Causes of the Revolution

Mercantilism

Economic theory that bases a nations wealth on the amount of gold and other metals in its treasury.

Raw materials were exported from colonies in order for the mother country to make a profit.

Each nation tried to have more goods going out than coming in. This was called a “favorable balance of trade.”

Mercantilism

Mercantilism: The British had adopted the policy of Mercantilism. The mercantile system, was based on the benefits of profitable trading in which the flow of raw materials from the colonies that profited Great Britain who turned them into finished goods which had a higher value than raw materials.

The Triangular Trade routes were established. Americans had to trade goods that they had in abundance in exchange for goods which were scarce in their own region. Triangular Trade, coupled with the British policy of Mercantilism, provided a “favorable balance of trade” but only to Great Britain. This ensured that gold and silver, and all domestic money, stayed in England.

French and Indian War

A struggle between the British and the French. Colonists fought for the British, while the Native Americans fought for the French.

The British won, receiving all lands east of the Mississippi River, except New Orleans.

Colonists were not allowed to settle the land they helped win. This was called Proclamation of 1763This prohibited settlement beyond the Appalachian Mountains. While Britain did not intend to harm the colonists, many colonists took offense at this order.

Colonists were taxed to pay the war cost.

Acts of Parliament

Currency Act: prohibited American colonist from issuing their own currency. This act threatens to destabilize the entire colonial economy of both the industrial North and agricultural South, thus uniting the colonists against it.

Quartering Act of 1765: required the colonist to provide shelter and supplies to British troops.

Stamp Act: required stamps to be purchased and placed on newspapers, almanacs, pamphlets, legal documents, and playing cards. This was the first direct tax on the American colonies, to offset the high costs of the British military organization in America. Thus for the first time in the 150 year old history of the British colonies in America, the Americans will pay tax not to their own local legislatures in America, but directly to England. The American colonists quickly unite in opposition, led by the most influential segments of colonial society - lawyers, publishers, land owners, ship builders and merchants - who are most affected by the Act, which is scheduled to go into effect on November 1.

Acts of Parliament

Townshend Act: taxes on glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea

Tea Act: permitted the British East India Tea Comp. to sell tea at a lower price than colonial tea companies

Boston Massacre

March 5, 1770 Encounter between British troops and citizens

of Boston Patriots antagonized British troops, who were

quartered in Boston to discourage demonstrations against the Townshend Acts.

The Boston Massacre occurred when a mob harassed British soldiers who then fired their muskets pointblank into the crowd, killing three instantly, wounding two others and injuring six.

Boston Massacre

The Boston Massacre was, of course, not a “massacre,” in the classic sense. Colonialist responded through propaganda (newspapers) and immediately capitalized on this incident, using the incident to fan colonial passions of seeing the British unjustly governing the colonies.

Boston Tea Party

A protest against the Tea Act of 1773. The Tea Act let the British East India Tea Company bypass tea merchants and sell directly to colonists.

The colonists, however, saw it as an attempt to undermine colonial businesses. Nor were they in a compromising mood. They were still angry over the Boston Massacre, which had occurred 3 years earlier, and they were already boycotting British tea because of taxes imposed by the Townshend Acts in 1767. While the Townshend Acts had been rescinded (taken back) earlier in the year, its duties (extra fees) on tea were still in force.

Boston Tea Party

On December 16, 1773, over 100 men calling themselves the “Son of Liberty” quietly stalked into the harbor of Boston, Massachusetts. All were dressed as Indians with tomahawks in their hands.

Three ships with their cargo of precious teas lay in Boston harbor, their captains unaware of the colonists' approach.

They divided into three groups, and soon the chopping of boxes could be heard on the sleeping ships. The chests were torn open and the contents thrown into the ocean. Tea leaves scattered everywhere.

Just as quickly as they had come, the men were gone. In their wake lay almost 100,000 pounds of teas from all the boats

dumped wastefully into the ocean. The tea was worth 9,000 pounds sterling, or almost $1 million in today's money.

Intolerable Acts

The Boston Port Act: The first of these closed the port of Boston in 1774 until the East India Company was paid for the lost tea.

Massachusetts Government Act: The second modified the Massachusetts Charter of 1691, taking away many of its rights of self-government. It was aimed at punishing Boston and forcing it out of resistance.

Intolerable Acts

Administration of Justice Act: The third measure provided that British officials accused of committing crimes in a colony might be taken to England for trial.

The Quartering Act of 1774: The fourth measure allowed the British to quarter British soldiers in colonial buildings at the expense of the colonists, including colonists' homes.

Intolerable Acts

The Quebec Act: The fifth act extended the boundaries of the province of Quebec. Because Quebec did not have representative assemblies, many colonists thought this transfer of land from the colonies to unrepresented Quebec was another attempt to punish the colonies and solidify British control.