4 th Grade Social Studies

The French and Indian War was the bloodiest American war in the 1700’s. More people died in the French and Indian War than in the American Revolution.

Great BritainFrance This flag was used by the East India Company. They were responsible for some of the new taxes in the colonies. This flag was used in France during the 1700’s. It is not the current flag flown in France.

The French and Indian War ended in 1763 with a British victory. However, British celebration was short-lived. Although Great Britain gained a lot of new land, the war had cost Great Britain a lot of money and put the country into major debt.

France and Great Britain fighting over land in America. Both sides built forts in the Ohio River Valley, and had Native American Allies. Great Britain helped colonists defeat the French in the French and Indian War. Great Britain needed money to pay for the war debt. Great Britain taxed colonists.

In an effort to pay off the war debt from the French and Indian War, Great Britain imposed new taxes on the colonists. The Sugar Act was passed by British Parliament (government) in The Sugar Act put a tax on all goods coming into America, like sugar.

The Stamp Act was a tax on all printed documents from newspapers to playing cards. The colonists were required to have all of their documents stamped to show that they had paid the tax on the document.

Both the Sugar Act and the Stamp Act enraged the colonists. The colonists were not as angry about having to pay the money, but more that they did not have a say in the making of the new tax laws.

Began as a secret anti- British group, but appeared openly when the Stamp Act was passed in The Sons of Liberty pressured people to boycott British goods. They often engaged in violent means of protest such as rioting and tarring and feathering.

That became the slogan, or saying, for the colonists during the 1760’s. The colonists were angry about having no say in the passing of the new tax laws. Many colonists protested by speech and sometimes riots.

After the war ended British soldiers stuck around to “keep peace” in the colonies. The colonists felt invaded by the British soldiers, and wanted them to leave. One evening in Boston, Massachusetts a crowd gathered around a group of British Soldiers and began throwing rocks at them. The British soldiers opened fire and shot the colonists. 5 colonial men died that night in what became known as the Boston Massacre.

The Sons of Liberty opposed the new tax on British tea. They dressed up as Native Americans and boarded 3 British ships bringing tea into Boston Harbor. The group dumped 342 chests of tea into the water to protest the tea tax. This became known as the Boston Tea Party. Soon British tea was boycotted in most of the American colonies.