The Eight Moments in American history that most reflect the division between Britain and America.

By Elizabeth Carreiro, Jennifer Dos Santos, Amy Planeta-Leclair

Introduction In the first 150 years in American History, certain events happened that caused the division between

Britain and America. We will be focusing on eight specific events that were the turning points. The Quartering Act

The Sugar Act

The Stamp Act

The Townshend Act

Boston Massacre

Boston Tea Party

The Coercive Acts

Lexington & Concord

In these next few slides, we will elaborate on these eight specific events.

The Quartering ActA source of tension between inhabitants of the Thirteen Colonies and the government in London. (Boundless)

Facts about the Quartering Act No. 1

Passed by Parliament in response to request by British Lieutenant-General Thomas Gage because Colonists had resisted providing housing and other provisions to troops during the French and Indian War.

The Act required that the colonies provide lodging, food and other supplies and provisions to British troops, at the Colonies’ cost.

Facts about the Quartering Act No. 2

•Colonists were amenable during the War, but did not understand during peacetime following the war.

•Colonists felt it was in violation of ‘Bill of Rights’ which did not allow for the raising or keeping of forces without approval of Parliament.

Facts about the Quartering Act No. 3•Since British troops were not stationed in America before the French and Indian War, America questioned why they were needed after war.

• Added to the Colonists’ suspicions of British intent and added to their feeling of unnecessary presence and involvement of British in American life.

Fact about the Quartering Act No. 4

•In 1766, New York refused lodging to British soldiers. Another early indication of America’s growing discontent which ultimately led to the American Revolution.

The Sugar ActA revenue-raising act passed by the British Parliament in April, 1764. (Boundless)

Fact about the Sugar Act No. 1

•Passed by English Parliament, passed by George Grenville with the intention of reducing the national debt that England had incurred as a result of the French and Indian War.

Facts about the Sugar Act No. 2

The Act included stipulations that caused Colonial discontent in addition to simply taxing sugar:

◦ Listed goods that could only be exported to England.

◦ Specified the methods and platforms for Customs agents to try those who violated the stipulations of the trade components of the Sugar Act (would be tried in British courts, rather than colonial jury trials where England was concerned about Colonial sympathies not being impartial).

Fact about the Sugar Act No. 3

•Colonists believed the Sugar Act and the associated taxes were the cause of their economic recession.

Fact about the Sugar Act No. 4

•Colonists protested against England and the passing of the Sugar Act, again, leading to “unrest” that ultimately added to the war.

The Stamp ActColonists considered it a violation of their rights as Englishmen to be taxed without their consent. (Boundless)

Fact about The Stamp Act No. 1

•Required that printed materials and documents be printed on paper that contained a seal or “stamp” indicating that the paper had been taxed and said tax had been paid (by purchasing).

Fact about The Stamp Act No. 2

Another instance of Colonists feeling as if they were being taxed without being properly represented (by vote) in Parliament.

Fact about The Stamp Act No. 3

•This act led to the Colonists forming the first “unified protest against British Taxation” called the “First Congress of the American Colonies” or “Stamp Act Congress”.

Fact about The Stamp Act No. 4

•This was the first tax passed that only applied to the American Colonies, which made the Colonists furious.

The Townshend ActCaused a violent colonial resistance, especially in Boston. (Boundless)

Fact about The Townshend Act No. 1

A series of Acts imposing taxes and regulations put in place by Parliament including:◦ Revenue Act of 1767◦ Indemnity Act◦ Commissioners of Customs Act◦ Vice Admiralty Court Act◦ New York Restraining Act

Fact about The Townshend Act No. 2

•Caused a substantial amount of discontent and resentment towards England on the part of the Colonists.

Fact about The Townshend Act No. 3

•Caused substantial discontent in Boston (including an importation boycott), which led to more hostile feelings towards the British-appointed Customs Officials, Soldiers, Judges and other British officials in Boston

Fact about The Townshend Act No. 4

•The hostile feelings that resulted from the Colonial reaction to the Townshend Acts, led to the Boston Massacre.

