Causes of the American Revolution

“When a certain great king, whose initial is G, Shall force stamps upon paper, and folks to drink tea;

When these folk burn his tea and stamp paper, like stubble, You may guess that this king is the coming to trouble.”

-Phillip Freneau

Homework• DUE TOMORROW-Write it down• You will create a poster to protest British actions against colonists.

– Poster must explain:• Why are you angry?• Who are you angry with?• What do you want done about your problem?• What will you do if your problem is not resolved?

– Picture– Key terms used correctly:

• No taxation without representation• Repeal• Tyranny• boycott

Example• Klein Falcons are FED UP! KISD is a TYRANT!• The students of Klein Intermediate are angry with the district over

the unfair policy changes.– Students are being searched by teachers– Students are being charged extra for paper, lunch and other

supplies.• Did we give our consent to theses changes? No one asked us what

WE THOUGHT! • This is tyranny.

No Taxation without Representation!• The Student Council is demanding that the policies be repealed

IMMEDIATELY.• If not, we will stage a boycott of all district activities and we may

even leave Klein and start our Own Independent School District!

Project: Illustrated Timeline• Due Thursday, November 14.• You will create an illustrated timeline of important events leading up to the

American Revolution.• You must begin with the Navigation Acts and end at the Declaration of

Independence.• Must include the year, brief explanation of the importance of the event and

a visual.• Format-

– Traditional timeline paper– video– Road map– Powerpoint– Animoto presentation– Brochure– 3-D- MOBLIE

Navigation Acts1650-1763

British Action- restricted colonial trade, manufacturing and shipping.

Colonial Reaction- smuggling, evasion, and disregard

mercantilism

triangle trade

Essential Questions• How did the French and Indian War

make the colonies ripe for change?• Which British policies in the colonies

led to disagreement?• How did colonial protests against

British policies escalate to armed conflict?

French and Indian Waraka Seven Year’s War

1754-1763Cause: fought the French and Huron

Indians over control of the Ohio River Valley.

Effects: Britain left with huge debt; France lost almost all their territory in North America; Pontiac’s Rebellion led to the

Proclamation of 1763.

Review• What was the main cause of the

French and Indian War?• What were the main effects of the

British victory in the French and Indian War?

Meanwhile in Britain…

Back home…In 1763, North America was at peace. Only 12 years later, the

colonists would again be at war. To understand the underlying causes of this new conflict, it is important to remember that the colonists had inherited the rights of “freeborn Englishmen” from the Magna Carta, the English Civil War, the Glorious Revolution, and the English Bill of Rights. In America, the colonists had also developed their own representative assemblies- such as the House of Burgesses and the General Court of Massachusetts.

By 1763, the colonists were therefore already used to a large degree of self-government. After the British victory, the colonists felt safer and less in need of British protection without the French threat along their borders. At the same time, the colonists became involved in a series of new disputes with the British government.

Proclamation of 1763British Action- prohibited colonial

settlement beyond the Appalachian Mountains.

Colonial Reaction- continued to move westward

One thing led to another…

Sugar ActApril 1764

British Action- taxed sugar from the West Indies

British Reaction- repealed in 1766

Colonial Reaction- protests led to lower taxes; Sam Adams organized protests in Boston.

Repeal-Writs of assistance-

Taxation without Representation is tyranny.

Influenced by John Locke• Government was a

social contract• Purpose of

government was to protect individual freedom and property.

• If government failed to do this, its citizens had the right to overthrow it.

Influenced by William Blackstone

• Defined the rights of individuals in English law, as well as property rights that could not be violated, even by the king.

Quartering ActMay 1765

British Action- required certain colonies to provide food and housing (quartering) to British soldiers

Colonial Reaction- assemblies refused to comply

Stamp ActNovember 1765

British Action- taxed almost all printed materialsColonial Reaction- held meetings, boycotted British goods, and even

attacked British officials; Stamp Act Congress was held in New York City; produced petitions to state their position on these new taxes.

British Reaction- repealed (cancelled) Stamp Act but issued the Declaratory Acts which allowed Parliament to make laws for the colonies in all cases whatsoever.

Townshend ActsJune 1767

British Action- taxed glass, lead, paper, and tea

Colonial Reaction- rallies; organized the Sons of Liberty; circulated pamphlets, newspapers, and political cartoons criticizing the new taxes; smuggling; resistance led to Boston Massacre; refused to import.

What’s that? A Massacre!!!

Boston Massacre4000 Soldiers were sent to stop the protests and

prevent further unrest. Their presence added to the growing bitterness.

A group of people taunted the soldiers and threw snowballs. By accident, the soldiers fired and five colonists were killed, including Crispus Attucks.

John Adams defended the soldiers and they were found to be innocent.

Patriots circulated pictures and used this tragedy to win public support against the British.

Paul Revere’s engraving of the Boston Massacre was circulate ted as propaganda to influence colonial opinions.

Writs of AssistanceA non-specific search warrant used to

look for smuggled goods.

Committees of CorrespondenceFormed by Sam Adams in 1772, with James

Warren and his wife, Mercy Otis Warren; Organized opponents of British policies.

Mercy wrote a series of pamphlets and satires against the British, wrote the first history of the American Revolutionary War using her notes from meetings and conversations, and convinced many people in the colonies to take up the Patriot cause.

“Revolutionary Tea”There was an old lady lived over the sea

And she was an island queen.Her daughter lived off in a far country

With an ocean of water between.The old lady’s pockets were full of gold,

But never contented was she.She called on her daughter to pay her a tax

Of three-pence a pound on her tea,Of three-pence a pound on her tea.

Tea ActMay 1773

British Action- British East India Tea Company given a monopoly for colonial tea business with small tax

Colonial Reaction- ships and 342 crates destroyed by colonists in Boston “Boston Tea Party”

The amount of tea dumped into the harbor would make 24,000,000 cups of tea. Today, that much tea would cost about $1,000,000.00!

Coercive Actsaka Intolerable Acts

January 1774British Action- did not allow

Massachusetts Assembly to meet; no town meetings or jury trials; closed the port of Boston

Colonial Reaction- held First Continental Congress to protest the acts and call for a complete boycott of British goods.

Review• Civil disobedience is a refusal to obey

a law we think is unjust. In what way was the Boston Tea Party an example of civil disobedience? Do you think this act of civil disobedience was justified?

“What do we mean by the Revolution? The War? That was no

part of the Revolution: it was only an effect and consequence of it. The Revolution was in the minds and

hearts of the people, and this was effected from 1760-1775, in the

course of fifteen years, before a drop of blood was shed…”

-John Adams

Create a TimelineOn a legal sheet of paper, use the

information in your notes to create a timeline of the important events leading to the American Revolution.

Be Sure to Include:• date (in chronological order)• title• British action and Colonial reaction• colored illustration

Now what?EXIT TICKETS: On an index card, Make

a statement (lined side) and ask a question (blank side) about the information learned about the Causes of the American Revolution.