The Road to Revolution PDF

1.1 limits on freedom Militias are groups of local men who organized to protect their town or colony British colonies in North America allowed ordinary people to vote for local legislature King george 3 and british parliament believed the role of a colony was to support there...

1.1 limits on freedom Militias are groups of local men who organized to protect their town or colony British colonies in North America allowed ordinary people to vote for local legislature King george 3 and british parliament believed the role of a colony was to support there mother country British wanted to maintain control of britains North American colonies British india war = high cost = in debt The proclomation of 1763 was a law issued by the king requiring colonists to stay east if a line along the crest of the Appalachian Mountains Settlers in the western areas objected to the proclamation The British could not afford to send soldiers to enforce the proclamation After the war, british soldiers moved to port cities such as New York and Boston to help enforce the laws In 1765 the British parliament passed the Quatering Act requiring colonists to provide housing for British soldiers Civilians began to identify less as british and more as americans Covenent Chain = complicated systems of alliances established between the nations of Iroquois Leage and the northmost colonies 1.2 taxation without representation French and indian war = expensive Britain kept 10,000 soldiers in the colonies Revenue = income or money brough it King George ruled Britain for 59 years The Sugar Act taxed anything the colonists bought that had sugar in it Another word for tax is duty The Currency Act aimed to more tightly control the colonial economy, declaring only British currency could be used in the colonies Colonisits voiced several grievances or objection Colonisits resented britans merchantilism, trade designed to bring wealth primarily to the mother country The Navigation Acts controlled colonial trade and shipping, to benefit Britain Some accused the British of tyranny, or unjust rule by an absolute ruler Colonisits used the term no taxation without representation, arguing that parliament did not have the right to compose direct taxes on them because they didnt have representatives in parliament who could vote on taxes 1.3 The Stamp Act The Stamp Act passed by parliament in 1765 provoked an even greater storm of protest Designed purely to raise revenue to pay the soldiers stationed in the colonies  Required all printed materials to have a special government stamp To colonists it was an example of taxation without representation Patrick Henry was a young polititian, newly elected to virginias House of Burgesses persuading the assembly to pass a series of revolutions that defended the colonists' right to tax themselves rather than be taxed by parliament Other colonies soon followed A group of colonists rioted against the Stamp Act by damaging the home of Andrew Oliver, the official in charge of stamping documents, and the governor's house By the end of 176,5 The stamp distributors in all colonies but Georgia had resigned Some of the men who led angry crowds called themselves the Sons of Liberty The organized boycotts, a form of protest that involved refusing to purchase goods or services In 1766 the protesters succeeded, parliament repealed the Stamp Act Paul Revere left his mark on America by crafting many treasures relating to the American Revolution 2.1 Colonial protests grow With the Stamp Act repealed the British had to find other ways of gaining revenue In 1767 the Townshend Acts were passed, placing duties on tea, glass, paper, lead, and paint This revenue was used to the salaries of colonial governors and judges The act also required colonial courts to provide writs of assistance or search warrants so officials could search for smuggled goods Colonistis protested the british governments tyranny Protesters were strongly influenced by the 17th-century philosopher John Locke who belived people should be able to think for themselves Samuel Adams was a follower of locke’s philosophy, a member of the Massachusetts Assembly and a leader of the Sons of Liberty He co-wrote a letter with a lawyer named James otis to the other colonial assemblies. The letter was against the Townshend Acts, proposing a boycott of all british goods Woman also protested in a group called the Daughters of Liberty, boycotting tea and clothing The great awakening of the 1730s and 1740s helped push the colonists towards rebellion, by the 1770s these ideas helped led them to challenge British authorities Angry protesters would sometimes use a horribly painful method called tar and feather to punish people who supported british taxes 3.1 Preparing to fight Parliment wanted to punish Bostonians = Passed a series of laws called the coercive acts, in colonies, it became known as the Intolerable Acts Prevented Massachusets from governing itself = Massachusets assembly no longer made up by representatives elected by the colonies  Replaced bt ruling council appointed by the king Troups could take over private homes Port of Boston closed until residents could pay for the tea British expected new laws to isolate Boston and convince other colonies to be obedient Instead towns near Boston sent supplies to Bostonians Other colonies met to decide what they would do First continental congress = philadelphia, september 5, 1774 Every colony except georgia sent delegates Purpose = discuss ways to have Intolerable Acts repealed Wanted to assert right of 15 colonies in North America Not ready to declare independence Delagates voted to end all trade with Britan and Ireland Road to revolution more notes: 1764 The Sugar Act Description ○ The Sugar Act was a tax on sugar, coffee, and molasses. Items taxed upon entry into the colonies. ○ This tax was known as an indirect tax, because the tax was in the price. Gas = Tax already built in. Not shirt = $40 + tax ○ Smuggler = Someone who brings something in illegally. Smugglers were tried in court. Guilty = Lose ship + cargo ○ Tax on items that contained sugar ○ The purpose = Raise money for England due to French and Indian War British Reasons ○ British wanted money to run the colonies, because they had a lot of debt from the French and Indian war ○ George Greenville was the prime minister appointed to King George 3 and he though money should be raised by taxing the colonists, he also though the colonists should be ruled by Britain ○ He though the money that was raised by the Sugar Act should be used for defence and the development of the colonies American Reaction ○ The colonists objected to taxation without representation = Not asked if they wanted to be taxed ○ Colonists had no say on if they were taxed and by how much ○ Colonists wanted to be taxed by their own officials ○ Colonists didn’t do much except for complain Consequences ○ British cracked down on smuggling 1765 The Stamp Act Description  ○ Taxed