The American Revolution

The American Revolution was a time when the colonists sought freedom
from English power.

The thirteen colonies were Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode

Island, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware,
Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.

The American Revolution took place between

1775 and 1783. Uprisings in the colonies
eventually led to a war between the colonies
and the British. This is known as the American
Revolutionary War. It began in 1775 with the
Battles of Lexington and Concord.
 Turn and Talk

? Why would the colonists desire freedom from Great Britain?

 The Seven Years’ War
1756-1763
Both
The war
In thesides
began
allied
1750s, over
withBritain
Great whether
several the
andNative
Ohio
France
Valley
American
wastribes.
had colonies part
in of
This
the is
North British
the reason
America. Empire it or
However,is the
French
sometimesEmpire.
the British referred
Theclashed
colonies first
to asreal
theconflict
French
with the ofandthe
Seven
Indian
FrenchWar.
Years’ War (also
over control called the French
of land.
and Indian War) began when the French
moved into the Ohio country and built Fort
Duquesne on the Ohio River. It was over
the construction of this fort that the first
battle of the war took place.
The Seven Years’ War
1756-1763
The French and Indian War ended on February 10,
1763, with the signing of a peace agreement known
as the Treaty of Paris. France was forced to give up
all of its North American territory.

The war was expensive for the British

government to fight. In order to pay for it, they
imposed taxes on the American colonies.
 The Stamp Act
1765
This act stated
Stamp
The colonists that
Actfeltwas colonists
the first
unfairly hadput
tax
treated. to paythe
on
They a
tax on printed
American
believed the materials
colonies
British by thesuch as did
British
government in 1765.
not
newspapers
The British
have the rightand
felttothe legal
tax documents.
colonies
them should The
because share
the
colonists
the expense
colonies were
did of only
not the
have supposed
Seven to buy
Years’ War.paper
any representatives
from
in theBritain
Britishthat had an official stamp on it
Parliament.
to show they had paid the tax.
 The Stamp Act
1765
The famous slogan: “No taxation without representation” was used by
colonists to show their frustration.

The Sons of Liberty was a secret organization that formed after the
Stamp Act was introduced. They protested the taxes.

The Stamp Act was repealed in 1766.

 Think About It!

? Why do you think taxes are fair?

? Why do you think taxes are unfair?

 The Townshend Acts
1767
A new
The court wasActs
Townshend established to prosecute
were laws passed by
smugglers.
the British government in 1767.

British officials
New taxes werewere givenon
imposed thepaper,
right to
paint,
search the colonists’
lead, glass, housesgoods
and tea. These and had to
businesses
be importedfor smuggled
from Britain. goods.

An American Customs Board was

established in Boston to collect taxes.
 The Townshend Acts
1767
The British government felt that a tax on imports
would be fair. The American colonists disagreed. They
still did not have representation in the British
Parliament, which meant they had no say on taxes or
the laws imposed on the colonies.

The Townshend Acts were met with resistance in the colonies. The taxes
were protested. Many merchants refused to purchase goods imported
from Britain.
Most of the taxes were repealed in 1770. However, the tax on tea
remained in place. These protests eventually led to the Boston Massacre.

The acts were introduced to the British Parliament by Charles

Townshend, who was in charge of Britain’s finances.
 The Boston Massacre
1770
British reinforcements
The Boston Massacre were called
occurred oninMarch
as
more colonists
5, 1770, joined the
when British protest.
soldiers British
opened fire
soldiers
on a grouparrived, loaded their
of American muskets,
colonists, and
killing
set
fiveup in a defensive position.
men.
As chaos ensued, an alarmed soldier fired
On March 5, 1770, American colonists
his rifle into the crowd. More soldiers
began insulting and threatening a British
opened fire and five colonists were killed.
sentry, Private Hugh White, outside the
Customs House in Boston.
 The Boston Tea Party
1773
In March 1773, the British government
introduced the Tea Act, which imposed a
high tax on tea.

The Boston Tea Party was a protest

organized by the Sons of Liberty, which
occurred on December 16, 1773, in
Boston Harbor, Massachusetts.

