Colonial Political Power
• Colonies were managed by a governor
appointed by the king.
• The royal governor then appointed other
officials.
• Voting was restricted to men who owned
property or paid taxes.
• Even the colonies with their own governments;
such as, Massachusetts, had their powers
taken away.
• The king passed laws to regain complete
control.
British Colonies in North America
• Britain relied on the colonies for trade and
production of goods.
• They also relied on the profit of the colonies to pay
off their debt.
• To protect this profitable trade with its colonies,
Parliament passed a series of Navigation Acts in
the 1600’s.
• Navigation Acts: colonists had to pay a high tax
on goods and could only use British ships.
• This was the beginning of various acts that were
implemented by the British government to maintain
control over the colonies.
Other British Policies
• Sugar Act – 1764
• Stamp Act – 1765
• Quartering Act –
1765
• Declaratory Act –
1766
• Townshend Acts 1767
• Tea Act – 1773
• Boston Port Act –
1774
• Massachusetts
Government Act –
1774
• Administration of
Justice Act – 1774
• Quebec Act - 1774
Colonial Protests
• Colonists protested
with a boycott:
refusal to buy British
goods.
• Attacked the stamp
act by burning stamps
in the streets: “NO
TAXATION WITHOUT
REPRESENTATION!”
Unrest in Boston
• In order to enforce new laws, Britain sent
soldiers to the new colonies.
• Boston Massacre: One evening a squad of
soldiers were harassed by a Boston crowd,
eventually leading to gunfire and five deaths.
• Britain responded by adding a tax on tea.
• Boston Tea Party: colonists snuck onto tea
ships and dumped the chests of tea into the
harbor.
• Britain closed Boston Harbor until all the tea
had been repaid.
CLOSURE
• How was the government set up in the 13
colonies?
• Why did Britain rely on the colonies?
• What were the Navigation Acts?
• What is a Boycott?
• What led to the Boston Massacre?
• What happened as a result of the Boston
Massacre?
John Adams and the Boston
Massacre Trials
• The Boston Massacre led to harsh rulings and
laws passed by Parliament.
• They closed the Boston port, overthrew the
Massachusetts government, and established a
government completely ruled by the King.
• You are now going to read about the Boston
Massacre Trials.
• Pay attention while you are reading! You will
need to answer questions at the end!
Appointment Worksheet
• Write each of the following questions on your appointment
worksheet:
• 9:00 – Why do you think John Adams decided to
defend Captain Preston and the eight British
soldiers?
• 12:00 – How did John Adams distinguish between
self-defense and manslaughter?
• 3:00 – Who do you believe was responsible for the
Boston Massacre? Why?
• 6:00 – Modern criminal defense attorneys are often
asked to defend people charged with horrible
crimes. Do you think they should? Explain!
• One at a time, you will go to all of your
appointments and answer the questions with your
partner. Follow my directions!
Boston Massacre Writing Assignment
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1.
2.
3.
4.
In this writing assignment, you are going to take the
role of a person living in Boston in 1773.
You are going to write a journal entry, in the role of
this character, that addresses the following:
Your feelings towards the King of England
Your participation or non-participation in the Boston
Massacre
Your feelings toward the British government for
implementing a tax on tea
Your plans for participating in the Boston Tea Party