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Period: to
The Events
The event that lead to the Revolution!!!!!!!!! -
French-Indian War
-AKA, The Seven Years War
-Only 93 years short of being called 100 year war
-First war to go from New World to Old World
-First war in which colonies show unity
-Started by George Washington in Ohio Valley
-British reinforcements / generals sent
-France concentrated most of their forces in Europe
-British allied with Iroquois; France allied with Spain and Hurons
-At first Britain was being defeated
-With help of great generals like Pitt UK came out victorious. -
Treaty of Paris
-NOT TO BE CONFUSED W/ THE TREATY OF PARIS OF 1783
-The official end to the Seven Years War
-Britain won
-Britain gained much control of former French / Spanish land, including Quebec in Canada and much land near Florida.
-Spain gained former French land too
-French completely kicked out of New World with the exception of the caribbeans
-Made France hate Britain even more - hope for eventual revenge
-Colonists now had nothing blocking them from crossing over Appalachians
-Planned to expand -
Proclamation of 1763
Will he click here?-Proclamation made by British government
-Prohibited settlements beyond Appalachian Mountains
-Not meant to oppress colonists
-Meant to lessen the tensions with natives and prevent further revolts
-Such as Pontiac's rebellion
-Many colonists were dismayed
-The colonists thought of the continent, as a whole, as their brithright
-Many colonists ignored this proclamation -
Navigation Laws
Navigation Laws were already in place by the time of the date listed, this date is when Navigation Laws finally became strictly enforced laws
-Prime Minister George Grenville called for the strict enforcement of Naivgation Laws
-All importations and exportations to colony must come to British ports to be taxed first
-Many colonists, like John Hancock, still found ways to smuggle goods after the laws became stricter -
Sugar Act
How many times have you heard this so far?-Prime Minister George Grenville was also the mastermind behind the Sugar Act
-The first law ever passed by the Parliament for the specific purpose of raising tax revenue in the colonies for the crown
-Increased duty on foreign sugar imported from West Indies
-After bitter protests, the duties were significantly lowered -
Stamp Act
A very biased report-Imposed by Prime Minister Grenville
-To raise revenue to support new military force
-Mandated the use of stamped paper, certifying payment of tax
-Stamps were required for about 50 trade items
-Including commercial and legal documents, playing
cards, pamphlets, newspapers, diplomas
-Grenville imposed these taxes so that colonists could pay for the army that is defending the colonists
-Much heavier taxes were already imposed in Britain
-Many colonists protested this act -
Quartering Act
The act isn't really mentioned until the end of the video - but it is a short video
-Also imposed by Prime Minister Grenville
-Required colonists to supply food and room to soldiers
-Many colonists defiantly refused or only supplied a fraction of the supplies called for -
Stamp Act Congress
-27 delegates from 9 colonies met in New York
-Drew up statement which told their rights and grievances to the king
-Requested that Parliament repeal Stamp Act
-Made little splash in England
-Brought colonies together - unity
-Many non-importation agreements sprung up / protests (not as a result of congress but alongside congress)
-Spontaneously united American people for first time in common action
-Stamp agents threatened / tarred and feathered
-System for collecting taxes broke down
-Repealed -
Declaratory Act
-Came around same time that Parliament repealled Stamp Act
-Declared Parliament/King's dominance over colonies
-Said that Parliament/King had absolute rule over colonies in all cases
-Defined Parliament's boundaries and stated that these boundaries were to never be broken again (as they already have been numerous times) -
Townshend Acts
This is kind of a mix of everything
-Charles Townshend, a great orator, convinced Parliament to pass these acts
-Light duty on glass, white lead, paper, paint, and tea
-Made distinction between external and internal taxes
-Made this tax an indirect tax, payable at American ports
-Colonists not so mad about the tax as much as they are mad about the fact that they have no representation - but many disliked tea tax too
-Taxes helped pay for royal governors and judges in America
-Lead to more nonimportation agreements / smuggling -
British Troops Occupy Boston
-Faced with breakdown of law and order, British officials order two rergiments of troops in Boston
-Many of soldiers were drunk and profane characters
-Colonists taunted the red-coats unmercifully
-Direct cause of Boston Massacre -
Boston Massacre
Short Video
-Sixty Townspeople set upon 10 redcoats
-Throw objects at and clubbed redcoats
-Under extreme provocation, the troops opened fire and killed/wounded eleven "innocent" victims
-Both sides were to blame
