The American NationThe American Nation

Chapter 5

Crisis in the Colonies, 1745–1775

Copyright © 2003 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.

The American NationThe American Nation

Copyright © 2003 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.

Section 2: Turmoil Over Taxation

Section 3: From Protest to Revolution

Chapter 5: Crisis in the Colonies, 1745–1775

Chapter 5, Section 2

Turmoil Over TaxationTurmoil Over Taxation

• How did Britain attempt to ease growing tensions on the American frontier?

• How did the colonists react to new taxes imposed by Parliament?

• Which new colonial leaders emerged as the conflict with Britain escalated?

• What events led to the Boston Massacre?

Chapter 5, Section 2

Easing Tensions on the American FrontierEasing Tensions on the American Frontier

• After the war, British colonists headed west to claim land.• British settlers clashed with the Native American nations in

the Ohio Valley.• Britain sent Amherst to keep order. He raised the price of

trade goods to Indians and allowed settlers on Indian lands.• In Pontiac’s War, angry Indian nations joined in an attack

on British forts in the Ohio country.• When the French told the Indians they could no longer

help, the Indian nations stopped fighting.• The British issued the Proclamation of 1763, drawing an

imaginary line along the Appalachians. Colonists were forbidden west of the line.

Chapter 5, Section 2

Parliament Imposes New TaxesParliament Imposes New Taxes

Colonists settle on Indian lands in the westColonists settle on Indian lands in the west

Pontiac’s War breaks out on the frontierPontiac’s War breaks out on the frontier

Proclamation of 1763 stops settlement in the west

Proclamation of 1763 stops settlement in the west

Stationing British troops in the colonies proves costly

Stationing British troops in the colonies proves costly

British government decides American colonists should help pay for troops

British government decides American colonists should help pay for troops

Sugar and Stamp Acts burden colonists with new taxes

Sugar and Stamp Acts burden colonists with new taxes

Stormy protests break out in many coloniesStormy protests break out in many colonies

Chapter 5, Section 2

Parliament Imposes New TaxesParliament Imposes New Taxes

British Action

Sugar Act of 1764

What It Did

Lowered the tax on molasses; made it easier for British officials to try colonial smugglers.

Colonial Reaction

Stamp Act of 1765

Placed new duties on legal documents; taxes newspapers, almanacs, playing cards, and dice.

• Colonists protested angrily.• Colonists coined the slogan “No

Taxation Without Representation.” • Colonists united. Delegates met in a

Stamp Act Congress. • The Congress drew up a petition, a

formal written request to someone in authority, signed by a group of people.

• Colonists boycotted, or refused to buy, British goods.

• Parliament repealed, or canceled, the Stamp Act.

Chapter 5, Section 2

Parliament Imposes New TaxesParliament Imposes New Taxes

British Action

Townshend Acts of 1767

What It Did

• Taxed goods such as glass, paper, paint, lead, and tea.

• Set up new ways to collect taxes, including writs of assistance, legal documents that allowed officers to inspect another person’s property without giving a reason.

Colonial Reaction

• Colonial merchants and planters signed agreement to stop importing taxed goods.

• Sons of Liberty and Daughters of Liberty, mock hangings, petitions, boycotts, threats.

Chapter 5, Section 2

Colonial LeadersColonial Leaders

• Samuel Adams of Massachusetts was a talented organizer. He arranged protests and stirred public support.

• John Adams of Massachusetts had a knowledge of British law that earned him respect.

• Mercy Otis Warren of Massachusetts wrote plays that made fun of British officials.

• Abigail Adams of Massachusetts wrote to spur colonists to action.

• George Washington of Virginia joined in protesting the Townshend Acts.

• Patrick Henry of Virginia gave speeches that stirred others to action.

• Thomas Jefferson of Virginia was a rising law student.

Chapter 5, Section 2

The Boston MassacreThe Boston Massacre

• Britain sent soldiers to Boston to protect customs officials.• Bostonians saw the British as bullies and insulted or even

assaulted the British soldiers.• On March 5, 1770, Bostonians gathered outside the Boston

customs house, shouting insults and throwing things at the British guards.

• Suddenly, panicked soldiers fired into the crowd, killing some colonists.

• Colonists protested the incident, calling it the Boston Massacre.• The soldiers were tried, but John Adams defended them and was

able to win light sentences for them.• Samuel Adams formed a committee of correspondence, a group

that regularly wrote letters and pamphlets reporting to other colonies on events in Massachusetts.