Boston Massacre“One of the most significant moments of the pre-revolutionary war era of the United

States”. (Haas)

Boston Massacre Facts No. 1•British soldiers occupied the Boston Custom House and guarded the money collected from the import and export taxes. (Haas)

•After two years of constant British occupation, the Bostonians were tired of the extra company. (Haas)

• -The average Bostonian workers were aggravated that the soldiers meant more competition for their jobs. (Haas)

• -They were also upset that the higher taxes England was imposing, meant businesses that usually hired them could not hire as many workers. (Haas)

Boston Massacre Facts No. 2•These working poor would gather after work at local pubs, have drinks and share their stories and problems. (Haas)

•Finally one evening, a rowdy mob headed out to speak their minds to the soldiers at the Custom House. (Haas)

•The British soldiers were outnumbered by the drunken crowd, but stood up to them anyways. (Haas)

•The crowd got very aggressive. (Haas)

•The head soldier, Thomas Preston, told the mob to disperse or the soldiers will shoot. (Haas)

Boston Massacre Facts No. 3•The Bostonians want to be heard. They were unhappy and were used to speaking their minds. (Haas)

•The soldiers fired their guns into the crowd of angry Bostonians. (Boundless)

•Five men were killed. (Boundless)

•This enraged colonists everywhere because it seemed the British had no problem killing average, innocent people. (Haas)

Boston Massacre Facts No. 4•To the British soldiers, they felt they needed to use force or else they would be killed by the mob. (Haas)

•“In the days and weeks following the incident, a propaganda battle was waged between Boston’s radicals and supporters of the government.” (Boundless)

•Colonists have had enough of British occupation. (Haas)

•“The Boston Massacre is considered one of the most important events that turned colonial sentiment against King George III and British Parliamentary authority.” (Boundless)

Boston Tea PartyThe Tea Act of 1773 and The Boston Tea Party 1775

Boston Tea Party Facts No. 1•In 1773, The British initiated the Tea Act on the colonists. (Boundless)

•This Act emerged from two problems within the British Empire. (Boundless)

•One problem was the British East India Company was going bankrupt and to prevent this from happening, they instituted a tea tax. (Every)

•The other was the question of how much authority Parliament felt it had over the colonies without proper representation. (Boundless)

•At this time, the colonists did not buy much tea from England. 90 percent of the tea consumed in the colonies was smuggled in from other countries. Parliament wanted to put a stop to this. (Every)

Boston Tea Party Facts No. 2•Ships containing tea were sent to four ports: Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Charleston. (Boundless)

•The colonists protested the shipments of tea and all the ships were sent back to England with their tea, except for the four that arrived in Boston. (Boundless)

•The Royal Governor Thomas Hutchinson would not let the ships leave without paying the import tax. (Boundless)

•Patriot Samuel Adams met with the townspeople of Boston and decided to pressure the captain into heading back to England with his ships and cargo and not paying the import tax. (Boundless)

•Men were also designated to keep watch of the ships and make sure the cargo was not unloaded. (Boundless)

Boston Tea Party Facts No. 2•Some of the Bostonians decided to rebel against England and its tea tax. (Boundless)

•After dark, Bostonians dressed as Native Americans boarded the ships and dumped the tea into the Boston Harbor. (Boundless)

•There is speculation as to whether or not Samuel Adams encouraged his audience at the meeting to go to such drastic measures. (Boundless)

•“He immediately worked to publicize and defend it” (Boundless)

•Samuel Adams stated that the people were merely trying “to defend their constitutional rights”. (Boundless)

Boston Tea Party Facts No. 3•That night in Boston Harbor is known as the Boston Tea Party.•Britain was outraged. (Boundless)•“In Britain, this act united all parties there against the colonies.” (Boundless)•“The British government felt this action could not remain unpunished, and responded by closing the port of Boston and putting in place other laws known as the “Coercive Acts”.” (Boundless)