materials such as land deeds, marriage licences, new papers, diplomas, documents, playing cards, and other paper materials ○ Anything printed on paper had to have a stamp on it ○ Stamp meant that the tax was payed ○ This was known as a direct tax = Price of item + additional tax British Reasons ○ The British wanted money to run the colonies and believed the money should be raised by taxing the colonists ○ The British believed the money should be spent on defence and the development of the colonies American Reaction ○ The colonists wrote petitions against the act ○ The Stamp Act congress was formed with representatives from the 9 out of 13 colonies ○ The Sons of Liberty were formed, it was a group of people that believed in action not just talk = Renegade ○ The Sons of Liberty vandalized homes of the stamp collectors ○ The stamp collectors were chosen by British to enforce the stamp collection ○ Their were stamp act riots, protesting in the street marching and destroying things unpeacefully ○ The colonists boycotted British goods = Anything from Britain they didn’t buy ○ Colonial governments wrote resolutions to the British Parliament. Parliament didn’t care ○ The colonists formed committees of correspondence, letters of communication, secret groups of colonists who met to discuss ways to challenge British laws Consequences ○ British exporters lost a lot of money due to American boycotts of their goods ○ British exporters wanted the Stamp Act repealed ○ The Stamp Act was repealed in March 1766 1766 The Declaratory Act Description ○ The Declaratory Act stated that the British Parliament had the right to pass any laws regarding the colonies ○ The colonies were subordinate to the British Parliament British Reasons ○ The British Parliament didn’t want to repeal the Stamp Act because they didn’t want to surrender to the colonists and make the Parliament seem weak, and they didn’t want to lost money American Reaction ○ Colonists were happy to repeal the Stamp Act, but didn’t pay much attention to the Declaratory Act Consequences ○ The colonists were encouraged to prove they weren’t subordinate to England 1767 The Townshend Acts Description ○ Charles Townshend was the British finance minister, he was in charge of money ○ British taxed the goods that were imported from England that were commonly used in the colonies ○ Imports that were taxed included glass, paper, lead, paint, and tea ○ This was known as an indirect tax British Reasons ○ The British Parliament was upset over having to repeal the Stamp Act because they wanted money ○ The British thought the colonies would accept an indirect tax ○ The British wanted to establish authority over the colonies American Reaction ○ The Americans rioted over the corrupt British officials ○ The Americans boycotted taxed goods ○ Lots of people were smuggling things because people wanted to avoid the payment of taxes ○ The colonists wrote letters of protest to Parliament but Parliament didn’t care ○ The massachusetts legislature sent a circular letter, it was being passed from colony to colony and the more they passed it the stronger their fight became ○ It urged the colonists to take action together instead of alone Consequences ○ British troops were sent to Boston ○ The Massachusetts legislature was suspended ○ Later in 1770 all taxes were repealed except for the Tea Tax ○ Only then did the colonists cooperate 1770 The Boston Massacre Description ○ British soldiers were stationed in Boston as a result of the Townshend Acts ○ The soldiers were not paid well ○ March 5, 1770 9 British soldiers shot into a crowd of 300 to 400 people ○ The crowd was harassing the British soldiers ○ The colonists were rioting in the streets ○ Between 4-6 people were killed ○ The colonists were taunting in front of the Custom House British Reasons ○ The soldiers said they were provoked into firing on the colonists ○ And the British soldiers believed it was necessary to keep order in massachusetts American Reaction ○ The Sons of Liberty held protest parades against the soldiers being in Boston  ○ A huge funeral was held for the victims of the Boston Massacre and more than 10,000 people attend from all around Consequences ○ The soldiers were tried for murder ○ A man named John Adams defended the soldiers ○ All soldiers were found innocent except for two ○ The guilty soldiers were branded and then they were released ○ The colonists believed that this was a very light punishment 1773 The Tea Act Description ○ The Tea Act gave the East India Company a monopoly on tea sales in the colonies ○ The Tea Act of 1773 repealed the British tax on tea ○ The British lowered the price on tea and made it less than the price of smugglers British Reason ○ The Tea Act of 1773 helped the East India Company because it was almost bankrupt American Reaction ○ The colonists were angry because a British company was given a monopoly on the tea trade ○ The colonists considered this also taxation without representation ○ The American merchants were upset that this would put them out of business ○ The colonists threatened the ships captains saying the tea would not be unloaded and the ships would have to sail back to England with full cargo ○ Equal loss of money ○ Large meetings were held to stir up colonial feelings ○ The colonists threw the tea into the water this became known as the Boston Tea Party ○ It was about 15 thousand worth of tea that was dumped, today it would be about 4 million Consequences ○ The British Parliament the Coercive Acts ○ Coercive = Makes them do it 1774 The Intolerable Acts/Coercive Acts Description ○ There was an act called the Boston Port Act ○ Where the British closed the Boston Harbor until all tea was paid for ○ The colonists thought the act was terrible and couldn’t tolerate it ○ British called it the Coercive Acts ○ The acts suspended the colonial legislature and replaced it with people appointed by the king ○ A new act was introduced, the Quatering Act  ○ Forced the colonists to give housing, food, supplies, and transport to British soldiers ○ Later when the Constitution was created this was the 3rd element British Reasons ○ The British wanted to punish the colonists for the Boston Tea Party ○ The British wanted to frighten the colonists into accepting British control ○ The British wanted other colonies to take advantage of Boston’s suffering ○ Instead, it united them ○ The Quartering Act was put into place because the British wanted to lower the cost of housing and feeding the soldiers American Reaction ○ The colonists formed committees of correspondences which meant more letter-writing ○ The First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia and passed resolutions against the British ○ Other colonies came to the aid of Boston and prevented the people of Boston from starving to death ○ Boycott of British goods and the colonists gathered guns and ammunition in case of a fight Consequences ○ The British Parliament declares Massachusets to be in a state of rebelion