Causes of the American
Revolution
SSUSH3 The student will explain the primary causes of
the American Revolution.
a. Explain how the end of Anglo-French imperial competition
as seen in the French and Indian War and the 1763
Treaty of Paris laid the
groundwork for the American
Revolution.
b. Explain colonial response to such British actions as the
Proclamation
of 1763, the Stamp Act, and the
Intolerable Acts as seen in Sons and Daughters
of
Liberty and Committees of Correspondence.
c. Explain the importance of Thomas Paine’s Common
Sense to the movement for independence.
French & Indian War
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Great Britain and France
arch enemies
Began to fight over land
(Ohio River Valley) in
North America.
Most Indians supported
the fur trading French
because the French only
built forts and not
permanent settlements.
In the end, British win!!!
1763 Treaty of Paris
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Ended the French and Indian War.
Forced France to give up all land claims in
N. America east of the Mississippi River
(with the exception of New Orleans).
Gave G. Britain total control over all
American colonies. Took away “salutary
neglect”
Colonists objected to the loss of control
over their own affairs. Tensions grew.
Growing Tensions
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King George III of England issued the
Proclamation of 1763 which forbade
Americans to settle in the lands west of
the Appalachian Mountains. Rationale: the
British soldiers couldn’t protect the
colonists if they moved out there.
Parliament (British lawmaking body)
began to pass laws to tax the colonist in
order to pay for the cost of keeping an
army in America.
The Taxation Acts
• The King of England started taxing the
colonists in the form of Taxation Acts in
1764.
• He felt that the colonists should bear the
burden of the expense of maintaining the
colonies.
The Sugar, Stamp &
Declaratory Acts
• The Sugar Act was the first law
passed by the King of England
that over taxed the colonists on
goods shipped to the colonies.
• The Stamp Act was another
taxation law on the colonists.
This act taxed newspapers,
almanacs, legal documents,
pamphlets, dice, and playing
cards.
• Stamp Act repealed, but
replaced with the Declaratory
Act which said Parliament had
the right to make all laws for the
colonies.
Colonial Resistance

Secret patriotic group
“Sons of Liberty” is
formed. Led by Sam
Adams.
 Tactics: used threats
and demonstrations
 “Daughters of
Liberty” began to
boycott British goods
 First example of the
colonies really uniting
The Boston Massacre
• The Boston Massacre: a conflict
between the British soldiers and
colonists that occurred on March
5, 1770.
• The soldiers opened fire on an
unfriendly crowd of colonists after
they started throwing things at the
soldiers.
• This resulted in the death of 3
Americans. (Crispus Attucks)
• Several state assemblies then
created Committees of
Correspondence whose job was
to secretly get information about
opposition to the British out the all
of the colonies
The Boston Tea Party
• The Boston Tea Party
occurred on December 16,
1773.
• Unhappy with the Tea Act
imposed by Great Britain, the
colonists (Sons of Liberty)
dressed as Mohawk Indians
boarded ships in Boston
Harbor loaded with tea. They
dumped the tea and the crates
into the water.
Intolerable Acts
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Real Name: Coercive Acts
Issued as punishment for the
Boston Tea Party
Closed Boston Harbor
Disallowed local elections &
local political jobs.
Stated that any British official
who broke the law in the
colonies would be tried in
England & not the colonies.
Also, forced the colonists to
quarter British soldiers in their
homes.
Reaction to the Intolerable Acts

“No taxation without
representation!”

First Continental
Congress forms
colonial militias

Colonists boycott
British tea and all
other British goods

Created a huge push
toward revolution.
Thomas Paine & Common Sense
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A 50 page pamphlet that
said it was time for the
colonies to break away
from England
Called for a republican
form of government under
a written constitution
Had a BIG impact on
convincing people it was
time for a revolution.
Shots fired at Lexington and Concord