Coercive ActsEngland’s response to Colonial resistance in 1774

Facts for the Coercive Acts No. 1

• The Coercive Acts were a group of laws passed by Parliament in response to the defiance of the colonists, and as disciplinary action for the Boston Tea Party. (Boundless)• Britain was trying to force the colonists to abide by British rule, and had been so far, mostly unsuccessful. They decided they would make an example out of Massachusetts. (Boundless)• These Acts created more tension and “provoked higher levels of resistance” amongst the colonists towards the British. (Boundless)• The colonists felt the Coercive Acts were a direct violation of their rights as citizens. (Boundless)

Facts for the Coercive Acts No. 2

•The first law of the Coercive Acts imposed on the colonists was called The Boston Port Act. (Boundless)

•The British decided they would close the port of Boston until the colonists paid for all the tea that had been dumped into the harbor. (Boundless)

•The colonists were angry about this act because it penalized everyone instead of the few men who had been involved in the Tea Party. (Boundless)

•The next law was called The Massachusetts Government Act. This sparked more colonial outrage. (Boundless)

•Parliament decided to take charge of the Massachusetts government and have the King or Royal Governor appoint all seats in the colonial government. (Boundless)

•Town meetings were also limited to one per year. (Boundless)

Facts for the Coercive Acts No. 3

•The next law instigated was The Administration of Justice Act. (Boundless)

•Basically, if a royal official was accused of any crime, the Royal Governor could send him to Britain or another colony for his trial. (Boundless)

•“George Washington called this the “Murder Act”, as he believed that it allowed British officials to harass Americans and then escape justice”. (Boundless)

•The Quartering Act (an extension of the original in 1765) gave the governor the responsibility of finding appropriate housing for British soldiers. (Boundless)

•To the colonists, The Quartering Act was the lesser of all the evils out of the Coercive Acts. (Boundless)

Facts for the Coercive Acts No.3• The Coercive Acts affected the Bostonians most directly

but many more colonists agreed that the attack was against everyone’s own rights and freedoms. (Boundless)• Instead of dividing the colonies against Massachusetts,

these Acts garnered support from the colonies instead and unified them.•The colonies called together representatives from each

colony to meet up and figure out a way to deal with Britain’s King, Parliament and the Coercive Acts. (Boundless)•This group was called the First Continental Congress.

(Boundless)•They petitioned the king, unfortunately to no avail.

(Boundless)

Lexington & ConcordThe beginning of the Revolutionary War in 1775

Lexington & Concord Facts No. 1

The British had appointed General Thomas Gage as the governor of Massachusetts. (Boundless)

Gage had asked England to send more troops to help reinforce his small army of 3000 men. (History)

Gage’s men were severely outnumbered by the colonist’s militia. (History)

The colonist’s militia, known as the minutemen, felt their whole way of life was at stake with the British trying to take control. (History)

Lexington & Concord Facts No. 2•Gage had received word that colonists had stockpiled weapons and ammunition in the town of Concord, and was ordered to seize them and arrest those involved. (Boundless)

•Gage sent out a patrol to keep colonists in line and also determine the whereabouts of Samuel Adams and John Hancock. (Boundless)

•The colonists are one step ahead of the British. Paul Revere and William Dawes prepare to ride out to Concord and warn the militia and move the stockpile to a safe hiding place. (HSTRY)

• The colonists were very organized in their communication system and word of the soldier’s movement and intent spread very quickly. (History)

•Their arrival in Lexington was not a surprise.

