Road to the

Revolution
 BIG QUESTION
WHY DO YOU THINK THE
AMERICAN COLONISTS
REVOLTED AGAINST THE
BRITISH GOVERNMENT?
Life in the 13 Colonies
Great Britain is 3,000 miles away!!!
3 months travel time!!!

Each Colony decided to create its

own government with rules

The House of Burgesses was the

first government in the colonies
The 7 Years War
Great Britain and France were at
war over the land around the
Colonies

The colonies had nothing to do

with the war, besides the turmoil
between the French and British
Colonists
The 7 Years War
1754-1763
Great Britain spent all their money
funding this war, with no way to get
it back
Great Britian taxed the colonists to
pay off their debt
“we have spent a lot of blood and
treasure to protect you from the
Indians”
“No Taxation without Representation!”

the colonists were angry because the British were

forcing them to pay taxes that they didn't agree to
What does it mean?
slogan for the revolution by American colonists
the colonists wanted representation in
Parliament before paying taxes.
 Vocab:
1. Smuggling : trading goods Illegally

2. Parliament : The legislative body that created a separation of power so

the people had representation and the King would not have absolute power

3. Proclamation : a public or official announcement

4. Boycott : a form of protest where people refuse to buy or use the

products or services of a company, organization, or country

5. Repeal : to officially end a law through legislation

March 18,
1766
The Declaratory Act
 Assignment
Go into google classroom
Complete “Hey King”
Reading Comprehension
The Proclamation
of 1763
required the colonists
to stay east of the
Appalachian
Mountains
What were
the four
major port
cities in the
American
Colonies?
Philadelphia
Boston
New York
Charleston
As we see these port cities grow and thrive, the King of
England wants to make sure he is making money off it
Navigation Acts
of 1763
an Act passed by
Parliament that
restricted trade
in the colonies
Navigation Acts
of 1763
goods brought to Britain or its colonies
MUST be carried on British or colonial
made ships
Export to England
Import from England
goal was to affect Dutch dominance.
The Dutch was making a of money
trading with the colonies.
 The Acts also
identified a list of
certain products
that could only be
sold to England or
its colonies

1. Tobacco 3. Sugar
2. Indigo 4. Cotton
 Use a highlighter

This would make sure that England

controlled and taxed all trade to
and from the colonies.
Now goods would have to travel
through England to be inspected
so they can be properly taxed.
This would cause some of the
colonists to embrace smuggling
Sugar Act 1764
An Act passed by
Parliament that lowered
the taxes on sugar for
the colonists
 Before the Sugar Act was
the Molasses Act of 1733
What differences can you find between these 2 Acts?
Sugar Act 1764
Use a highlighter

Why did they lower the taxes on the Sugar Act?

The Molasses Act (1733) failed as colonists smuggled
molasses to avoid the tax.

The Sugar Act (1764) lowered the tax but enforced it

strictly, causing economic hardship and resentment.

The Sugar Act fueled colonial resistance, leading to

boycotts and economic distress
The Currency Act 1764
Act passed by Parliament that
required all colonists to use
the same currency. Before this each
colony would have
their own currency
What issues do you

It prohibited the printing of

think this could cause?

paper money in the colonies

The Currency Act 1764
Purpose was to help the
British Merchants
The Act caused major
economic hardships for the
American Colonists.
The Stamp Act 1765 (March 22)
Act passed by Parliament that
required colonists to
pay a tax on all legal documents
such as, newspapers, marriage licenses, wills,
diplomas, contracts, pamphlets, letters and
playing cards.
The Stamp Act 1765 (March 22)
Use a highlighter
to raise money for British troops stationed in the colonies

The tax was paid with a stamp, which made the documents
legal. This was the first direct tax put on the colonists.

The tax was payable in British sterling, which was hard to

obtain by the colonists.

