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Sugar Act Of 1764
- Indirect Tax (out of sight = out of mind)
- Duties on molasses and sugar
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Stamp Act
- Tax on all paper products
- Official stamp/seal on all paper items (proof tax was paid)
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Townshend Act
-Taxes on glass, lead, paints,paper, and tea
- Searched for smuggled goods -
Boston Massacre
- Fights between troops and Bostonian were common
- March 5, 1770 soldier stricks colonist
- Crowd gathers hassles soldiers, throwing snowballs, and shouting insults.
- More troops arrive, colonist get more and more angry "Fire if you dare!"
- This became known as the Boston Massacre
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Tea act
- Passed in 1773 and allowed British East India Company (BEIC) to sell tea directly to colonist -Lower Prices than colonist merchant prices -Tax Tea cheaper than smuggled tea -Less Smuggling= More tax money
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Boston Tea Party
-Members of sons of Liberty dump over 340 chest of tea into Boston harbor
-Caused problems for loyalist/tories
-Loyalist/troy = a person in the colony who remains "loyal" to the king and great britian. -
Intolerable Act
-Passed to punish Boston for Tea party
-Boston Harbor closed until Tea was Paid for Massachusetts Charter cancelled -
Quartering Act
-Quartering Act required colonists to house soldiers
"If a soldier comes knocking at the door... You're sleeping on the floor," -
First Continental Congress meets
- All colonies but Georgia have representatives
- Voted to send a "statement of grievances"
- Voted to Boycott all British Trade
- Patrick Henry - VA rep. Urged colonists to unite against Britain
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1,000 of Redcoats in Boston
- General Gage brings thousands of British soldiers to Boston with more on the way.
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Midnight ride of Paul Revere
-Paul revere rides to warn the Sons of Liberty in Lexington and Concord that the "British are coming... The British are coming.." -
Battle of Lexington & Concord
- 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
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Capture of Fort Ticonderoga
- Benedict Arnold & Ethan Allen capture the fort
- Get all supplies in the fort including cannons
- AMERICAN Victory
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Second Continental congress meet
- 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
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Battle of Bunker Hill
- 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
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Washington arrives on the outskirts of Boston with Continental troops
- Realizes men are disorganized & need discipline
- Need weapons
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Declaratory Act
- Parliament declares it has power to make laws for the colonies "in all cases what so ever " Parliament passes this to save face
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"Common Sense" published by Thomas Paine
- Pamphlet inspires more colonists to become patriots
- "Every thing that is right or reasonable pleads for separation. The blood of the slain, the weeping voice of nature cries, 'TIS TIME TO PART" -Thomas Paine, common sense
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British Surrender Boston
- Washington believes his army is ready & weapons arrive
- Washington puts cannons on dorchester Heights overlooking Boston
- BRITISH retreat - AMERICA Victory
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Second Continental Congress meet again
- Debate on declaring independence
- Thomas Jefferson is the primary author of the document
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Second Contiental congress votes for indendence
-All 13 colonies vote YES on declaring independence -
The declaration of Indenepadence is signed