Causes of the American Revolution Review Sheet Answers
1) Why were the colonists resentful of the British after the French and Indian War?
- Proclamation of 1763(can’t move west)
- Navigation Acts were now being enforced
- New taxes to pay for the war
2) Why did England feel that it was necessary to tax the colonists after the French and Indian
War?
- Tax money was used to:
protect the colonies (send soldiers to America)
pay for the war debt
3) What was the purpose of the Stamp Act?
- To make money
- Taxes were small, but it was the principle of the matter since the colonists had no say in what
was being taxed
- It effected everyone because a variety of items were taxed: calendars, playing cards, legal
documents, papers, etc.
4) What was the purpose of the Sugar Act?
- Tax on sugar, molasses, coffee, indigo
- To make $
5) Why did colonists protest the Stamp Act?
- Taxes were levied in Parliament (3,000 miles away) without any say from the colonists
“ No taxation without representation”
“ Taxation without representation is tyranny!”
b) Specifically, how did colonists protest?
- Through the Stamp Act Congress, they decided to boycott (trade with English
merchants went down)
- They sent a petition to the king
- Tarred and feathered tax collectors
- Burned stamped paper
6) How did Parliament resolve the dispute over the Stamp Act?
- It was repealed
b) What was the Parliament’s warning for the future?
- Declaratory Act (we are in charge and can tax as we see fit)
7) Why were the Townshend Acts created?
- After the Stamp Act was cancelled, Parliament came up with a new way to raise $
List all four Townshend Acts:
1) Duty taxes (on lead, paint, glass, and tea)
2) Writs of Assistance- permission for the British to search any house/building
3) American tax $ will be used to pay the British soldiers’ salaries
4) The N.Y. Assembly was cancelled since N.Y. wasn’t cooperating
b) How did the colonists respond to the Townshend Acts?
- They boycotted again
8) Name a secret society that was formed during this time period?
- Sons of Liberty
9) Explain the Boston Massacre?
- While the colonists protested the duty taxes down at the Customs House, things got out of
control. The crowd grew, the colonists began yelling at the British soldiers and throwing
objects at them.
- The British soldiers got nervous and fired into the unarmed crowd killing 5
- The colonists were angry and this was used as a form of propaganda against the British
10) What was the Boston Tea Party?
- To protest the Tea Act, a group of colonists disguised themselves as Indians and boarded a
docked ship that had just carried tea to the colonies
- They threw the tea overboard into Boston Harbor, destroying 90,000 lbs.
b) Why was this protest different from any other?
- 1st time ever that the colonists had actually destroyed British property in a protest
1)
2)
3)
4)
c) How were the colonists punished for their actions? (List the Coercive Acts/Intolerable Acts)
Boston Harbor was closed until the tea was paid for
The governor of Massachusetts received more power
Colonists had to quarter British soldiers stationed here
Colonists would have British court trials
11) What was the purpose of the Committees of Correspondence?
- Letter writing committees who would write massive amounts of letters to spread news to
other colonies (there were no cell phones and no internet back then)
12) Why did the First Continental Congress meet? What four matters were discussed?
- To discuss the problems facing the colonies
1)
2)
3)
4)
stop exporting/begin boycotting
Demand the repeal of the Intolerable Acts
Start training militias
Let it be known that the Colonial Legislatures have the final say
*They agreed to meet again in one year if the situation did not get better
13) Why were the British troops sent to Lexington and Concord?
- To capture John Hancock and Samuel Adams in Lexington
- To confiscate (take) the weapons that colonists were storing in Concord
b) Locate on a map textbook pages 169 and 180
c) Who was the British General in charge?
- Thomas Gage
d) What was Paul Revere’s role in this event?
- To ride ahead and warn the colonists to prepare for the British arrival
d) What is the famous saying about this event?
- “The shot ‘heard round the world”
14) Vocabulary:
Duty- tax on import
Patriot- loyal to colonists
Massacre- slaughter of an unarmed group of people
Repeal- to cancel a law
Loyalist/Tory- loyal to England/the King/Parliament
Levy- create a tax
Boycott- refuse to buy a good/use a service
Militia- volunteer army
Quarter- house and feed the British soldiers
Tyrant- an abusive ruler