American colonists, dressed as Native

Americans, boarded three ships in Boston
Harbor and threw the ships’ cargo of tea
overboard into the ocean. In total, they
dumped 342 chests of tea into the
harbor’s waters.
The Boston Tea Party
1773
There were mixed responses to the events in the
Boston Harbor. Samuel Adams defended the actions of
the colonists, insisting they were expressing their
frustration over having no representation.

Others, such as Benjamin Franklin,

condemned the actions of the colonists and
even stated that the destroyed tea should be
paid for.
 Think, Pair, Share

? Why do you think the Boston Tea Party is called a party?

? What other names of historical events can be misleading?

 The Intolerable Acts
1774
The Quartering Act stated
Intolerable Acts that the
were laws thatcolonies had toby
were passed provide barracks for
the British
British soldiers.
Parliament Thethe
against soldiers would
American also beinhoused
Colonies in buildings
1774. The British such as
barns, hotels,passed
government or homes.
these laws as punishment for the Boston Tea Party.

The Administration
Boston Port Actofclosed
Justice theAct allowed
Boston the governor
Harbor to move
until colonists paidtrials
for
against government
the tea which officials to
was destroyed in Great Britain.
the Boston TeaGeorge
Party. Washington
The citizenscalled
of
this the viewed
Boston “Murderthis
Act,”
asas he thought
cruel becauseit itwould allowallofficials
punished Bostontocitizens.
get away
with murder.
The Massachusetts Government Act changed how Massachusetts
was governed. It gave more power to the governor (who was appointed
from Great Britain) and took power away from the colonists.
 The Intolerable Acts
1774
These acts were named the
Intolerable Acts because colonists felt
they they could not tolerate such
unfair laws.
They felt the acts violated some of
their basic rights. These laws were a
threat to America.
 First Continental Congress
1774
In September 1774, the First
Continental Congress met in response
to the Intolerable Acts.

The Continental Congress was a

meeting of representatives from 12 of
the 13 American colonies. Georgia did
not send a delegate to the meeting.
First Continental Congress
1774
However, the king chose to ignore their
requests. Therefore, the Americans began to
boycott British trade in December 1774.

They wrote a letter to King George III explaining

the issues the colonies had with the way they were
being treated. They requested that the king stop
the Intolerable Acts or the colonies would boycott
English goods.
 The Battles of Lexington
and Concord
The colonists
Battles ofoverpowered
Lexington and
the
Concord
British Army
marked
andthe
forced
beginning
them of
to the
retreat to
American Revolutionary War on April 19, 1775..
Boston.

Militiamen
The colonists
werewere
alsowarned
knownthat
as minutemen
the British army
for their
wasability
approaching.
to be ready in a
moment’s notice.
The British were met by a small group of American militiamen. Neither
side expected a fight. A British officer began calling for the militiamen to
lay down their weapons. A gunshot was fired in all the confusion, causing
the British to attack. Some of the colonists were killed and the rest fled.
 Think, Pair, Share
The accidental gunfire in the Battles of Lexington and Concord is
sometimes called the “shot heard ‘round the world.”

? Why do you think this is?

? Why was that gunshot so significant

that it would earn that nickname?
 The Second Continental
Congress
The Second Continental Congress first met in May 1775. The War of
Independence had begun in April 1775.

All thirteen colonies were represented at the Second Continental

Congress. They met regularly until March 1781. The Second Continental
Congress was led by John Hancock.

The Congress acted like a government. They signed treaties, organized

armies, and sent ambassadors to foreign countries in search of support.
The Declaration of
Independence
On June 11, 1776, the Continental Congress
appointed five leaders to write a document
explaining why the thirteen colonies were
declaring their independence.

The five members were: Benjamin Franklin,

John Adams, Robert Livingston, Roger
Sherman, and Thomas Jefferson. They were
known as the Committee of Five.

Thomas Jefferson was tasked with

drafting the Declaration of
Independence.
 The Declaration of
Independence
The Declaration of Independence
was presented to Congress on
June 28, 1776, at Independence
Hall in Philadelphia.

It was officially adopted on July 4,

1776.
 The Treaty of Paris
The American Revolution officially ended when the Treaty of Paris was
signed on September 3, 1783.

This treaty ended the Revolutionary War and established the colonies as
independent from Britain.