1. Events leading to the American Revolution

2. Native Americans
Native Americans were unhappy about the results of the French and Indians war and how the territories had changed.
The British now controlled the land west of the colonies
The British relationship with the Native Americans was bad as a result not paying for the land and raising all of the prices for goods.

3. Native Americans (cont.)
As a result violence began to occur between the Native Americans and the colonists on the western side of the colonies
Ultimately, the Native Americans would do just enough for the British government to step in with the Proclamation of 1763
This would lead to major problems with the colonists who began moving west to settle

4. The Colonies before the French and Indian War

5. Colonies soon after the French and Indian War

6. Sons of Liberty Founded by Samuel Adams
Organized protests against the acts passed by the British government
Organized other groups throughout the colonies to protest, boycott and overall give the British trouble until it would remove all of the taxes placed on the colonies or at least give them representation in Parliament

7. Major Acts that Taxed or annoyed the Americans
Stamp Act
Quartering Act
Tea Act
Sugar Act
Coercive (Intolerable) Acts
Proclamation of 1763

9. Stamp Act Congress Met in October 1765 in New York
Delegates from nine states drafted a petition to the King and Parliament to repeal the act because only they could tax themselves
Resulted in the repeal of the act, but brought about the Declaratory Act of 1766

10. Boston Massacre
March 5, 1770
A group of British soldiers being taunted by colonists open fire on the crowd of Americans
Killed five Americans
Among the dead was Crispus Attucks, the supposed leader of the crowd

11. Boston Massacre

12. Committee of Correspondence
Revived in 1772 by Samuel Adams
Circulated writings about colonists grievances against Britain
Committees began to spring up all along the colonies bringing together the protesters opposed to the British

13. Boston Tea Party December 16, 1773
When British ships carrying tea from the East India Company docked in Boston, many citizens wanted the tea sent back to England without the payment of taxes
The royal governor insisted on payment of all taxes and the ships stayed in the harbor

14. Boston Tea Party (cont.)
This sent the Sons of Liberty into action
Disguised as Native Americans, they boarded the ships and dumped 342 chests of tea into the harbor
This became one of the most popular and dramatic acts of defiance against the British and it rallied the Colonists.

15. Boston Tea Party

16. First Continental Congress
Sept 4, 1774
Revolutionary political body made up of delegates from most American colonies
Some of the important figures
George Washington
Samuel Adams
John Adams
John Jay
Richard Henry Lee
Patrick Henry

17. First Continental Congress

18. 1st Continental Congress (cont.)
Drafted a statement of grievances calling for the repeal of 13 acts passed since 1763 claiming they violated the colonists rights
Also voted to boycott British goods and trade
Most important decision was to form a militia (group of citizen soldiers)

19. “Shot Heard ‘Round the World”
The American anticipated that if fighting were to break out it would happen in New England
The British had sent a great number of troops to the Boston area in the spring of 1775 and the result was the “shot heard ‘round the world”

20. Lexington and Concord Leaders
British – Major John Pitcairn
Colonists – Captain John Parker
The battle began in Lexington where 70 minutemen had been waiting for the British to arrive
The British handled the minutemen easily and headed to Concord to destroy the colonists’ armory

21. Lexington and Concord

22. Lexington and Concord

23. Lexington and Concord

24. Battle of Lexington and Concord (cont.)
After arriving in Concord, the British discovered that the ammunition had already been moved
They then began the long walk back to Boston
On the way back they were assaulted by minutemen all along their path who would shoot at them from behind trees and rocks
Ultimately, the British would claim victory at Lexington, but from Concord back to Boston, the colonist had won

25. Saratoga
Leaders
British – Burgoyne
Colonist – General Horatio Gates
Burgoyne had mistakenly thought that more British troops were headed his way, but they were not and he was surrounded by Colonial forces
Burgoyne attempted to fight on October 7th against a force 3 – times his
The British failed and surrendered
It was a turning point in the war because the plan of the British to cut off New England from the rest of the colonies had failed

26. Saratoga

27. Yorktown
Leaders
British – Lord Cornwallis
Colonists – General Washington
Cornwallis had taken his troops up to Yorktown, VA to escape the battles he had fought with Gen. Greene who had forced him to retreat
Washington planned to have the French navy waiting for Cornwallis outside in the bay to keep him from escaping
The plan worked perfectly, the French guarded the bay and Washington and his troops gathered to surround Cornwallis and his troops

29. Yorktown (cont.)
Washington had his 17,000 troops surrounding Cornwallis’ 8,000 troops
On Oct 11th the Americans and French started a heavy bombardment
British supplies were low and Cornwallis realized the situation was hopeless
On Oct 19th, the Patriots won the Battle of Yorktown and claimed victory in the American Revolution

30. Treaty of Paris Began in April 1782
America was represented by Ben Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay
It was ratified by the American Congress on Sept 3rd 1783

31. Treaty of Paris

32. Terms of the Treaty
Britain recognized the United States as an independent nation
New territory extended from the coast to the Mississippi River and from Canada to Spanish Florida and the waters off the coast of Canada
British promised to withdraw all troops
The US in turn agreed to collect all debts owed by Americans to British merchants
Earnestly recommended returning taken loyalist land (most of it was never returned)