Causes of the
American Revolution
“When a certain great king, whose initial is G,
Shall force stamps upon paper, and folks to drink tea;
When these folk burn his tea and stamp paper, like stubble,
You may guess that this king is the coming to trouble.”
-Phillip Freneau
Homework
• DUE TOMORROW-Write it down
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You will create a poster to protest British actions against
colonists.
– Poster must explain:
• Why are you angry?
• Who are you angry with?
• What do you want done about your problem?
• What will you do if your problem is not resolved?
– Picture
– Key terms used correctly:
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No taxation without representation
Repeal
Tyranny
boycott
Example
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Klein Falcons are FED UP! KISD is a TYRANT!
The students of Klein Intermediate are angry with the district
over the unfair policy changes.
– Students are being searched by teachers
– Students are being charged extra for paper, lunch and other
supplies.
Did we give our consent to theses changes? No one asked us what
WE THOUGHT!
This is tyranny.
No Taxation without Representation!
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The Student Council is demanding that the policies be repealed
IMMEDIATELY.
If not, we will stage a boycott of all district activities and we may
even leave Klein and start our Own Independent School District!
Project: Illustrated
Timeline
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Due Thursday, November 14.
You will create an illustrated timeline of important events leading up to
the American Revolution.
You must begin with the Navigation Acts and end at the Declaration of
Independence.
Must include the year, brief explanation of the importance of the event
and a visual.
Format–
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Traditional timeline paper
video
Road map
Powerpoint
Animoto presentation
Brochure
3-D- MOBLIE
Navigation Acts
1650-1763
British Actionrestricted colonial
trade,
manufacturing and
shipping.
Colonial Reactionsmuggling, evasion,
and disregard
Essential Questions
• How did the French and Indian War
make the colonies ripe for change?
• Which British policies in the
colonies led to disagreement?
• How did colonial protests against
British policies escalate to armed
conflict?
French and Indian War
aka Seven Year’s War
1754-1763
Cause: fought the French and Huron
Indians over control of the Ohio
River Valley.
Effects: Britain left with huge debt;
France lost almost all their territory
in North America; Pontiac’s
Rebellion led to the
Proclamation of 1763.
Review
• What was the main cause of the
French and Indian War?
• What were the main effects of the
British victory in the French and
Indian War?
Meanwhile in Britain…
Back home…
In 1763, North America was at peace. Only 12 years later, the
colonists would again be at war. To understand the
underlying causes of this new conflict, it is important to
remember that the colonists had inherited the rights of
“freeborn Englishmen” from the Magna Carta, the English
Civil War, the Glorious Revolution, and the English Bill of
Rights. In America, the colonists had also developed their
own representative assemblies- such as the House of
Burgesses and the General Court of Massachusetts.
By 1763, the colonists were therefore already used to a large
degree of self-government. After the British victory, the
colonists felt safer and less in need of British protection
without the French threat along their borders. At the same
time, the colonists became involved in a series of new
disputes with the British government.
Proclamation of 1763
British ActionColonial Reactionprohibited colonial
continued to move
settlement beyond
westward
the Appalachian
Mountains.
One thing led to another…
Sugar Act
April 1764
British Action- taxed
sugar from the
West Indies
British Reactionrepealed in 1766
RepealWrits of assistance-
Colonial Reactionprotests led to
lower taxes; Sam
Adams organized
protests in Boston.
Taxation without
Representation is tyranny.
Influenced by John
Locke
• Government was a
social contract
• Purpose of
government was to
protect individual
freedom and property.
• If government failed
to do this, its citizens
had the right to
overthrow it.
Influenced by William
Blackstone
• Defined the rights of
individuals in English
law, as well as
property rights that
could not be violated,
even by the king.
Quartering Act
May 1765
British Actionrequired certain
colonies to provide
food and housing
(quartering) to
British soldiers
Colonial Reactionassemblies refused
to comply
Stamp Act
November 1765
British Action- taxed almost all
printed materials
Colonial Reaction- held
meetings, boycotted British
goods, and even attacked
British officials; Stamp Act
Congress was held in New
York City; produced petitions
to state their position on
these new taxes.
British Reaction- repealed
(cancelled) Stamp Act but
issued the Declaratory Acts
which allowed Parliament to
make laws for the colonies in
all cases whatsoever.
Townshend Acts
June 1767
British Action- taxed
glass, lead, paper,
and tea
Colonial Reactionrallies; organized the
Sons of Liberty;
circulated pamphlets,
newspapers, and
political cartoons
criticizing the new
taxes; smuggling;
resistance led to
Boston Massacre;
refused to import.
What’s that? A Massacre!!!
Boston Massacre
4000 Soldiers were sent to stop the protests and
prevent further unrest. Their presence added to
the growing bitterness.
A group of people taunted the soldiers and threw
snowballs. By accident, the soldiers fired and five
colonists were killed, including Crispus Attucks.
John Adams defended the soldiers and they were
found to be innocent.
Patriots circulated pictures and used this tragedy to
win public support against the British.
Paul Revere’s engraving of the Boston Massacre was circulate
ted as propaganda to influence colonial opinions.
Writs of Assistance
A non-specific search warrant used to
look for smuggled goods.
Committees of Correspondence
Formed by Sam Adams in 1772, with James
Warren and his wife, Mercy Otis Warren;
Organized opponents of British policies.
Mercy wrote a series of pamphlets and
satires against the British, wrote the first
history of the American Revolutionary
War using her notes from meetings and
conversations, and convinced many people
in the colonies to take up the Patriot
cause.
“Revolutionary Tea”
There was an old lady lived over the sea
And she was an island queen.
Her daughter lived off in a far country
With an ocean of water between.
The old lady’s pockets were full of gold,
But never contented was she.
She called on her daughter to pay her a tax
Of three-pence a pound on her tea,
Of three-pence a pound on her tea.
Tea Act
May 1773
British ActionBritish East India
Tea Company given
a monopoly for
colonial tea
business with
small tax
Colonial Reactionships and 342 crates
destroyed by colonists in
Boston “Boston Tea Party”
The amount of tea dumped into
the harbor would make
24,000,000 cups of tea.
Today, that much tea would
cost about $1,000,000.00!
Coercive Acts
aka Intolerable Acts
January 1774
British Action- did
not allow
Massachusetts
Assembly to meet;
no town meetings
or jury trials;
closed the port of
Boston
Colonial Reactionheld First
Continental
Congress to protest
the acts and call
for a complete
boycott of British
goods.
Review
• Civil disobedience is a refusal to obey
a law we think is unjust. In what
way was the Boston Tea Party an
example of civil disobedience? Do
you think this act of civil
disobedience was justified?
“What do we mean by the
Revolution? The War? That was no
part of the Revolution: it was only
an effect and consequence of it. The
Revolution was in the minds and
hearts of the people, and this was
effected from 1760-1775, in the
course of fifteen years, before a drop
of blood was shed…”
-John Adams
Create a Timeline
On a legal sheet of paper, use the
information in your notes to create a
timeline of the important events
leading to the American Revolution.
Be Sure to Include:
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date (in chronological order)
title
British action and Colonial reaction
colored illustration
Now what?
EXIT TICKETS: On an index card,
Make a statement (lined side) and
ask a question (blank side) about the
information learned about the
Causes of the American Revolution.