



Issued by King George III to
keep colonists from going
west past the Appalachian
Mountains
Issued to keep the peace
between the colonists and
Indians
Colonists reacted angrily
due to wanting to settle
the Ohio River Valley area
British troops sent to
enforce the law and
colonists forced to house
them (a cause of A.R.)
Act passed in 1765 to help
pay England’s debts from
the French & Indian War
 Taxes added on to
diplomas, wills, contracts,
contracts, newspapers,
etc.
 Colonists felt they were
being unfairly taxed
 “No taxation without
representation”
 Colonists decide to
“boycott” all British goods
until law repealed





Colonial delegates of 9
colonies meet in New York
in October 1765 to voice
concerns about British
taxes forced upon them
Argued that only the
colonies should be able to
pass taxes since they did
not have representation in
Parliament
“No taxation without
representation!”
Marked the first time the
colonies united as one







Occurred on March 5th, 1770
Face off between dock
workers and British soldiers
Mob taunted and attacked
soldiers with stones, ice, coal,
etc.
Fight breaks out soldiers
begin firing into the crowd
Patriots use this incident as
anti-British propaganda
creating outrage in the
colonies
Crispus Attucks amongst
those killed
Paul Revere’s engraving
appears in many colonial
newspapers
Tea Act passed by Parliament
forces colonists to buy tea
from the English East India
Company
 The Sons of Liberty, led by
Samuel Adams disguise
themselves as Mohawk
Indians and board 3 ships
docked in Boston Harbor
 Dump 342 chests of tea into
the harbor as a protest to
show how strongly the
colonists disapprove on the
tea tax
 Seen by many as a sign of
civil disobedience due to
disagreeing to this law and
not using violence






Series of laws passed to
punish the colonists
Closed Boston Harbor
until the destroyed tea
was paid for and those
responsible turned in
Banned democratic
town meetings, colonists
forced to quarter troops
British soldiers accused
of crimes would be put
on trial in England only
Colonists gather at the
1st Continental Congress
to unite against the king




Fifty-five delegates from
12 colonies met in
Philadelphia (1774)
Discussed rising
concerns over the
Intolerable Acts and
frustration over
“taxation without
representation”
They were not looking
for independence at the
time
Showed unity by
deciding to “boycott” all
goods from Britain





Delegates meet again in May
1775 after the first battles of
the revolution
The Olive Branch Petition is
adopted expressing their
loyalty to the king but
disapproving of Parliaments
actions
George Washington elected
as the Commander in Chief of
the Continental Army
Committee to write the
Declaration of Independence
(DOI) is organized
DOI is adopted on July 4th,
1776




War for independence
between the American
colonies and Great
Britain
Colonists fought back
against unfair taxation
without representation
Were used to governing
themselves and “salutary
neglect”
Ends with an American
victory with the Treaty of
Paris (1783)






In April, 1775, British soldiers
march out of Boston to arrest
members of the Sons of Liberty
and seize weapons
Paul Revere rides to warm that
the “British are coming!”
The British are met by the
Minutemen (militia soldiers) at
Lexington
A shot is fired that begins the
American Revolution
It is known as the “Shot heard
around the world” because
democracies will begin to take
hold in much of the world
afterwards
British retreat from Concord
after more Minutemen attack
Written by Thomas
Paine
 This pamphlet
convinces many
colonists that
independence is the
only way to succeed
 Sells over 500,000
copies in six months






The colonists declare their
independence from Great
Britain
Drafted by Thomas
Jefferson with help from
John Adams & Benjamin
Franklin
Uses ideas from John
Locke (unalienable rights)
Lists grievances
(complaints) against King
George III & Parliament
Signed on July 4th, 1776
Fought in the summer
of 1777
 Known as the “turning
point” of the war
 American victory seals
France & Spain’s
pledges to aid the
United States for
independence

Winter of 1777-1778
Exhausted American
troops settle into
winter quarters
 Face a harsh winter,
disease and starvation
 Washington has troops
trained properly to
fight like professionals
when fighting begins
again in the spring


Fought in the fall of
1781
 The last major battle of
the war
 British troops
surrounded on every
side hold out for weeks
before surrendering
 Basically ends the war

British recognize the
USA as an
independent nation
ending the American
Revolution
 Britain gives up all
territory between the
Atlantic Ocean and the
Mississippi River
except Florida & New
Orleans
