Tensions Grow Between the Colonies and Great Britain Chapter 10

Causes of the American revolution It took many years and events before the colonists got to the point where they were ready to declare independence. The colonists reacted more strongly to England’s involvement because of the type of people who lived in the colonies. Many had come searching for religious freedom. As England became involved, the people grew fearful about losing religious freedom, as well as other freedoms they had gained, such as the freedom to elect an Assembly (i.e. the House of Burgesses).

The french and Indian War The French and Indian War took place between the American colonies and New France. Each side fought for occupation of the Ohio River Valley. Both sides allied with various Native American tribes. This war lasted from 1754 to 1763. British troops not only helped the colonists to fight the war, but were stationed in the colonies for protection after the war.

The proclamation of 1763 After the French and Indian War, American settlers moved west into the Ohio River Valley. This let to armed conflicts between the settlers and the Native Americans who still lived there. Nearly 2,000 settlers died. To stop attacks and protect the colonists, Great Britain proclaimed that the American Indians could have much of the land west of the Appalachian Mountains. The colonists were also told that they could not settle in that area. This angered the colonists, many ignored the law and moved west anyway.

The Quartering Act By the end of the French and Indian War, Great Britain was 130 million pounds in debt. The cost of bringing the British soldiers back to Great Britain could be avoided by having them remain in the colonies. The British also believed that the colonists should pay for British protection. The Quartering Act of 1765 forced local colonial governments to provide provisions and housing to British soldiers stationed in the  13 Colonies of America. Soldiers could be housed inns, private homes, or outbuildings and had to be provided with food, shelter, bedding, cooking utensils, firewood, salt, vinegar, beer or cider and candles.

The stamp Act The Stamp Act was a tax put on the American colonies by the British in 1765. The tax was meant to help pay for the French and Indian War, and the cost of British soldiers who remained in the colonies. It said that the colonists had to pay a tax on all sorts of printed materials such as newspapers, magazines, pamphlets and legal documents. It was called the Stamp Act because the colonies were supposed to buy paper from Britain that had an official stamp on it that showed they had paid the tax.

The Sons of LIberty Opposition to the Stamp Act, resulted in the establishment of a secret organization called the Sons of Liberty in July 1765. The organization was founded in Boston by John Hancock and Sam Adams. The original purpose of the Sons of Liberty was to force all of the British stamp agents to resign and also stop many American merchants from ordering British trade goods. Its members were American patriots, many of whom were hot-headed and were not adverse to the use of violence and intimidation. The Sons of Liberty were involved in ransacking and damaging houses of British officials, burning effigies of unpopular figures, threatening and intimidating tax collectors and stamp agents, burning buildings, and rioting in the streets.

Taxation without Representation There were not any representatives of the colonies in the British Parliament. Because they had not representatives, colonies had no say in how much the taxes should be or what they should pay for. They didn't think this was fair. They called this "taxation without representation". The colonies reacted in protest. They refused to pay the taxes. The tax collectors were threatened or made to quit their jobs. The colonists burned stamped paper in the street. They also boycotted British products and merchants.

The Boston Massacre The situation in Boston grew tense. On Monday night March 5, 1770, an American patriot began harassing a British soldier. The British soldier became upset by the verbal attack and struck the patriot in the face with his musket. Then a mob of 50 or so Bostonians gathered. They started throwing chunks of ice and shouting “kill him!” Soon the British soldier was surrounded by over 400 angry colonists. Other British soldiers arrived at the scene, but when the soliders tried to retreat, the mob surrounded them and threw more chunks of ice. Members of the mob grew violent and started hitting the soldiers and their muskets with clubs. A British soldier finally shot into the crowd… as result five colonists were killed.

The Boston Tea Party The Boston Tea Party occurred on December 17, 1773. It all started with the Tea Act, when the colonists were told they could only buy tea from one company, the East India Trading Company. They also had to pay high taxes on the tea. The colonists refused to pay taxes on the tea and asked that the tea be returned to England. When it wasn’t, they staged a protest by boarding three trade ships in Boston Harbor and throwing 342 chests of tea (worth 1 million dollars today) overboard into the ocean. Some of the colonists were disguised as Mohawk Indians, but the costumes didn’t fool anyone.

The intolerable Acts The British decided that the colonies needed to be punished for the Boston Tea Party. They issued a number of new laws that the colonists called the Intolerable Acts. One of the Intolerable Acts was the Boston Port Act which shut down the port of Boston for trade. British ships blockaded Boston Harbor, punishing everyone who lived in Boston, both patriots and loyalists. This angered not only people in Boston, but also people in other colonies who were afraid the British would do the same thing to them.

The colonists band Together The increased laws punishing the colonies did little to control the colonies as the British had hoped, but actually had the opposite effect. The laws caused the colonies to become more united against the British. Many colonies sent supplies to help Boston during the blockade. Many colonists became involved with the Sons of Liberty.

The first continental congress In 1774, twelve of the thirteen colonies sent representatives to the First Continental Congress as a direct response to the Intolerable Acts. They sent a petition to King George III to repeal the Intolerable Acts. They never got a response. They also established a boycott of British goods.