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Colonization and Revolutionary War: Introduction to the Revolutionary War Colonization and Revolutionary War: Introduction to the Revolutionary War by ReadW...

Colonization and Revolutionary War: Introduction to the Revolutionary War Colonization and Revolutionary War: Introduction to the Revolutionary War by ReadWorks an image showing the Boston Tea Party As the British colonies in America took root, they grew used to mostly governing themselves. Great Britain decided it wanted more control. It began to force new taxes on the colonists. Great Britain wanted to raise money from the goods it was shipping to the colonies. In 1764, the British Parliament passed the Sugar Act to raise the tax on sugar. The next year, the British Parliament passed the Stamp Act. Colonists now had to pay taxes for newspapers, marriage licenses, and all other legal documents. Many colonists were angered by these taxes. They hadn't agreed to them and felt they were illegal and unfair. Each new tax led to a bigger protest on the part of these colonists. Besides taxes, many colonists were also unhappy about some of the rules the British were forcing on them. In 1765, the British Parliament passed the Quartering Act. The act stated that colonists had to agree to give British troops food and let them stay in their homes. Colonists who were unhappy with how the British were treating them decided to fight back peacefully. In 1765, the Stamp Act Congress met in New York. The Congress was made up of representatives from many colonies. The representatives agreed to boycott British goods until the Stamp Act was repealed. That same year, the Sons of Liberty, a secret organization of ReadWorks.org · © 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.  Colonization and Revolutionary War: Introduction to the Revolutionary War colonists in favor of liberty, was formed. Tensions grew between the colonists and the British. In 1770, tensions erupted with the Boston Massacre. British troops thought they were under attack when colonists in Boston started throwing snowballs at them. They panicked. One soldier started firing his gun. Then more soldiers fired into the unarmed crowd. Five colonists were killed, and six were injured. The British government was afraid of losing control over the colonies. They removed all the taxes on imports to try to make the colonists happy. They allowed, however, one tax to remain in place for tea. In 1773, Parliament passed the Tea Act to help get the East India Company out of financial trouble. This act enabled the British trading company to sell tea in America at a low price. Even with a tax on tea, the British company had a price advantage over American tea companies. The colonists were furious. They feared East India Company's tea would put American tea companies out of business. In Boston, a leader of the resistance named Samuel Adams decided to protest. He spoke to a group of colonists on December 16, 1773, at the Old South Church in Boston. Shortly after he spoke, a large group of men boarded British ships and dumped thousands of pounds of East India Company's tea into the harbor. Crowds of onlookers gathered to celebrate the rebellious act. They nicknamed the event the Boston Tea Party. The British responded quickly and harshly. In 1774, they passed several measures known as the Intolerable Acts. They closed the Boston port and made it difficult for the major city to function. Other colonies, especially Maryland, helped Boston survive by sending food and supplies. All of these events had two main consequences. First, they made the colonists resent Britain. Britain's government seemed far away and out of touch with the colonists' needs. Many colonists began to think about ruling themselves. Second, they helped unite the colonists. The colonists had come to America with very different backgrounds and lifestyles. They were sprawled all over the East Coast of this big continent. But Britain's acts gave them a single purpose and a common cause: justice and liberty. In September 1774, the first meeting of the First Continental Congress took place. Representatives from 12 of the 13 colonies met to discuss how they would unite and defend their rights. Within months the Revolutionary War would begin. Just a little over one year later, on July 4, 1776, the United States of America would declare its independence. ReadWorks.org · © 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.