The Road to Revolution,
1763–1776
Disagreements push Great
Britain and the American
colonies apart and eventually
lead to the signing of the
Declaration of Independence.
6-1: Tighter British Control
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Americans see British
efforts to tax them and
to increase control over
the colonies as
violations of their rights.
Preview Questions
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How did Britain’s policy toward its American colonies change
after the French and Indian War?
Why did the Proclamation of 1763 anger many colonists?
What did many colonists choose to do about the proclamation?
What was the Quartering Act?
Why did Parliament seek to impose greater taxes on the
colonies?
Why did the colonists oppose the Sugar Act?
What was the Stamp Act?
How did the Stamp Act differ from previous taxes imposed on the
colonies?
What objection did colonial leaders voice about the Stamp Act?
In what ways did the colonists challenge the Stamp Act?
Who were the Sons of Liberty?
What eventually became of the Stamp Act?
The Colonies and Britain Grow Apart
1. Britain governs 13 colonies,
territory gained in war in the
same way
2. Parliament imposes the
Proclamation of 1763
3. Colonists cannot settle
territory west of the
Appalachian Mountains
4. Western territory remains in
hands of Native American
allies
5. Angers colonists, many
ignore the law
British Troops and Taxes
1. King George III, the British monarch,
wants to enforce the proclamation
2. Parliament passes Quartering Act
(1765) that requires colonists to:
a. house British soldiers
b. provide British soldiers with supplies
3. Britain needs more revenue, income,
wants colonies to pay part of war
debt
4. Parliament passes Sugar Act (1764),
which:
a.
places tax on sugar, other products
shipped to colonies
b. calls for strict enforcement of law
5. Angers colonial merchants who
trade in smuggled goods
6. Colonies are not represented in
Parliament, don’t have say in
taxation
7. Colonial leaders claim Britain has
no right to tax colonists
Britain Passes the Stamp Act
1. Parliament passes the
Stamp Act (1765):
a. all commercial
documents must carry an
official stamp
b. stamp shows a tax has
been paid
2. Applies to all colonists,
not just merchants
3. Colonial leaders like
Patrick Henry call for
resistance to tax
The Colonies Protest the Stamp Act
1. Delegates from 9 colonies
meet at Stamp Act
Congress (1765)
2. Draw up petition to king that
protests Stamp Act
3. Colonial merchants
organize boycott (refusal to
buy) of British goods
4. Secret societies like the
Sons of Liberty protest
British policies
5. Some protests are peaceful,
others are violent
The Colonies Protest the Stamp Act
1. Parliament repeals Stamp Act, passes Declaratory Act
2. Gives Parliament supreme authority to govern the
colonies
3. Continues tug of war between Parliament and colonies
Finish Notes
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Summarize notes at the bottom.
Left Side: Imagine you are a colonial leader
who wants to get your fellow colonists to
protest British policy. Design a poster or
write a song of protest.
6-2: Colonial Resistance Grows
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Many Americans begin
to organize to oppose
British policies.
Preview Questions
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What were the Townshend Acts?
Why did the British think the acts would anger the colonists less
than the Stamp Act did?
How did the British attempt to enforce the Townshend Acts?
Why did the writs of assistance anger the colonists?
What methods did the colonists use to protest the Townshend
Acts?
Why did colonists in Boston resent the presence of so many
British soldiers?
How did the Boston Massacre begin? What was the outcome?
Why was the massacre an important event in the cause for
independence?
For what reason did the British repeal the Townshend Acts?
Why did the Tea Act upset the colonists?
What was the Boston Tea Party?
The Townshend Acts Are Passed
1. To raise revenue, Parliament passes Townshend
Acts (1767)
2. Suspends New York’s assembly until New Yorkers
house troops
3. Places duties, or import taxes, on various goods
4. British use writs of assistance, or search warrants,
to enforce acts
The Reasons for Protest
1. Protests break out against the Townshend Acts
2. New Yorkers angry about the suspension of their
elected assembly
3. Many colonists angry about taxation without
representation
4. Argue that writs of assistance violate their natural
rights
Tools of Protest
1. Colonists in Boston
announce another boycott
of British goods (1767)
2. Leader of the Boston Sons
of Liberty, Samuel Adams,
organizes boycott
3. This boycott spreads
throughout the colonies
4. Daughters of Liberty ask
colonists to use American
products
5. Custom officials try to seize
American ship, protestors
cause a riot
The Boston Massacre
1. 1,000 British soldiers arrive in
Boston, tension grows
2. On March 5, 1770, a fight starts
between colonists and soldiers
3. Soldiers fire on colonists, kill five,
incident called Boston Massacre
4. One of colonists killed, was African
American Crispus Attucks
5. Soldiers are charged with murder,
lawyer John Adams defends the
soldiers
6. Soldiers set free, Boston Massacre
becomes symbol of British tyranny
The Tea Act
1. Parliament repeals the
Townshend Acts, except the
tax on tea
2. Samuel Adams forms
committees of correspondence
3. Groups exchange letters on
colonial affairs, form
throughout colonies
4. Parliament passes the Tea Act
(1773) which:
a. gives Britain control over
American tea trade
b. places tax on colonists for
regulated tea
5. Angers colonial shippers and
merchants
The Boston Tea Party
1. Protests against the Tea Act
take place throughout the
colonies
2. The Sons of Liberty organize a
protest known as the Boston
Tea Party
3. Dec. 16, 1773, men disguised
as Native Americans board 3
tea ships
4. Destroy 342 chests of tea,
many colonists rejoice at the
news
5. Britain wants repayment and
men responsible brought to
trial
Finish Notes
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Summarize notes at the bottom
Left Side: Which event from this section of
the chapter do you think was the most
important? Why?
