Causes of the American Revolution

School House Rocks “The American Revolution” Music Video US History Crash Course - Episode 6 “The Seven Years War”

Who is fighting? Great Britain and France are fighting over land England (aka Great Britain) & the American colonies against the French and Indians (some) Great Britain won! Won French territories in North America except Canada Wars are not cheap, Britain spent millions Now Great Britain is in debt and need money to pay off war debt! French & Indian War-

British passed: Proclamation of The law let Native Americans have any land west of the Appalachian Mountains / Colonists stay on eastern side. Some Colonists want to move west into Ohio Valley / Native American lands.

Who gets the bill? The F and I war debt was placed on the American colonists. Cost of protection. Got money by taxing colonists = Common practice. British colonists in America felt it wasn’t their war to fight…and the TAX shouldn’t be theirs either Parliament in London increasingly aware of the value of the American colonies for raw materials.

Stamp Act -1. Parliament passes Stamp Act (1765) -placed a direct tax on the colonists Taxed on every sheet of paper they used. -required stamp on all legal documents, newspapers, license, and playing cards **FYI: The money collected by the Stamp Act was to be used to help pay the costs of defending and protecting the American frontier near the Appalachian Mountains (10,000 troops were to be stationed on the American frontier for this purpose).

That is just the Start… - Currency Act of 1764 – Only British government can create money, colonists must use it. -British now pay ½ cost of colonial raw materials. Colonists now paid double price for manufactured goods. Quartering Act, law stated that troops were allowed to enter and stay in colonists homes w/o permission! Homeowner had to supply them with food, supplies and shelter without compensation.

Resistance Begins - Sons of Liberty- Secret society of Patriots in Boston Samuel Adams John Adams - No taxation w/o representation!!! -protests and boycotts were organized -stamp agents were harassed -law eventually repealed (aka cancelled)

A depiction of the tarring and feathering of Commissioner of Customs John Malcolm, a Loyalist, by five Patriots on 5 January 1744 under the Liberty Tree in Boston, Massachusetts. Tea is also being poured into Malcolm's mouth. The print shows the Boston Tea Party occurring in the background, though that incident had in fact taken place four weeks earlier. See The Bostonians paying the excise-man, or tarring and feathering

Government’s Power -Declaratory Act – (1766) states that Parliament has the right to declare laws for British colonies England can make any law for the colonies to follow. Don’t need to write this down

Resistance Begins Committees of Correspondence - Chain letters, news articles that were mass mailed among members. Minutemen – groups of local militia men who promised to be secretly prepared to fight British.

Townshend Acts -new tax placed on imports such as tea, glass, paper, paint -colonists again reacted with protests and start boycotting British goods. -British reacted by sending more troops, General Gage is sent to occupy Boston (keep it under control) Lobsterbacks – colonists tease British soldiers Things in Boston are getting out right hostile.