Lexington & Concord Facts No. 3

•As the British soldiers marched through the countryside, a misfit group of militia gathered to stop the advancement of the troops in the town of Lexington. (History)

•This was the first battle of the Revolutionary War. (History)

Lexington & Concord Facts No. 4• “In less than two minutes, eight militiamen lay dead, ten wounded.” (History) The British soldiers press on to Concord. (History)

•Militiamen from all over Massachusetts gather in Concord to fight when the British arrive. (History)

• Outnumbered, the British soldiers suffer a massive beating upon arrival, and retreat back to Boston, fleeing from pursuing militiamen, the whole way. (History)

•The patriots surrounded the City of Boston and more militia from other parts of New England were headed in for extra support. (History)

•General Gage and his remaining troops were confined to Boston and surrounded, cut off from the rest of Massachusetts. (History)

•The revolution had officially begun with these battles. (Boundless)

Conclusion There was no one event, Act, tax or political incident that could claim to be the sole, or even primary, cause of the American Revolution. The truth is that it took years to take shape and was caused by a series of events much greater than the eight (8) events listed here. There were many years of resentment, anger and uncertainty on the part of the American Colonists that led to the war. Each and every one of these events brought the people a little bit closer and each amendment, repeal and appeal became less and less effective in appeasing the Colonists. They had become accustomed to governing and regulating themselves and it was only a matter of time, as England tried harder and harder to figure out ways to effectively tax the Colonies to earn back some of the money they had spent “defending them in the French and Indian War”, before they were going to reach the ‘point of no return’ and attempt to declare independence from England. The events and Acts that we have listed here are eight (8) that we believe to have been the most influential causes of the war.

Work Cited Resources Boundless. “The Quartering Act.” US History to 1877. Boundless, 14 Nov. 2014. (

https://www.boundless.com/users/282574/textbooks/us-history-to-1877-6215a7a3-5c3c-4504-a318-ce7835c5f99e/independence-liberty-freedom-and-justice-554/the-sugar-and-stamp-acts-1763-1765-39/the-quartering-act-225-8628/)

Boundless. “Grenville's Sugar Act.” US History to 1877. Boundless, 14 Nov. 2014. (https://www.boundless.com/users/282574/textbooks/us-history-to-1877-6215a7a3-5c3c-4504-a318-ce7835c5f99e/independence-liberty-freedom-and-justice-554/the-sugar-and-stamp-acts-1763-1765-39/grenville-s-sugar-act-226-9432/)

Boundless. “The Stamp Act.” US History to 1877. Boundless, 14 Nov. 2014 (https://www.boundless.com/users/282574/textbooks/us-history-to-1877-6215a7a3-5c3c-4504-a318-ce7835c5f99e/independence-liberty-freedom-and-justice-554/the-sugar-and-stamp-acts-1763-1765-39/the-stamp-act-227-9696/)

Boundless. “The Townshend Acts.” US History to 1877. Boundless, 14 Nov. 2014. (https://www.boundless.com/users/282574/textbooks/us-history-to-1877-6215a7a3-5c3c-4504-a318-ce7835c5f99e/independence-liberty-freedom-and-justice-554/the-townshend-acts-and-economic-retaliation-1767-1770-40/the-townshend-acts-230-9440/

Boundless. “Independence: Liberty, Freedom and Justice.” U. S. History to 1877. Boundless, 16 Dec 2014. 21 May 2015. http://www.boundless.com/users/282574/textbooks/us-history-to-1.

Haas, Jarred. “The Real Boston Massacre.” US History to 1877. Wentworth Institute of Technology. Youtube, Web. 21 May 2015. https://www.youtu.be/RFq27HtZ5vg.

Every, Jack. “U. S. History to 1877.” Community College of Rhode Island. Rhode Island. Mar 2010. Lecture.

History of America. “The Revolution Part01 Boston Bloody Boston”. Youtube. Youtube, 23 Apr 2014. Web. 22 May 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWEiBwtUHWw&feature=youtu.be

Hstry. “Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride”. Web. 22 May 2015. https://www.hstry.co/timelines/paul-revere-s-midnight-ride

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