6-3: The Road to Lexington and Concord
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The tensions between
Britain and the colonies
lead to armed conflict in
Massachusetts.
Preview Questions
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What were the Intolerable Acts?
What effect did the Intolerable Acts have on the colonies?
How did the colonies come to the aid of Massachusetts?
What happened at the First Continental Congress?
How did the colonists protest the Intolerable Acts? How
successful were they?
What did most colonial leaders think about the prospect of war
with Britain?
What was the role of spies in the pre-revolutionary period?
Why did Britain’s General Gage send troops to Lexington and
Concord?
What was the mission of the midnight riders?
What happened at the battles of Lexington and Concord?
Who were the Loyalists?
Who were the Patriots?
The Intolerable Acts
1. Britain angry about Boston Tea Party
2. Parliament passes the Intolerable Acts
(1774):
a. close port of Boston until colonists pay for
destroyed tea
b. ban committees of correspondence
c. allow Britain to house troops wherever necessary
d. allow British officials accused of crimes to stand
trial in Britain
The First Continental Congress Meets
1. Colonial delegates meet at
the First Continental
Congress (1774)
2. Vote to ban trade with
Britain until the Intolerable
Acts are repealed
3. Call on each colony to begin
training troops
4. By upholding colonial rights,
delegates plant seeds of
independence
Between War and Peace
1. Colonists hope boycott
will force Britain to
repeal Intolerable Acts
2. Britain refuses to
repeal the acts, sends
more troops
3. Some colonists prepare
to fight, colonial troops
continue to train
The Midnight Ride
1. Colonial spy network keeps
watch over British activities
2. British troops sent to arrest
Sam Adams, John Hancock
in Lexington
3. British plan to destroy a
militia supply of ammunition
in Concord
4. Paul Revere, William
Dawes, Samuel Prescott
spread news, troop
movement
Lexington and Concord
1. April 19, 1775, British troops
reach Lexington, fight
militiamen
2. One-third of militia,
Minutemen, trained to act at
a minutes notice
3. Troops fight militiamen at
Concord, forced to retreat
4. Lexington and Concord are
the first battles of the
Revolutionary War
5. Loyalists are those who
support the British
6. Patriots are those who
support the rebels
Finish Notes
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Summarize this section.
Left Side: None
6-4: Declaring Independence
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Fighting between
American and British
troops leads the
colonies to declare their
independence.
Preview Questions
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For what reasons did General Gage move his troops to Boston
after the battles at Lexington and Concord?
What did the Second Continental Congress accomplish?
Why was the Battle of Bunker Hill considered an important one
for the colonists?
What was the purpose and outcome of the Olive Branch
Petition?
What was the purpose and outcome of the colonial attack on
Quebec? on Boston?
Why did so many Loyalists flee Boston with the British?
What points does Thomas Paine make in Common Sense?
What impact did Paine’s pamphlet have on the colonies?
Why did colonial leaders choose Thomas Jefferson to write the
Declaration of Independence?
What is the core idea of the Declaration of Independence?
Which parts of the population does the Declaration neglect?
The Continental Army Is Formed
1. Americans, led by
Ethan Allen, capture
Britain’s Fort
Ticonderoga
2. Fort’s artillery - cannon
and large guns, used
later to fight British
3. On May 10, 1775, the
Second Continental
Congress meets
The Continental Army Is Formed
1. Meeting takes place in
Philadelphia, delegates
include:
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John Adams
Benjamin Franklin
George Washington
Patrick Henry
2. Delegates form
Continental Army,
appoint Washington as
commander
The Battle of Bunker Hill
1. In June 1775, militiamen
seize Bunker Hill and
Breed’s Hill
2. British troops attack Breed’s
Hill
3. Eventually, British force
militiamen off hill
4. British suffer over 1,000
casualties, but win Battle of
Bunker Hill
5. Americans however, gain
moral victory
A Last Attempt at Peace
1. In July 1775, Americans send
Olive Branch Petition to Britain’s
king
2. Petition asks king to restore
harmony between Britain and
colonies
3. King rejects petition, blocks
American ships from leaving
their ports
4. Sends Hessians, hired German
soldiers, to fight in America
5. Washington trains colonial army,
approves plan to invade Quebec
6. Leader Benedict Arnold, colonial
army fail to defeat British in
Quebec
The British Retreat from Boston
1. Continental Army
surrounds British forces
in Boston
2. Americans haul artillery
from Fort Ticonderoga
to Boston
3. Americans threaten to
bombard Boston,
British troops withdraw
Common Sense Is Published
1. Thomas Paine writes
Common Sense
2. Ridicules the idea that kings
rule by the will of God
3. Argues that all monarchies
are corrupt
4. Disagrees with the
economic arguments for
remaining with Britain
5. Common Sense is a huge
success, strengthens the
call for independence
A Time of Decision
1. In May 1776, Continental
Congress adopts resolution
2. Authorizes each of the 13
colonies to establish its own
government
3. In June 1776, Richard Henry
Lee introduces a resolution
4. Calls for colonies to break with
Britain
5. Committee chooses Thomas
Jefferson to write Declaration
of Independence
6. Congress passes Lee’s
resolution, colonies view
themselves as independent
The Declaration Is Adopted
1. July 4, 1776, Continental Congress adopts Declaration of
Independence
2. Proclaims the independence of the colonies
3. Claims that people have rights that government cannot take away
4. If government disregards these rights, it loses its right to govern
5. People can abolish a government that disregards their rights
6. People can form a new government that will protect their rights
Finish Notes
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Summarize Notes
What is the strongest reason for
independence? Against independence?