Chapter 5, Section 2

Section 2 AssessmentSection 2 Assessment

Britain’s main reason for taxing the colonies was thata) it expected the colonists to help pay the costs of the French and Indian

War.b) it gave them an excuse to bring smugglers to trial.c) it expected the colonists to pay the costs of the Proclamation of 1763.d) it wanted to make the colonists feel closer to Great Britain.

Colonists said they objected to the Stamp Act and other taxes mainly becausea) the taxes were too high.b) the taxes would not go to help the colonies.c) the tax laws were passed by a Parliament in which colonists had no

representatives.d) the taxes were too low to do any good.

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Chapter 5, Section 2

Section 2 AssessmentSection 2 Assessment

Britain’s main reason for taxing the colonies was thata) it expected the colonists to help pay the costs of the French and Indian

War.b) it gave them an excuse to bring smugglers to trial.c) it expected the colonists to pay the costs of the Proclamation of 1763.d) it wanted to make the colonists feel closer to Great Britain.

Colonists said they objected to the Stamp Act and other taxes mainly becausea) the taxes were too high.b) the taxes would not go to help the colonies.c) the tax laws were passed by a Parliament in which colonists had no

representatives.d) the taxes were too low to do any good.

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Chapter 5, Section 3

From Protest to RevolutionFrom Protest to Revolution

• How did a dispute over tea lead to tension between the colonists and the British government?

• How did Parliament strike back at the people of Boston?

• Why did fighting break out at Lexington and Concord?

Chapter 5, Section 3

How a Dispute Over Tea Led to TensionHow a Dispute Over Tea Led to Tension

• The British East India Company sold tea to colonial tea merchants. The tea merchants sold the tea to the colonists for a higher price.

• When the British East India Company had money troubles, Parliament passed the Tea Act. The act said British East India Company could sell directly to colonists.

• American merchants protested being cut out of the tea trade. Other colonists said it was a trick to force colonists to pay the tax on tea.

• Colonists boycotted tea.• The Boston Sons of Liberty showed their displeasure by

staging the Boston Tea Party. Disguised as Indians, they raided three ships and dumped their cargo of tea into Boston harbor.

Chapter 5, Section 3

Parliament Punished Massachusetts ColonistsParliament Punished Massachusetts Colonists

• Intolerable Acts—passed to punish Massachusetts

• The port of Boston was closed.• Massachusetts colonists could not hold town

meetings more than once a year without the governor’s permission.

• Customs officers and other officials could be tried in Britain or Canada instead of in Massachusetts.

• A new Quartering Act said colonists must house British soldiers in their homes.

Chapter 5, Section 3

Steps to Lexington and Concord After the Intolerable ActsSteps to Lexington and Concord After the Intolerable Acts

Who or What

Quebec Act

What Happened

Parliament set up a government for Canada.

Results

Angered colonists because it included the land between the Ohio and Missouri rivers as part of Canada, which the English colonists claimed.

First Continental Congress

Delegates from 12 colonies gathered in Philadelphia.

• Agreed to boycott all British goods and to stop exporting goods to Britain.

• Urged each colony to set up a militia, which is an army of citizens who serve as soldiers in an emergency.

• Agreed to meet again the next year.

Minuteman A volunteer prepared to resist the British.

British heard that the minutemen had arms stored near Boston.

Lexington Village near Boston. Minutemen met British soldiers on the village green.

Shots rang out. Colonists were killed.

Concord Town near Boston. Minutemen met British soldiers on Concord bridge.

Colonists forced the British to retreat. With the battles at Lexington and Concord, war had begun.

Chapter 5, Section 3

Section 3 AssessmentSection 3 Assessment

Parliament passed the Intolerable Acts toa) collect taxes on tea.b) punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party.c) separate French Canadians from English colonists.d) protest against unfair laws.

When British troops marched on Lexington and Concord, theya) found a store of weapons and gunpowder.b) shouted “The redcoats are coming!”c) surprised the colonists.d) clashed with armed minutemen.

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Chapter 5, Section 3

Section 3 AssessmentSection 3 Assessment

Parliament passed the Intolerable Acts toa) collect taxes on tea.b) punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party.c) separate French Canadians from English colonists.d) protest against unfair laws.

When British troops marched on Lexington and Concord, theya) found a store of weapons and gunpowder.b) shouted “The redcoats are coming!”c) surprised the colonists.d) clashed with armed minutemen.

Want to connect to the American Histpry link for this section? Click here.