis
Benedict Arnold
The Americans
George Washington
Ethan Allen
Benjamin Franklin
Nathan Hale
Paul Revere
Patrick Henry
John Adams
Thomas Paine
Samuel Adams
Thomas Jefferson