The Road to the
Revolution:
What events and
individuals
influenced the
colonists to
declare
independence
from Great
Britain?
The Navigation Acts of 1660 and 1696 restricted
American trade in the following ways;
 Only British ships could transport imported and
exported goods from the colonies.
 The only people who were allowed to trade with
the colonies had to be British citizens.
 Commodities such as sugar, tobacco, and cotton
wool (which were produced in the colonies) could be
exported only to British ports.
Britain helped
colonists to defeat
the French in war

Britain needed
money to pay for war
expenses

To raise money,
they taxed the
colonists, restricted
where they could
build their

Legal documents allowing
British officers to search for
smuggled goods without
warning
 Created to monitor
colonial trading to prevent
evasion of the Navigation
Acts
 Colonists become
outraged
 England saw the colonies
as a source of incoming
revenue

The
British
taxed
colonists on
many of the
goods
coming into
the colonies
Stop molasses
smuggling between
colonies and the French
West Indies
 Lowered taxes on
imported molasses
 Set-up courts where
accused smugglers were
tried by a British judge
and NOT a jury

Placed a tax on almost all
printed materials –
newspapers, pamphlets, wills,
playing cards
 Taxed colonists directly
 Passed by Parliament without
colonial vote or consent
 Rally Cry: “No taxation
without Representation”

“No Taxation
Without
Representation!”
Vocal patriot advocating
colonial rights
 Believed only the
colonists had the right to
tax the colonists
 Gave many speeches
stating his views

Organized in Boston by
Samuel Adams
 Protested by burning
effigies
 Raided and destroyed
homes of British officials
 Spread propaganda
 Organized boycotts

EFFIGIES - RAG DOLLS
REPRESENTING UNPOPULAR
TAX COLLECTORS
BOYCOTTS – REFUSAL
TO BUY GOODS
 Repeal: to get rid of
 British merchants
rallied for the repeal
of the Stamp Act in
1766
 Americans
successfully
Boycotted British
goods and materials
 Replaced the
repealed Stamp Act
 Allowed parliament
the right to tax and to
make decisions “in all
cases whatsoever.”
 Created in 1767
 Taxed imported
goods at the port of
entry: glass, paper,
tea, lead and other
basic goods
The colonists were
outraged by the
Townshend Acts
 Colonial women
organized groups to
support the boycott of
British goods
 They urged Americans
to wear homemade
clothing and to produce
their own goods

King George III Sent 700 troops to Boston on
October 1, 1768 – set up camp on the town green
 British troops harassed colonists and interfered
with their daily lives
 March 5, 1770, colonists antagonized soldiers by
throwing rocks and ice at the Red Coats
 The British responded with 7 shots, and ended up
killing 5 colonists
 Depicted by Paul Revere as a massacre
 It becomes an effective form of propaganda

 Led by Samuel
Adams
 Used to circulate
colonists’
grievances against
the British
Passed by Parliament to
keep the British East India
Tea Company in business
 Allowed the tea
company to ship its surplus
tea to the colonies without
paying taxes
 Colonists were angered
an boycotted the tea

December 16, 1773
British governor in Boston ordered the tea from the
ships to be unloaded
 Sons of Liberty disguised as Mohawk Indians
boarded the ships at midnight
 Threw 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor


Official name: Coercive
Acts
 Created to punish
Massachusetts for the
Boston Tea Party
 Closed the Boston Harbor
until the colonists paid for
damaged tea
 Prohibited town meetings
 Forced colonists to
quarter the British soldiers.
 The King assigned British
General Gage to be
Massachusetts governor.

 Purpose: Punish colonists for Tea
Party
 Result: Helped to unify colonists
Group of prominent colonial leaders
Met September 1774
Samuel Adams, John Adams, John Jay, George
Washington, Patrick Henry & more
 Drafted a statement of grievances
 Called for the repeal of the 13 Acts of Parliament
 Voted to boycott all British goods and trade
 Passed a resolution to form a militia in all
colonies
 Meet again in 7 months
 Willing to uphold colonial rights



•British General Gage
learns of hidden weapons
in Concord
•British begin to march
west of Boston with
orders to seize
weapons and arrest
Patriot leaders
•Paul Revere and William
Dawes make midnight
ride to warn Minutemen
of approaching British



First military engagements of the Revolution
April 19, 1775
Known as the “shot heard ‘round the world”
Representatives
brought money
to help
establish…
the Continental
Army
(i.e. pay soldiers,
buy guns,
bullets, food,
and uniforms
May 10, 1775
Also present: Ben Franklin, John Hancock,
Thomas Jefferson
 Congress began to govern the colonies
 Authorized the printing of money
 Set up Post Office with Franklin in charge
 Created committees to communicate with Native
Americans
 Created the Continental Army with Washington
in charge
 Sent the Olive Branch Petition


One last chance to avoid
war by protecting the
colonists’ rights
 King refused to read it
 Sent 30,000 paid
Hessian soldiers instead

Pamphlet written by
Thomas Paine

Using plain language, it
urged for complete
independence from Great
Britain – three points:

1.
2.
3.
All men, not just land owners,
have right to vote
Kings ruling by will of God is
ridiculous and all monarchies
are corrupt
The new nation can survive
on its own and not be
economically tied to England




July 4, 1776
Written by Thomas Jefferson
Signed 1st by John Hancock
Two major ideas:
 Every person has natural and unalienable rights
the government cannot take away: life liberty,
and the pursuit of happiness
 If a government disregards these rights – the people
have the right to abolish that government by force if
necessary and form a new government

Contains 4 major sections
 Preamble or introduction
 Listed rights colonists should have
 Listed grievances against the British
 Proclaims the existence of a new country