SS4H4 The student will explain the causes, events, and results of the American Revolution. a. Trace the events that shaped the revolutionary movement in America, including the French and Indian War, British Imperial Policy that led to the 1765 Stamp Act, the slogan “no taxation without representation,” the activities of the Sons of Liberty, and the Boston Tea Party. EQ HOW DO THE BELIEFS AND IDEALS OF A SOCIETY LEAD TO CONFLICTS WITH OTHER SOCIETIES? What were the causes, events, and results of the American Revolution? I CAN… TRACE THE EVENTS THAT SHAPED THE REVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENT IN AMERICA.

Events that shaped the revolutionary movement in America DATES CAUSES RESULTS French and Indian War British Imperial Policy that led to the 1765 Stamp Act Slogan: “No taxation without representation!” Activities of the Sons of Liberty Boston Tea Party

The French and Indian War The French fought a war against the colonists and the British over the land in America. This was started in 1754 and lasted until 1763. Europeans called this the Seven Years War. Many Indians fought on the side of the French. The French had befriended the Indians through their fur trading. The war ended with the British and colonists winning. February 1763, The Peace of Paris awarded all of North America east of the Mississippi River except New Orleans, including Canada and Florida to the British. France lost Canada and all of the French territory east of the Mississippi River except New Orleans. This war changed the way of thinking for the colonists. During the war the colonists fought alongside the British Army. This taught the colonist how to fight as well as making the colonist realize that they no longer needed the British Army for protection. Another result of this war was the colonists learned they must work together to keep their land. After the war many colonists moved across the mountains. They no longer feared the French would attack them.

Proclamation of 1763 King George III thought it was time to tighten his control on the colonies for several reasons: The Indians were still enemies of England and the British settlements. The French and Indian War had cost a lot of money. King George wanted the colonists to pay for the war through higher taxes. King George made a law called the Proclamation of 1763 which stated the colonists could not move westward over the Appalachian Mountains. The British passed several more laws which also angered the colonists. In 1764 a law was passed which said the colonies could not print or use their own money.

BRITISH IMPERIAL POLICY Britian used its power to try to control the colonies. The British government believed that the colonists should help pay for the French and Indian War. The British passed laws meant to make the colonists pay their share.

THE BRITISH & COLONIST STILL NOT GETTING ALONG. England stood firm about keeping the colonists under her rule. Land wasn't the only matter of dispute. England spent a lot of money to help the colonists fight the French and Indian War. England needed to raise money to pay her war debt. This lead to the next event.

THE STAMP ACT England imposed many taxes on the Colonist. The Stamp Act imposed a tax on paper. All legal documents, like newspapers, had to carry a stamp. The stamp showed that the tax had been paid. The colonists even had to pay tax when they bought playing cards!

"No Taxation Without Representation!" Two things about the Stamp Act made the colonists even more furious! England decided that people who did not obey this law could be tried in special courts, without a trial by jury. England passed the Stamp Act without allowing the colonists any say-so. The colonists believed that England was trying to take away their right to vote on their own taxes. ****The American colonists began to step up their protests! The colonists already felt that England was trying to take away their rights to own land.

Activities of the Sons of Liberty By this point, conflict between the colonists and England was heating up. Colonial leaders sent petitions, or written requests, asking England to repeal the Stamp Act. Colonists in every seaport formed groups called Sons of Liberty. They burned the stamped paper. They attacked British tax officers.

THEN England sent soldiers to the colonies to try to keep peace. They stayed in the cities and even took over a church to live in. How do you think this made the colonists feel?

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Fights broke out between the colonists and the soldiers. The worst of these occurred on March 5, 1770. This event is known as the Boston Massacre. A crowd jeered at the soldiers. A fight broke out. Once all the smoke was cleared, five American men were dead. This really angered the colonists. In addition to trying to take away their land, the right to trial by jury, and the right to vote their own taxes, English soldiers had killed and wounded fellow colonists.

BOSTON TEA PARTY The next three years were quiet. I guess you could call this the "calm before the storm." The storm came when England's Parliament passed another law that angered the colonists. This time, England declared that only the East India Company could import tea into the colonies. This meant that the colonists could no longer make money in the tea trade. England tried to trick the colonists into buying the tea by lowering the price. But, the colonists refused to buy the tea! One day in December of 1773, three ships carrying East India tea sailed into the Boston Harbor. The Sons of Liberty dressed up like Indians. They rushed to the waterfront. They dumped 342 chests of tea into the harbor. This event is known as the Boston Tea Party.

How do you think King George III reacted to the colonists dumping the tea? The king was furious and he intended that the colonists pay for the destroyed tea. So, Parliament passed a series of acts known as the Coercive Acts. The colonists called these the Intolerable Acts. To help you understand how the colonists felt about these acts, you should know the meaning of intolerable. (NOT ABLE TO PUT UP WITH, UNBEARABLE)

Why did the colonists referred to these as the Intolerable Acts? Closed the port of Boston until the colonists paid for the tea they dumped. Did away with the local government of Massachusetts. Forced the colonists to allow English soldiers to be quartered, or housed, in their homes. As a result, their desire for freedom from England's rule was at an all time high.

Let's recall the reasons we've discussed for the colonists wanting independence from England. England tried to decide the land on which the colonists could settle. The colonists wanted the right to vote their own taxes. England tried to take away the colonists' right to trial by jury. During the Boston Massacre, English soldiers had killed and wounded fellow colonists. England was regulating trade, which meant that the colonists couldn't make money. England tried to take away the local governments of the colonies. England was forcing the colonists to quarter, or house, English soldiers in their homes.