The American Revolution
1776-1783
The Revolution
• By 1775, there were serious disagreements
between the thirteen British colonies and
the British government. No colonists could
be elected to the British Parliament in
London. Yet, the Parliament passed many
taxes that the colonists had to pay.
Colonists called this taxation without
representation. This is because patriots
believed that only colonial legislatures had
the power to tax them.
“No taxation without
representation!”
The Revolution
• The British believed they had every right to
tax the colonists. After all, they had paid to
defend the colonies in the French and Indian
War. Some American colonists did not like
the British government to interfere in their
lives. The government did not understand
colonial life or the hardships brought about
by heavy taxation.
French and Indian War
France/Indians
verses
Britain/Colonists
• But instead of giving the colonists more
independence, the British government
passed more laws and ended the previous
policy of salutary neglect. War broke out.
The thirteen colonies successfully revolted
against the British, and the United States of
America was born.
Causes of the American
Revolution
• In 1763, Parliament issued a Proclamation
of 1763, which ordered colonists not to
settle west of the Appalachian Mountains.
The British government believed this would
keep peace with the Native Americans. The
colonists thought the British government
should not interfere.
Proclamation
of
1763
• Prior to 1765, most colonies came under the
direct control of the king and were called
royal colonies. Most colonial governors
were loyal to the king, while the colonial
legislatures were representative of the
people.
Stamp Act
• In 1765, Parliament passed the Stamp Act.
It forced colonists to pay a tax on almost
everything printed on paper—newspapers,
legal documents—even playing cards.
Colonists reacted by boycotting British
goods, creating the Stamp Act Congress and
the Daughters and Sons of Liberty. These
protests forced Congress to repeal the
Stamp Tax.
Stamp Act
Townshend Acts
• In 1767, Parliament passed the Townshend
Acts, which taxed lead, glass, paper, paint,
and tea imported to the colonies. Colonists
resisted by refusing to buy these items.
Finally, the tax was lifted on everything
except tea.
Boston Massacre
• In 1768, 4,000 British soldiers moved into
Boston, Massachusetts. Many colonists
were forced to keep them in their homes, so
Boston became an occupied city. This
occupation eventually triggered the Boston
Massacre.
Tea Act
• In 1773, British East India Company ships
full of tea were docked in Boston Harbor.
On December 16, colonists dressed as
Indians boarded the ships. They dumped
the tea in the water. The event is known
today as the Boston Tea Party. The
colonists did this in protest to the Tea Act
which gave the British East India Company
a monopoly on the tea trade in America.
Boston Tea Party
http://www.earlyamerica.com/review/2005_winter_spring/boston_tea_party.htm
The Coercive/Intolerable Acts
• To punish the colonists for dumping the tea,
the British passed even stricter laws. The
colonists called these laws the Intolerable
Acts, because the colonists decided they
would not tolerate them.
Intolerable Acts
Continental Congresses
• The First and Second Continental
Congresses were formed to address issues
with the king. When King George III and
parliament refused to change relations, the
Declaration of Independence was written
and issued to Great Britain.