The Road to
Independence
What events led the colonists to try to
break free from English rule?
Navigation Acts
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The Navigation Acts were a series
of laws passed by Parliament.
Colonies could only ship goods on
English ships and that they could
only sell goods to British
merchants.
This angered colonists because they
did not want a government 3,000
miles away telling them what to do
or who they could sell their goods
to.
The French and Indian War
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From 1754-1763, England and the American colonists
fought against the French in America. This conflict was
called the French and Indian War.
Proclamation of 1763: colonists forbidden from settling
west of the Appalachian Mountains to avoid conflict
with Native Americans.
England created a huge debt for themselves to pay for
the war. They decided to pay off the debt by taxing the
colonists.
British Taxes
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Stamp Act (1765): All printed
documents (newspapers, fliers,
mail, playing cards, etc.) had to
have a stamp
“No Taxation without
Representation” – the colonists
had no representatives in
Parliament, so they were angry
that they had to pay taxes.
The colonists responded to the
act by boycotting British goods
 they refuse to buy goods
made in England
As a result of the boycott, the
act was repealed.
Boston Massacre: colonial
protesters clashed with British
troops in Boston resulting in
the deaths of five colonists.
Boston Tea Party
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Tea Act (1773): a new tax on
tea
Boston Tea Party: A group of
patriots in Boston called the
Sons of Liberty staged a
protest. They dressed up as
Mohawk Indians, and threw
hundreds of cases of tea off
of British boats and into
Boston Harbor
British Response to the Tea Party
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Intolerable Acts (1774): The British were very
mad about the Boston Tea Party, so they
instituted three new acts to punish the colonists
1. No trial by jury in the colonies
2. Quartering Act: colonists forced to house and
feed English soldiers
3. Blockade of Boston: no ships allowed to
enter or leave Boston harbor, resulting in
terrible hardships for residents of Boston
First Continental Congress
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First Continental
Congress (1774):
Representatives from 12
of the colonies met in
Philadelphia to address
the Intolerable Acts.
They sent a letter to
King George III asking
him to repeal the acts.
He didn’t.
Lexington and Concord
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Lexington and Concord (1775): British troops believe
weapons are being stockpiled in Concord,
Massachusetts. On the way there, they were confronted
by farmers and militia members at Lexington. The
British troops defeated the colonials at Lexington, and
then defeated more at Concord. This event became
known as the “Shot heard around the world.”
The colonists used guerilla warfare tactics against the
British troops on their way back to Boston.
In spite of the defeat, many New England colonists
volunteered to fight.
Second Continental Congress
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Delegates meet again in 1776
to discuss the battles in
Massachusetts. They were
split about 50/50 on the
issue of independence.
Thomas Paine writes
“Common Sense” in which
he advocates independence
Most delegates decide to
support independence and
set up a committee to write a
declaration.
The Declaration of Independence
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Benjamin Franklin was
expected to be the primary
author, but Thomas Jefferson
took the lead.
Jefferson presents his
argument with ideas taken
from Locke and Rousseau.
He then lists 27 examples of
British tyranny.
Finally, Jefferson states that
given these circumstances,
we not only had the right to
become independent, it was
our responsibility to do so.