-John Adams defended redcoats in trial
-Only two redcoats found guilty, and only of manslaughter
(as opposed to murder)
-Increased tensions between colonists and Britain -
Townshend Acts Repealed
-Townshend had failed to produce income
-Net profit from taxes in one year was only 295 euros - military cost 170,000 euros to support
-But had produced many protests
-Lord North, under extreme pressure, repealed the Townshend Acts -
Tea Townshend Back
-British East India Company was losing money
-Overburdened with 17 million pounds of unsold tea
-The loss of this tea would lose Britain lots of money
-Lord North reinstated tea tax and gave the BEIC a monopoly to sell tea in America
-Even with the tax, this tea was cheaper than smuggled tea
-Colonists still prefered smuggle tea as to not support the British empire
-Led to many "tea parties" -
Boston Tea Party
-Not the only tea party, but the most significant
-Many tea carrying ships never even made it to port, due to protests
-Massachusetts governor Thomas Hutchinson required that the ship come to port
-Hutchinson believed Tea Tax was unjust, but didn't want colonists to flout law
-Provoked beyond restraint, a radical group of colonists disguised as Indians boarded the ship and smashed open 342 chests of tea
-Led to "Intolerable Acts"
-Since then 16 Starbucks have opened in up in Boston -
Intolerable Acts
He isn't 6 foot four in this video
-A group of acts passed in response to Boston Tea Party
-Branded as "massacre of American Liberty"
-Boston Port Act
-Closed Boston harbor until reparations could be made for tea
-Massachusetts Government Act
-Massachusetts under direct rule of king
-Limited number of town-meetings allowed
-Administration of Justice Act
-Cases dealing with royal officials or soldiers would be
done in Britain
-These acts outraged Massachusetts / other colonies -
Quebec Act
-Coincidentally imposed between the Intolerable Acts
-Quebec is still home to many French-speaking people, owned by Britain
-The British decided that the French would be able to keep some of their former laws
-This includes no representative assembly and no trial by jury, and right to be Catholic
-Many colonists thought that this was foreshadowing what was soon to come
-Quebec also extended to Ohio River
-This moved Catholic French people closer to Congregational English people -
First Continental Congress
I imagine it went something like this
-Met in Philadelphia to adress ways of redressing colonial grievances
-12 of 13 colonies showed up, Georgia being the only colony that hadn't
-55 delegates attended
-Met for seven weeks
-Not a legislative body, a consultative body - a convention as opposed to a congress
-Colonists not calling for independance, simply representation and a repeal of all "offensive" acts
-Made The Association - complete boycott of British goods
-If Parliament rejected Congress's proposal, Congress would meet again -
Battle of Concord
-British commander sent detachment of troops to Lexington and Concord
-Revere and Dawes had their midnight runs to warn of Red Coats
-To seize stores of colonial gunpowder and to bag rebel ringleaders Samuel and John Adams
-Concord was second in line after Lexington
-By this time the Minute Men were ready for action when the Red Coats reached Concord -
Battle of Lexington
-British commander sent detachment of troops to Lexington and Concord
-Revere and Dawes had their midnight runs to warn of Red Coats
-To seize stores of colonial gunpowder and to bag rebel ringleaders Samuel and John Adams
-At Lexington, minute men hadn't dispersed rapidly enough
-8 Americans were killed and many more were wounded
-Britain won the skirmish at Lexington -
Second Continential Congress
Skip the big bird part
-All colonies attended
-Drafted new appeals to British king
-Adopted measure to raise money to create and support army
-Washington still choosen as leader
-Moved closer to complete independence
-Still not completely for complete independence though
-Olive Branch petition called for peace
-Following Bunker Hill, King George III declined any peace talks and declared this a full out revolution (and then hired Hessians) -
Battle of Bunker Hill
Warning: Begins off slow
-Actually Breed's Hill
-British launched frontal attack on colonists who were on top of hill
-3000 British redcoats
-1500 colonists
-British mowed down until colonists supply of gunpowder gave out
-While technically a British victory because colonists had to abandon, colonists won in both amount killed and morality
-French minister said that with only two more of such victories, the British would have no troops left in America -
Thomas Paine's Common Sense
-Written by Thomas Paine
-Government authority should be derived from people - republic
-Put down corrupt and despotic monarchs
-Asked why such a small place should rule a large continent
-Highly read book - 160,000 copies sold
-Highly valued by many American colonists - best-seller
-Helped to sway those who were on middleline toward the side of the Patriots