Road to Revolution

sugar act

1764

An indirect tax (out of sight = out of mind) Duties on molasses and sugar

Stamp Act

1764

Purchased only with valuable silver coins If didn't purchase = fined or jailed Protested Stamp Act tumbling rights were violate Direct Tax

• (in your face tax)

Declaratory Act

1766

Parliament declares it has power to make laws for the colonies "in all cases whatsoever" Parliament passes this to save face

Townshend Acts

1767

Taxes on glass, lead, paints, paper, and tea Searched fir snuggles goods Sons of Liberty start to do violent acts

Boston Massacre

Mar 5, 1770

• Crowd gathers and hassles soldier, throwing snowballs and shouting insults.
• More troops arrive, colonists get more and more angry
• "Fire if you dare!"
• This became known as the Boston Massacre

Tea Act

1773

Passed in 1773 and allowed British East India Company (BEIC) to sell tea directly to colonists -Lower Prices than colonist merchant prices
-Tax Tea cheaper than smuggled tea
-Less smuggled = more tax money Colonial Merchants feared BEIC would put them out of business

Boston Tea Party

1773

• Members of Sons of Liberty Dump over 340 chests of tea into Boston Harbor

Intolerable Acts

1774

Passed to punish Boston for Tea Party -Boston Harbor Closed until tea paid for
-Massachusetts Charter cancelled
-Royal officials had
-Quartering Act required colonist to house soldiers "If a soldier comes knocking at the door...
you're sleeping on the floor" -Large amount of land given to Quebec
-General Thomas Gage became new governor of MA

Continental Congress Meets

Sep 5, 1774

• All colonies but Georgia have respresentatives
• Voted to send a "statement of grievances"

1,000 of Redcoats in Boston

Apr 1, 1775

General Gage brings thousands of British soldiers to Boston with more on the way.

Midnight Ride Of Paul Revere

Apr 1, 1775

Paul Revere rides to warn the Sons of Liberty in Lexington and Concord that the "British are coming... The British are coming.."

Battles Of Lexington & Concord

Apr 19, 1775

• Battle of Lexington -
• 1st battle of American Revolutionary War
• "Shot heard round the world" -Ralph Waldo Emerson
• BRITISH Victory
• Battle of Concord -
• Americans Stop British and force them to retreat back to Boston
• AMERICAN Victory

Capture of Fort Ticonderoga

May 10, 1775

• Benedict Arnold & Ethan Allen capture the fort
• Get all supplies in the fort including cannons
• AMERICAN Victory

Second Continental Congress Meets

May 10, 1775

Print $$$$ Set up post office Created Continental Army led by George Washington Sent Olive Branch asking King to protect their rights -King hires 30,000 Hessians Soldiers in response

Battle of Bunker Hill

Jun 16, 1775

• Fought on Breed's Hill Map
• "Don't Fire until you see the whites of their eyes" - William Prescott
• BRITISH Victory (Americans ran out of ammunition) British learn defeating Americans would NOT be easy.

Washington arrives on outskirts of Boston with continental troops

Jul 15, 1775

Realizes men are disorganized & need discipline Need weapons

British surrender Boston

Mar 17, 1776

Washington believes his army is ready & weapons arrive Washington puts cannons on Dorchester Heights overlooking Boston BRITISH retreat - AMERICAN Victory

Second continental congress meet again

Jun 15, 1776

Debate on declaring independence Thomas Jefferson is the primary author of the document

Second continental congress votes for independence

Jul 2, 1776

All 13 colonies vote YES on declaring independence

The Declaration of Independence is signed

Jul 4, 1776

Thomas Jefferson

"Common sense" published by Thomas Paine

Jan 10, 1778

Pamphlet inspires more colonist to become patriots Every thing that is right or reasonable pleads for separation. The blood of the slain, the weeping voice of nature cries, "ITS TIME TO PART" - Thomas Paine, Common Sense