Escalation to Revolution

British Actions&

Colonial Reactions

British ActionsSugar Act -1764- tax on sugar was

technically lowered, but smuggling and bribes (how colonists had gotten around the tax) were ended.People actually paid more taxes

Stamp Act -1765- tax on all legal documents (wills, diplomas, marriage papers) as well as newspapers, almanacs, calendars, cards, and dice.

Colonial Actions

Stamp Act Congress -October 1765- colonists send petitions declaring acts unjust - establish a boycott (refusal to buy goods).Cries of:

NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION!

British Actions

Parliament repeals (takes back) the Stamp Act because trade decreased.Parliament passes the

Declaratory Act:-Britain has the right to raise taxes and make laws no matter what.

British Actions

Townshend Acts -May 1767- tax on goods like glass, paper, silk, lead, and tea (low taxes, but colonists still object on principle)-customs officials sent to prevent smuggling-given writs of assistance to do sowrit of assistance - a legal document allowing customs officers to inspect a ship without a reason

Colonial ActionsSons of Liberty- formed during

Stamp Act protests by Samuel Adams-came up with ways to protest taxes and acts(fake hangings of straw men dressed like tax collectors)Daughters of Liberty- pledged to wear dresses of homespun cloth.-boycotted than English fabricNonimportation Acts- (not actually a law) -colonists agreed to stop importing goods taxed by the Townshend Acts.

British Actions

Quartering Act- law that said colonists had to pay for the housing of British soldiers.

Boston Massacre- March 5, 1770- crowd gathered outside a Boston Customs house-taunted guards and threw snowballs & oyster shells-guards told the crowd to go home-guards panicked and fired into the crowd-five people were killed- The first man killed was named: Crispus Attucks

Propaganda?

Propaganda?

How does this image look different?

Colonial ActionsCommittee of Correspondance-

in response to the "massacre" Samuel Adams set up: -an organization to spread alarm and news anytime the British acted unjustly around the colonies- Adams also named the event the "Boston Massacre"-Meanwhile, John Adams served as the lawyer defending the British Soldiers who fired on the crowd.

British Actions

On the same day as the "Massacre" British Parliament was meeting to:-repealed all taxes except for some on tea.-For a little while, colonists were pleased and ended their boycotts.

Three years of general calm followed...

until

British ActionsTea Act -1773- Parliament passed

the Tea Act to help the financially troubled British East India Company-The act would have actually LOWERED the price of tea for colonists.-The act let the British East India Company sell: Directly to the customer instead of only to American tea merchants.

Colonial ActionsThe idea behind the Tea Act backfired

on the British:-Colonists were upset because many colonial merchants would lose their jobs.-Many ships carrying tea were sent back to England or not allowed to unload their cargo-Three ships remained docked outside of Boston Harbor with the tea still onboard...

Boston Tea Party - December 16, 1773 - Sam Adamsand the Sons of Liberty demanded that the three ships with the tea be sent back to England- The Governor said the ships would stay-50 colonists dressed up as Mohawk Native Americans and dumped the tea overboard-They were very careful that they only damaged property, not the ships and they did not hurt anyone

Colonial Actions

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ar6cFIfPFW4&feature=PlayList&p=E59CA94F23F00BD1&index=1

British ActionsThe Intolerable Acts -1774-

designed to punish the colonists for the Boston Tea Party.1) Port of Boston shut down2) Town meetings limited to: one time a year 3) British officials who committed major crimes in the colonies would be: tried in Britain4) New Quartering Act - colonists could be forced to house troops in their homes.

British Actions

Quebec Act - set up a Canadian government-protected rights of French Catholics-gave them lands between the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.(Land banned to English colonists by the Proclamation of 1763)

Colonial Actions

First Continental Congress -September 1774-representatives from all of the colonies except Georgia met to discuss how to deal with Britain.1) Backed Massachusetts by: boycotting British goods2) Set up militia in each colony3) Agreed to meet again in one year

Eventually...

WAR

Lexington and Concord!!

Attachments