Chapter 1, Section 3The American Revolution

Growing Rebelliousness

Big Ideas: Unpopular British Laws led to colonial

protests and eventually violence.▪ The British felt that additional taxes were

necessary to pay for the increasing costs of safeguarding the colonies.

Growing Rebelliousness

The French & Indian War The British and

French fought for control of the Ohio River Valley.▪ French control of the

region would prevent the colonials from expanding westward.

Growing Rebelliousness

Fighting alongside the British forces were natives of the Iroquois Confederacy.

The French had the aid of many different tribes including their longtime allies the Algonquin.

Growing Rebelliousness

In the end, the British were successful.

The Treaty of Paris of 1763 made Britain the premiere power in North America.▪ Spain allied with

France, so with victory, Britain also gained control of Florida.

Growing Rebelliousness

Unpopular Regulations In order to prevent

another war, Parliament passed the Proclamation act of 1763.▪ This was enacted to

prevent westward colonial expansion into Native American lands.▪ This ticked off western

farmers.

Growing Rebelliousness

Unpopular Regulations Colonials were supposed

to be paying customs duties, taxes on imports and exports, but were dodging those fees by smuggling goods past customs.

Intended to make up that lost revenue, the Sugar Act of 1764 raised taxes on imports of raw sugar and molasses.▪ This made the merchants

very upset.

Growing Rebelliousness

The quartering act of 1765 also forced colonials to house British troops.

The Stamp Act of 1765 was the most upsetting to the colonials; it was the first direct tax on the colonies.▪ Nearly all printed

materials were taxed.▪ A boycott led to the

repeal of the Act in 1766.

Growing Rebelliousness

The Townshend Acts These acts placed duties

on all imported glass, lead, paper, paint, and tea. It also gave customs officers the power to arrest smugglers.

Protests over these acts lead to the Boston Massacre.

Again, these taxes were repealed except for the tax on tea.

The Road to War

Big Ideas: The British were frustrated by the

unwillingness of the colonies to accept new taxes and regulations.▪ The British responded to colonial protests by

first repealing laws and imposing new and more restrictive ones.

It was the British laws, regulations, and reprisals that gave the colonies something they could all rally around.

The Road to War

The Colonists Defy Britain British taxes and

regulations served to unite the colonies.

Thomas Jefferson encouraged the creation of committees of correspondence to coordinate strategies for dealing with Britain.

The Road to War In response to the Boston

Tea Party, Parliament implemented the Coercive Acts which closed the Port of Boston, moved 2,000 troops into New England, and banned town meetings.

The Brits also introduced the Quebec Act which expanded Quebec’s boundaries into colonial territory.

The Coercive and Quebec Acts became known as the Intolerable Acts.

The Road to War

One of the most prominent voices for independence from Great Britain was Thomas Paine. In his pamphlet

“Common Sense,” Paine urged the colonies to break away from England.

The Road to War

Revolution Begins After the passage of

the Intolerable Acts, the First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia, June 1774.▪ The delegates

decided on a plan to boycott British goods and to meet again in 1755.

The Road to War

A rebellion first began when Massachusetts elected John Hancock as their leader and began training a militia, defying their British appointed governor.

A special unit of minute-men were trained to raise the alarm at a minute’s warning.

The Road to War

Colonists started choosing sides with some staying loyal to the King, some siding with the rebel patriots, and some trying to stay out of it all together.

The first battle took place at Lexington as British troops passed through on their way to Concord to seize patriot weapons being stored there.

The Road to War

The Decision for Independence As conflict escalated

and the hopes for a compromise vanished, the Continental Congress adopted The declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776.

The War for Independence

Big Ideas: George Washington waged a war of

attrition.▪ While the continentals didn’t win many

battles, they succeeded in wearing down the British forces.

The new United States received overt military help from France and covert help from Spain.

The War for Independence The British managed

to captured New York and Philadelphia, but the Continental Army surprised the British forces by capturing their forces at Saratoga.▪ This surprising victory

encouraged France to openly fight against Britain, and France became the first nation to formally recognize the United States.

The War for Independence The Americans and

their allies achieved an end to the war by forcing the surrender of General Lord Cornwallis in Yorktown, Virginia in 1781.

The Peace Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783 granting the US its independence as well as giving Florida back to Spain and making concessions to France.