Causes of revolutionary war 1

Causes of the American Revolution

Ch 4, Sec 3

French and Indian War

• France’s GOAL: Control Fur trade

• Great Britain’s GOAL: 3G’S– Wealth– Spread Christianity– Glory of Power and

Wealth in New World

Fate of New France

• France won early victories

• Later, Britain overpowered France

• Treaty of Paris signed ending conflict

• Britain gained Canada and land east of Miss. River

Pontiac’s War• After French and Indian

war– Colonist headed West

push Natives off land

• Clashes with Natives– Indian leader: Pontiac– Attacked Ohio Country– British lost some land

• Britain and Colonists fought back together

Proclamation of 1763

• Colonists couldn’t settle past Proclamation line– Appalachian Mts.

• Britain wanted to protect colonists

• British troops sent to colonies– Colonists had to pay for

British troops– Ignored proclamation

Britain Imposed New Taxes

• Britain in debt after wars

• Increase taxes for citizens of Britain

• Grenville, Prime Minister– Expected colonists to

pay sm. tax too

Sugar Act

• Approved by Parliament– Tax on molasses, sugar,

etc.– Used for making RUM

(profitable)

• Merchants avoided tax by smuggling molasses into colonies

• British officials bringing smugglers to trial

Stamp Act

• New tax on legal documents such as: –Wills–Diplomas–Newspapers, etc.

• All items needed a stamp showing tax was paid

“No Taxation W/O Representation”

• Ideas of representation was rooted back to Magna Carta

• Colonists okay with tax if passed by their own legislature. – Unacceptable without

representation

Peaceful Protest

• Crisis united colonists

• Delegates from colonists met in NYC– Known as Stamp Act

Congress– Drew Up a petition– Rejected Stamp Act

• Parliament not interested in petition

Colonial Boycott

• Colonists boycotted British goods

• Hurt British economy and merchants

• Parliament repealed Stamp Act

Townshend Acts

• Parliament passed the Townshend Acts

• Tax on– Glass– Paper– Paint– Lead– Tea

• Colonists objected to tax w/o their consent

Writs of Assistance

• Custom officials tried to stop smuggling

• Legal documents called, “Writs of assistance”, allowed officials to inspect ships, homes etc. w/o reason

Colonial Protest Widen

• Colonists stopped importing goods from Britain

• Sons of Liberty– Staged mock hangings

• Daughters of Liberty–Boycotted British cloth

Quartering Act

• Colonists had to provide: –Housing–Candles–Bedding–Beverages to

soldiers in the colonies

A Bloody Night, Boston Massacre

• At Boston Customs house–Colonists shouted

insults “Lobsterbacks”– Throw snowballs,

shells, etc. • British soldiers fired into

crowd• 5 colonists died

Committee of Correspondence

• Samuel Adams started a letter writing campaign called Committee of Correspondence.

• Tool to protest and communicate with other colonies.

Temporary Calm

• Parliament repealed: – Townshend

Acts– Quartering

Act

• Tax on Tea remained

Dispute Over Tea

• Tea was a popular drink• Parliament passes the

Tea Act• Colonists bought most

of their tea from British East India Co. – BUT…Colonists

Resented Act– Refused to buy British

Tea– Tea in Britain not

getting sold

Tea Act Passed

• British East India Co.– Act Let Company

bypass colonist tea merchants

– Sold directly to colonists

– Cost less• Colonial Merchants angry– Act violated Free

enterprise

A New Boycott

• Daughters of Liberty– Served coffee and

“Liberty Tea”

• Sons of Liberty –Kept British East

India Co from unloading tea in harbor

Boston Tea Party• Three ships entered

Boston Harbor

• Sons of Liberty– Requested from Governor:

• Ship leaves the harbor• He refused

– Colonists disguised as Mohawks

– Boarded ship– Dumped 342 chests of tea

in harbor

Parliament Strikes Back with Intolerable Acts

• British outraged by colonists’ behavior

• Intolerable Act (4 Parts)– Shut down Boston

Harbor– Forbid Town meetings– Custom Officials will

be tried in Britain– Quartering Act

stronger

Other Colonies Support Boston

• Committee of Correspondence – Spread news about

Boston–Colonies responded

with food to help– Set day of Shame of

the Intolerable Acts.

First Continental Congress

• Delegates from 12 colonies met – Known as 1st

Continental Congress

• Agreed to boycott and stop exporting goods to Britain

• Each colony would create a Militia (army of citizens)

Lexington and Concord