The Roots of the Revolution

1607-1753 All land WEST of the Appalachian Mountains was claimed by France East of the Appalachians and to the Atlantic Ocean was claimed by Britain British: made money by farming & selling goods to Europe French: made money by trading machine-made goods for furs

Proclamation of 1763 Proclamation of 1763

Proclamation of 1763 Kept colonists from moving past an imaginary line along the Appalachian Mountains English search warrants allowed England to search colonists’ stuff anytime they wanted Colonists challenged the search warrants and Proclamation in court Colonial Concern: Individual Rights

1764 1764

Sugar Act (1764) First tax passed by Parliament on goods imported to the colonies To help pay for the French & Indian War debt Colonists boycotted the taxed goods or bought them illegally Colonial Concern: Taxation

1765 1765

Stamp Act (1765) Tax passed by Parliament and applied to all colonists and placed on all items made of or printed on paper Newspapers, playing cards, paper, DEEDS, CONTRACTS Colonists petition the king to repeal (get rid of) the Stamp Act because it was a tax they had no say over (taxation without representation) Colonies had no representation in Parliament Colonial Concern: Taxation, representation, individual rights

1766 & 1767 1766 & 1767

Declaratory Act (1766) Gave Parliament total authority over the colonies Townshend Acts (1767) Series of laws that allowed Parliament to tax goods imported into the colonies Both acts made the colonists angrier and sparked more protests and boycotts. Colonial Concern: Taxation

1768 & 1769 1768 & 1769

Colonies begin resisting the Townshend Acts Colonists believe taxation without representation (when a government taxes someone without giving them representation in government) is wrong Colonies begin resisting the Townshend Acts England sends soldiers to Boston Colonial Concern: Taxation, representation

1770 & 1773 1770 - 1773

Boston Massacre (March 5, 1770) An angry crowd of colonists harass British soldiers in Boston The frightened soldiers fire into the crowd, killing 5 colonists & injuring 6 Parliament repeals all taxes on imports except taxes on tea

Tea Act (1773) Allowed only one company, the British East India Company, to sell tea in the colonies

Boston Tea Party (December 6, 1773) A group of men from the Sons of Liberty blocked the unloading of tea in ports cities throughout the colonies, disguised themselves as Native Americans and boarded the tea ships throwing 342 cases of tea into the harbor Colonial Concern: Taxation

1774 1774

Individual rights, taxation, representation The Coercive [Intolerable] Acts (1774) Issued by Parliament as punishment for the Boston Tea Party; these were designed to punish the colonies and Massachusetts in particular. They: Closed the port of Boston Put Massachusetts under military rule Forced colonists to house British soldiers The First Continental Congress is formed because of the Coercive Acts. As representatives from every colony (except Georgia), they: Oppose the treatment of Boston Begin to form militias in each colony (armed citizen soldiers) Organize boycotts of all British goods Colonial Concern: Individual rights, taxation, representation

1775 1775

The British and Massachusetts colonists begin fighting The Second Continental Congress asks the King to come to an agreement with the colonies to stop the fighting The King orders more soldiers to the colonies to end the rebellion and ends all trade for the colonies Colonial Concern: Individual Rights

1776 1776

Fighting expands between the British and all colonies Continental Congress agrees to seek independence The Declaration of Independence was signed Colonial Concern: Individual Rights