CAUSES OF THE AMERICAN
REVOLUTION: VIOLATION
OF RIGHTS
“NO TAXATION WITHOUT
REPRESENTATION”
• Sons of Liberty
• A protest (terrorist?) group
that organized protests,
boycotts and attacked
English tax collectors in Boston
• Believed that the taxes on the
colonies were unfair
• Wanted colonial
representation in Parliament if
they were going to be taxed
• Famous members:
• Paul Revere
• Samuel Adams
• Patrick Henry
“NO TAXATION WITHOUT
REPRESENTATION”
• With each new tax passed
by the British, more colonists
begin agreeing with the
Sons of Liberty
• Newspapers and Pamphlets
circulate to motivate
colonists to fight against
British taxes and soldiers
• Samuel Adams:
• “I look upon British Soldiers as
foreign enemies”
TEA ACT AND THE BOSTON TEA PARTY
• Tea Act: Small tax on
British tea sold in the
colonies
• The Sons of Liberty plan
a protest, we call it the
Boston Tea Party
• Meant to be a visible sign
of Colonial anger over
taxes
• Cost the British 10,000
pounds
• Parliament Response:
• Pass the Intolerable Acts
to punish Massachusetts
for its rebellious actions
INTOLERABLE ACTS
• Definition: Laws passed
by the British to punish
the colonists in
Massachusetts
• Four Parts of the
Intolerable Acts
• Closed Boston Harbor
• Colonists accused of crimes
sent to Britain for trial
• British General Thomas Gage
becomes Governor of
Massachusetts
• Quartering Act: Colonists
forced to house/suppport
British Soldiers
INTOLERABLE ACTS
• Colonial Response:
Delegates from the
colonies are sent
to Philadelphia to
form First
Continental
Congress
• Decide to build
militias in case of
war
• Send letter of
peace to King, who
ignores it
COMMON SENSE
 Definition: A pamphlet
authored by Thomas
Paine making the case
that America should
not tolerate the British
abuse of power
 Convinced common
people to support the
Revolution movement
 Top selling book in the
colonies (500,000 copies)
 “Paine wrote as a
common person speaking
to common people”