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1775 BCE
1,000's of Redcoats in Boston
General Gage brings thousands of British soldiers to Boston with more on the way -
Sugar Act of 1764
indirect tax( out of sight=out of mind
Duties on molasses and sugar -
Repealing Stamp Act
Boycott, Refusal to buy stamps or paper goods, Stamp Act Congress, Parliament agrees to repeal (get rid of) the Stamp Act -
Stamp Act
Taxes on all paper, Official stamp/seal on all paper items( proof tax was paid), Legal documents, Licenses, Newspapers, Pamphlets, and playing cards. Purchased only with silver coins, if you didn't purchase you got fined or jailed, Protested Stamp Act, feeling rights were violated, Direct Tax( 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 violent acts
British Soldiers arrive -
Tea Act
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 smuggling = more tax money
Colonial Merchants feared BEIC would put them out of business -
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 Britain -
Intolerable Acts
Passed to punish Boston for Tea Party
Boston Harbor Closed until tea paid for
Massachusetts Charter cancelled
Royal officials had trial in Britain -
Quartering Act
Quartering Act required colonists 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
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 -
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... -
Battles 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 to Boston -
Capture of Fort Ticonderoga
Benedict Arnold and Ethan Allen capture the fort
Get all supplies in the fort including cannons
American victory -
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 and need discipline
Need weapons -
“Common Sense” published by Thomas Paine
Pamphlet inspires more colonist to become patriots
”Everything that is right or reasonable pleads for separation. The blood of the slain, the weeping voice of nature cries, ‘TIS TIME TO PART” -
British Surrender Boston
Washington believes his army is ready and weapons arrive
Washington puts cannons on Dorchester Heights overlooking Boston
BRITISH retreat - AMERICAN Victory -
Second Continental Congress
Debate on declaring independence
Thomas Jefferson is the primary author of the document -
Votes for Independence
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Declaration of Independence is Signed
