The American
Revolution
Maxwell
Warm-up 1/28/14
• Living on your own!
• How would you feel if your parents left you on your
own for two months and then suddenly returned to
enforce all their rules once again?
Write a short paragraph explaining your thoughts.
Causes of the American
Revolution
• In the beginning….
• Salutary Neglect – England
and left the colonies alone.
- Does not enforce laws
- Colonies rule themselves
- 1st taste of independence
Were not paying
attention to the
American
Colonist
French and Indian War
• 1754-1763
• French and Indian War
(France vs. Great Britain)
• Treaty of Paris
• Left Britain with a LARGE
DEBT!!!
• Solution – Placed new taxes
on colonist
Stamp Act
• Stamp Act of 1765
• Tax on ALL documents
• Newspapers
• Paper
• Dice
• Playing cards
• Etc.
Boycotts
• Boycott – Refuse to buy
• Because of the boycott- British
parliament repealed (cancelled)
the Stamp Act
Boston Massacre
• Boston Massacre
• 1st deaths of the Revolution
• March 5, 1770
• Colonist protesting
• British soldiers fired shots into the
crowd of protesters
• 5 people died
• Used as source of propaganda for
the Colonist
How could the colonist use these
images as a source of propaganda
against Britain?
Tea Act
• Tea Act of 1773
• British tea company had the
right to ship tea to the
colonist without having to
pay high taxes.
• Made British tea cheaper
than colonial tea
Boston Tea Party
• Boston Tea Party 1773
• Protest Event by Colonist
• Sons of Liberty dressed as
Native Americans and
dumped 45 tons of tea into
the Boston Harbor.
• Over $1,000,000 of tea
thrown into the Harbor.
• British EXTREMELY upset
Proclamation of 1763
• Proclamation of 1773
• Stated that the colonist were
not allowed to move WEST
of the Appalachian mtns.
• King made this
proclamation to keep the
Native Americans happy!
• Enraged Farmers
No Taxation without
Representation
• NO TAXATION
WITHOUT
REPRESENTSATION
• Colonist slogan
• Colonist do not have a voice
in Parliament and as a
result should not be taxed
Intolerable Acts
• Intolerable Acts
• To PUNISH Boston for the
Boston Tea Party
• Restricted colonist civil
rights
• Trial by jury
1. Closed Ports
2. Quartering Act – Colonist
must house British soldiers
LIBERTY TREE
HOW DOES THIS PORTRAY THE COLONIST?
FIRST CONTINENTIAL
CONGRESS
• 1774
• 12 Colonist sent delegates
or representatives to
Philadelphia
• Wrote a letter to the king
asking him to repeal the
acts.
• King said “NO!”