Causes of the American Revolution
After the French and Indian War the British government had a number of
problems. One problem was how to get out of the debt. Britain had spent a large amount
of money fighting the French and Indian War. Britain felt the colonies should help repay
the debt.
Proclamation of 1763
After the French and Indian War the colonist who moved west were fighting with
the Native Americans. The colonists wanted the king to send soldiers to protect them.
The king did not want to pay to protect the colonists. Instead the king put out a
proclamation, which is a law. The proclamation said that the colonists could not move
westward over the Appalachian Mountains.
The colonists were looking forward to moving onto the new land that Britain had
won from France. Many colonists had already moved over the mountain and the British
government wanted them to move back. The British sent troops over to enforce the
proclamation. The troops, however, stayed in the cities instead of going across the
mountains. The Proclamation of 1763 was not obeyed. The British government wanted
the colonists to pay for the additional troops that Britain had sent.
Sugar Act – 1764
Britain passed the Sugar Act which was a law that placed a tax on sugar and
molasses that was shipped to the colonies. The law was very strict and punished
smugglers.
Stamp Act – 1765
In March of 1765 the British government passed a tax law called the Stamp Act.
This law said that the colonies had to buy special stamps before they could buy all sorts
of printed material. Such things as marriage licenses, newspapers, deeds to land,
advertisements, diplomas and playing cards had to have a stamp put on it before a
colonist could buy it.
Stamp Act Congress – 1765
The colonists formed a group called the Stamp Act Congress. This group believed
the British government had no right to tax paper goods. The group protested the Stamp
Act and created a petition to send to the king. They also formed a boycott of British
goods. Others groups formed and the British government later repealed the Stamp Act.
Sons of Liberty – 1765
The Sons of Liberty was a group of colonists who were angry with the British for
the new laws and taxes. These colonists wanted to speak out and protest against the
British. The Sons of Liberty would sometimes take violent actions towards British
officials. They would tar and feather tax collectors or attack their homes. One of the
most famous leaders of the Sons of Liberty was Samuel Adams.
Quartering Act – 1765
Britain had decided to keep some of the British troops in the colonies. Britain
passed the Quartering Act in order to force the colonists to help pay for the soldier. The
Quartering Act was a law in which the colonists had to provide housing, food and
supplies to the British soldiers stationed in the colonies. This would save the British
government money by having the colonists provide the supplies for the soldiers. The
colonists were angry. They did not want the soldiers in the colonies in the first place and
now they had to provide them with supplies.
Townshend Acts – 1767
In 1767 Charles Townshend was the finance minister for Britain. He figures out a
way for the colonists to pay the taxes indirectly. The taxes were added to the price of
imports, or goods coming into America, so that the price the colonists paid were higher.
The Townshend Acts taxed imports such as glass, lead, paper, paint and tea. The
colonists felt Britain was trying to hide the taxes and became very angry.
Officials used writs of assistance, or search warrants, to check ships cargo and try
to catch smugglers.
Boston Massacre – March 5, 1770
The people of Boston were not used to having soldiers in the city. The colonists
resented having them there. On March 5, 1770, a crowd of people gathered around the
Boston customs house. The house was guarded by British soldiers. The crowd began to
yell insults at the soldiers and called them “redcoats” and “lobsterbacks.” They also
started throwing snowballs at the soldiers. The soldiers didn’t move. Suddenly a shot
was fired and no one knows if it was a colonist or a soldier who fired. The soldiers started
firing into the crowd and five colonists were killed including a sailor named Crispus
Attucks.
New spread quickly and the event became a tool for the colonists fighting against
the British. They used the incident to get other colonist mad at the British. The Sons of
Liberty started calling it the Boston Massacre. The propaganda had worked on many
colonists. The people in Boston were outraged at the British soldiers.
Committees of Correspondence – 1770’s
Samuel Adams wanted to make sure colonists didn’t forget the actions of the
British. He formed committees of correspondence in varies towns in Massachusetts.
These groups exchanged letters on colonial affairs and kept each other informed of what
was going on. Soon, committees throughout the colonies were corresponding with each
other.
Tea Act – 1773
Tea was a popular drink in the colonies. Most tea was brought to the colonies by
the British East India Company. The company got into some big money problems and
was going broke. To help the company England passed the Tea Act.
The Act said the company could sell directly to the colonists instead of selling to
the merchants or store owners. This would make the tea cheaper for the colonists but they
were still angry. First, many businessmen were cut out of the tea business and it gave
complete control of the tea industry to the British East India Company. The colonists
wondered if the British government would try to start controlling other things. Also,
there was still a tax on the tea even though it was cheaper. The colonists felt Britain was
trying to hide the tax.
The colonists decided to boycott the tea. Protests against the Tea Act took place all
over the colonies. One of the most famous protest was organized by the Sons of Liberty.
Boston Tea Party – December 16, 1773
The British East India Company’s ships arrived in the colonies. Angry protestors
refused to let the ships unload the tea. Some ships returned to England but the governor
of Massachusetts said the ships would stay in the harbor until the tea was unloaded. The
colonists were very angry.
The Sons of Liberty decided to unload the ships in a different way. On the night of
December 16, 1773, a group of men dressed as Native Americans boarded the three
ships. They threw 342 chest of tea overboard into the water.
Some colonists rejoiced at the protest and believed Britain would see how strongly
the colonists opposed the Tea Act. Others did not believe destroying property was the
best way to settle the tax debate.
Intolerable Acts – 1774
In reaction to the Boston Tea Party, Britain made several laws to punish the
colonists.
The first law was the Boston Port Act. It said that no ship could leave or enter
Boston until the tea had been paid for.
The second law said that if a soldier or government official committed a crime he
could be sent to England for a trial instead of a trial in the colonies. The colonists felt
these men would not be punished in England.
The third law said the colonists could not gather in groups of more than 5.
The fourth law was a new Quartering Act. It said soldiers could now stay in the
colonists’ homes.
The colonists banded together to help Boston. People sent food so the people
would not starve. A meeting was called by colonial leaders in Philadelphia. They felt
they should meet to decide how to react to the Intolerable Acts. The meeting was known
as the First Continental Congress.