The British Parliament repealed the Stamp Act in March 1766

after a series of protests and the unifying slogan.
 The Quartering Act 1765
(March 24)
Acts passed by
Parliament that required
the American colonists
to provide food and
housing for British
soldiers
How would you feel if you were one of the colonists at this time?
The Quartering Act 1765
(March 24)
The British soldiers often
caused tensions with the
American colonists.
This helped the colonists
to start to see
themselves more as
Americans, not British.
The Townshend Acts 1767-68
a series of taxes and regulations
passed by the British Parliament
The acts were named after Charles Townshend, the head of the British treasury

The acts included taxes on glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea

The acts also established new customs officials to prosecute smugglers

soldiers were allowed to search the colonists homes
Sons and Daughters of
Liberty
Sons and Daughters of Liberty
American patriot groups who
protested British taxation and
policies in the 18th century.
In 1768, Samuel Adams and James Otis wrote a letter to the different colonial assemblies (like the
House of Burgesses) to object to the new taxes in the Townshend Act and boycott British goods
The British Governor of Massachusetts told them to take back their letters, but Adams and Otis
refused!
So the Governor disbanded the Massachusetts Assembly, so the colonists began to making
their own clothing for the colonies
Complete Questions #1-6 of
your “Trouble in Boston”
Packet!!! Use Textbook pgs
106-107
Complete Questions #1-13
of your “Trouble in Boston”
Packet!!! Use Textbook pgs
106-108
The Declaratory Act 1766

The act stated that

Parliament had the authority
to make laws binding on
the American colonies
"in all cases whatsoever".
The Declaratory Act 1766
The act was passed as an
attempt to control the
colonies after the repeal of
the Stamp Act. Colonists are
seeing the King as a Tyrant
(a cruel and oppressive ruler).
 The Boston
Massacre
March 5, 1770

a deadly riot
between
colonists and
British soldiers.
 The Boston
Massacre
March 5, 1770
A crowd of colonists harassed
British soldiers, throwing
snowballs
British soldiers fired into a crowd
of colonists in Boston
Killing 5 people
The event was widely publicized,
particularly through Paul Revere's
famous engraving
Complete Questions 14-19 of
your “Trouble in Boston”
Packet!!! Use Textbook pgs
108-110, and the chart!!!
Picture 1

Picture 2
The Tea Act 1773
Act passed by Parliament to help
the British East India Company.
The act gave the company a monopoly
on selling tea in the American colonies.
Monopoly: one company is the only
seller of a product
one seller; no competition; full
control of price
The Boston Tea Party
December 16, 1773

a political protest where

colonists, disguised as
Mohawk Indians,
dumped 342 chests of
Tea off British Ships.
Complete the Liberty Kids
Boston Tea Party
Assignment on
Google Classroom!!!
The Intolerable Acts 1774
a series of laws passed by
the British Parliament in 1774
to punish Massachusetts
for the Boston Tea Party.
The Intolerable Acts 1774
Use a highlighter
Purpose:
To punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party
To warn other American colonies
To force the rebellious colonies back into place
Acts:
Boston Port Act: Closed the port of Boston to restrict
trade
Massachusetts Government Act: Placed severe
restrictions on the governance of Massachusetts
Administration of Justice Act: British officials charged
with crimes would no longer have to have a trial in
Massachusetts *Known as the “Murder Act”*
The Intolerable Acts 1774
Effects:
1. First Continental Congress
2. United the colonies and moved them toward war.
First Continental Congress
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
September 5 to October 26, 1774
Notable delegates: John Adams, Samuel Adams, George
Washington, Patrick Henry, John Jay, John Dickinson
Use a highlighter
Effects:
Declaration of Rights: statement affirming colonial loyalty to the
British Crown while protesting Parliament's right to tax them without
representation.
Boycott of British Goods: The colonies agreed to boycott British
imports as a means of economic pressure.
Intercolonial Unity: first time most colonies united to address
grievances against the British government, laying the groundwork for
further coordinated resistance.
Finish your “Trouble in
Boston” Packet!!! Use
Textbook pgs 110-112