This was first battle in the War of Independence,
April 1775
 British General Thomas Gage sent 700 soldiers to
destroy the guns and ammunition the colonists had
stored in the town of Concord, just outside of
Boston. They also planned to arrest Samuel Adams
and John Hancock
 Colonials and the Redcoats met along the way and
fighting began.
 “Shot heard around the world”
“The Road to Revolution”
• The French and
Indian War, the
Taxation Acts, the
Boston Massacre, the
Boston Tea Party, and
the Intolerable Acts
were the five main
causes that lead to
the American
Revolution.
The American Revolution
• SSUSH4 The student will identify the ideological, military, and
diplomatic aspects of the American Revolution.
•
a. Explain the language, organization, and intellectual sources of the
Declaration of Independence; include the writing of John Locke
and Montesquieu, and the role of Thomas Jefferson.
•
b. Explain the reason for and significance of the French alliance and
foreign assistance and the roles of Benjamin Franklin and the
Marquis de Lafayette.
•
c. Analyze George Washington as a military leader; include the
creation of a professional military and the life of a common
soldier, and describe the significance of the crossing of the
Delaware River and Valley Forge.
•
d. Explain Yorktown, the role of Lord Cornwallis, and the Treaty of
Paris, 1783.
Independence Declared
Enlightenment: John Locke
• Social Contract Theory: governments
are formed with the consent of citizens.
• The most important rights are: Life,
Liberty, and Property.
• The state exists only to protect these
rights.
• If a government fails in this task, citizens
should rebel against it and create a
government that will protect them.
The Declaration of Independence
• Written by Thomas
Jefferson, taken from the
ideas of Franklin, Locke,
Montesquieu, Adams,
and others.
• Helped to convince the
colonists that American
independence was
supported by the ideas of
important men.
• Natural Rights: “Life,
Liberty, and the pursuit of
Happiness.”
The Declaration of Independence
• Jefferson planned
and wrote the
Declaration and
divided it into
several parts;
each part having a
specific theme
and purpose:
Declaration of Independence
• Part 1: Preamble: Introduction
• Part 2: The reasons for seeking
independence
• Part 3: Examples of how King George III
had violated the rights of the
colonists.
• Part 4: Declaring Independence &
controlling their own government.
Loyalists or Tories
• Not everyone was
ready to declare
independence.
• Colonists who wanted
to remain loyal to
Great Britain were
called Loyalists or
“Tories”
George Washington & the
Continental Army
• Serving unselfishly
without pay and at
great personal risk
throughout the
American Revolution,
Washington
triumphed against all
odds overcoming the
most powerful nation
on earth.
Life for the Common Soldier
• Poorly disciplined at
first – Washington
worked to train them
• Little to no supplies.
Soldiers often brought
their own guns
• Army had problems
providing wages,
housing, food,
clothing, and
equipment.
Crossing the Delaware to Trenton
• It was Christmas, and
the Hessians (German
mercenaries) were on
the other side of the
Delaware River – drunk
• Washington leads a
surprise early morning
attack and is
successful!
• Victory boosts the
troops morale.
Valley Forge, Pa.
• 1777-1778: 12,000
soldiers - extreme cold
winter
• Soldiers had very little
food, winter clothes,
blankets, etc. Some
even wrapped rags
around their feet
because they had no
shoes.
• Washington continued
to train the men and
turned them into a
strong army.
French Alliance
• Benjamin Franklin,
ambassador to France,
convinced the French to
support the Continental
Army
• The Marquis de Lafayette,
a prominent French citizen
& friend of Washington
volunteered to assist the
Americans.
• He provided military
assistance and played a
major role in the American
Revolution
American Victory
• Last battle of the
Revolution: Battle of
Yorktown in 1781
• Lord Cornwallis,
leader of the British
troops was forced to
surrender after his
army was
surrounded by
French and
American forces.
Treaty of Paris
• Formally ended the War
• Gave freedom to all 13
colonies
• Established boundaries
between British North
America and the United
States with the U.S. gaining
fishing rights off the coast of
Canada.
• Restored land to loyalists
• Released POW’s on both
sides
Role of Others in the Struggle
Women
Men
served as nurses, spies, or
messengers; ran farms or
businesses; some fought
in battles
many volunteered
for army
War Effort
American Indians
African Americans
fought on both sides but
many remained neutral
many fought for British to
gain freedom; free African
Americans were allowed to
join patriots