Chapter 5 Lesson 2
Objectives
 Draw conclusions about tensions between the
colonists and the British that led up to the Boston
Massacre
 Analyze the role of propaganda in the colonies
Vocabulary
 Rebellion – open defiance of authority
 Propaganda – ideas of information intentionally
spread to harm or help a cause
 Committee of Correspondence – organization
that spread political ideas and information
through the colonies
Trouble in Massachusetts 1768
 Colonists were about
to start a rebellion,
British sent troops to
Boston (Redcoats)
 Redcoats were there
to occupy, or take
control of cities
 The Redcoats were
poor men who were
rude, stole from local
shops
 Competed for jobs
that Bostonians
wanted
Tension in the Streets – March 5th 1770
 A fight between
Bostonians and soldiers
broke out
 They began throwing
sticks and stones at the
Redcoats
 After one soldier was
knocked down the
Redcoats fired and killed
5 colonists
 This was known as the
The Boston Massacre
Spreading the News
 Colonial leaders used the
killings as propaganda
 Paul Revere made a picture
of a British officer giving
orders to open fire on the
crowd
 The Massacre led to
stronger boycotts on British
goods
 Parliament repealed all the
Townshend Acts taxes
except the one on tea
 Samuel Adams revived the
Committee of
Correspondence and called
for action against Britain
Critical Thinking
How did the Boston Massacre affect British policies and
relations between both sides?
Crisis in Boston
 British East India Company was vital to British economy
 Colonial boycott nearly drove it out of business
 To save the company, Parliament passed the Tea Act
Tea Act
 Gave British East India
Company total control of the
market for tea in the colonies
 Made it less expensive for
colonists by taking away some
tax
 Colonists were still angry and
did not want to pay any tax or
told what they could buy
 Colonists boycotted; did not
let ships unload tea
 “We’ll part with our tea” –
Daughters of Liberty
A Tea Party: December
 Despite warnings of
trouble, the British East
India Company still shipped
tea to the colonies
 3 ships loaded with tea
arrived to the Boston
Harbor
 At midnight the Boston
Sons of Liberty dressed as
Native Americans and
threw 342 chests of tea
overboard
 This became known as The
Boston Tea Party
th
16
1773
Critical Thinking
Why were American colonists especially angry with
the Tea Act?
Visual
 Open to page 118, what is being shown in this
painting?
 How can you tell who the ships belong to?
 What is in the foreground of this painting?
 What does that tell you about the artists possible point
of view?
The Coercive Acts 1774
 Parliament responded to the Boston
Tea Party by passing the Coercive
Acts (Coercive means to force
someone to do something)
 Meant to punish the colonists for
resisting authority
 Banned town meetings
 Closed Boston Harbor until they paid
for the ruined tea
 Stopped shipments of food
 Tried to cut Massachusetts off from
other colonies; instead it brought all
of them together
 Colonists called them the Intolerable
Acts
Writing Skills Activity
Read page 119 “The Intolerable Acts” and write a
short 1-2 paragraph speech designed to persuade
people to resist the Intolerable Acts. Be sure to
use persuasive language and facts to back up your
argument.
Review
 Anger over the Boston Massacre prompted colonists to
boycott British goods, which led Britain to repeal all
but one of the Townshend Acts’ taxes and drove more
colonists t call for resistance to British rule
 Colonists were angry about the Tea Act because they
did not want to pay any tax or be told what they could
buy
 As a result of the Coercive Acts, the citizens of Boston
had limited access to food and supplies that arrived by
ship, town meetings were banned, and they had to
provide shelter to British soldiers
Close and Reflect
 What did you learn about Crispus Attucks? Why is he
still remembered today as an important early
American?