Years leading to the Revolutionary War

• Objectives

1) Identify two reasons why American colonists wanted to move towards independence from English rule.

2) Explain why England enacted harsher rules that lead the Americans to seek independence.

3) Identify 3 actions taken by Americans against those harsher rules enacted by England and explain how each action lead to the Revolutionary War.

French/Indian War• Treaty of Paris 1763, ends war bt

England and France, Fr. Kicked out of Nam.

– American Expectations- glad to be English and want to move west into the Ohio Vally

– British Feelings- want Americans to help pay for Fr/Ind. War that gave Am.s more land and safety

– Fear without France colonists might seek independence

– Do you feel Americans should pay taxes to England to help pay for the Fr/Ind. War?

Stamp Actthis act set off Americans into believing that

England is taking away their rights• Tax on all printed goods, 1st

tax in colonies where the money went to England– Affected lawyers and sailors

• Why is this a problem?

• English view- Americans should HELP pay debt for French/Indian War

• American view- No taxation without Representation– right to tax=to right to take

property• Property=liberty

– Should Americans have been given the right to vote in English elections? Would that have changed anything?

American Suspicions regarding Stamp Act• John Locke- Natural Rights- life,

liberty, and property– protecting rights and property

responsibility of government– Property=liberty

• How does “Property” give a person more freedom?

• 2nd class Citizen’s- Americans can not vote in English elections and could have there taxes raised at any time

• Does the Government have the right to tax people? Why or why not?

Colonial Resistance to Stamp Act• Political

– House of Burgesses/Virginia Resolution

• Media• Business (Merchant Class)

– Boycott– Sons of Liberty– Committee’s of

Inspection

?Explain why/why not American’s felt they needed to go to such extremes to protect their liberties

Stamp Act Repealed (taken away without ever collecting a $)

– Americans take to the streets and threaten tax collectors, riot, boycott English goods, and colonial government unite and write to the King about their unhappiness

• Do you feel the colonists were right to go to such extreme methods to repeal the Stamp Act?

• Stamp Act repealed by King– Americans happy to be English

(WHY?)• Declaratory Act- replaces Stamp Act,

says England can make any law, at any time in the future

?Who won this battle? Colonists or England

Boston Tea Party• Tea Act- tax on tea that actually lowers

price of tea (by giving the BR. East India CO. a monopoly to sell tea in colonies– Seen as a trick to violate “No taxation

w/out Representation• Boston Tea Party- Sons of Liberty

(protest group) dress as NAm. and dump thousands of pounds of tea into Boston Harbor– Seen by England as a violent act of

disobedience• Intolerable Acts- passed by Eng. To

punish Boston for BTP– Quartering Act- Br. Soldiers can be

forcibly housed in peoples homes– Explain if Eng. should have punished

Boston or have instead let the BTP go unpunished?

1st Continental Congress (Sept 1774)- colonies meet to discuss how they should

react to the Intolerable Acts• Why should the other colonies care if

Boston/Mass. was punished?• Three Aims of Convention

– Basis of American Rights-Natural Rights– Limit of Parliamentary Power- Parl. can

not tax the colonies any longer– Resistance (How should the colonies resist

the Intolerable Acts?)• Boycott- stop buying Eng. goods• Armed Militias- arm the people to

fight just in case war breaks out– *Colonies want a return to Benign

Neglect, not independence• ? How is England going to react? ?How

would it be different if the colonies did not arm themselves?

Lexington and Concord- 1st shots fired that starts the Revolutionary War

• 700 Br. Troops sent to Concord to seize weapons meant for militia (Paul Revere rides)

• Lexington- 1st shots bt US and Eng (8 Am.s dead)

• Concord- 2nd battle (Americans use “Indian”/Guerilla tactics)– Casualties (Br- 275, US-

95)– Why is this event called

the “Shot Heard Around the World?”