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Sugar Act
--Indirect tax (Out of sight = out of mind)
--Duties on molasses and sugar -
The Quartering Act
--Quartering Act required colonists to house soldiers
-"If a solider comes knocking at the door... your sleeping on the floor"
-Large Amount of land given to Quebec
-General Thomas Gage became new governor of MA -
Stamp act
-Tax on all paper products
--Official stamp/seal on all paper (Proof was paid
-Legal Documents
-Licenses
-News papers
-Pamphlets
-Playing cards
-Purchased only with valuable silver coins
-If didn't purchase = fined or jailed
-Protested Stamp act, Feeling rights were violated
-Direct (In your face) -
Declaratory Act
-Parliament declares it has power to make laws for the colonies “in all cases whatsoever”
-Parliament passes this to save face -
Townshend Acts
-Taxes on glass, lead,paints, paper and tea
-Searched for smuggled goods
-Sons of Liberty start to do violence acts
-British Soldiers arrive to protest tax collectors -
Tea Act
-- Passed in 1773 and allowed British East India Company (BEIC) to sell tea directly to colonists
--Lower Prices than colonists merchant prices
--Tax Tea cheaper than smuggled tea
--Less smuggling = more tax money
--Colonial Merchants featured BEIC would put them out of Bussines -
Boston Tea Party
-Members of Sons of Liberty Dump over 340 chests of tea into Boston Harbor
-"Boston harbor is a teapot tonight!"
--Caused problems for loyalists/ Tories
-Loyalist/ Tory = 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 paid for
--Massachusetts Charter canceled
--Royal officials had a trail to Britain -
Continental Congress
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 -
1,000 Redcoats in Boston
General Gage brings thousands of British soldiers to Boston with more on the way -
Midnight ride of Paul Revere
Paul Revere rides to warn the Song of Liberty in Lexington and concord that the "British are coming... The British are coming" -
Battle of Lexington and 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 t Boston -
Capture of Fort Ticonderoga
-Benedict Arnold and Ethan Allen capture the fort
-Get all supplies in the fort including cannons
-AMERICAN Victory -
Second Continental Congress meet
-Print $$$
-Set up post office
-Created Continental Army led by George Washington
-Sent live Branch asking King to protect their rights
--King hires 30,000 Hessians Soldiers in response -
Battle of Bunker Hill
-fought on Breed's Hill
-"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
-Realizes men are disorganized & need discipline
-Need weapons -
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 -
British Surrender Boston
-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
-Debate on declaring independence
-Thomas Jefferson is the primary author of the document -
Second Continental Congress votes for Independence
-
The Declaration of Independence is signed!