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Events Leading to American

Independence

Events Leading to American Independence

• The French and Indian War (1754-1763)

• The winning of the F&I War creates a huge debt for Great Britain;

• With the French gone, colonists begin to settle into the Ohio River Valley.

• Proclamation of 1763

Events Leading to American Independence

• Chief Pontiac leads Indians against colonists on the frontier after the F&I War.

• So . . Parliament makes the Proclamation of 1763 stating that colonists must stay east of the Appalachian Mountains.

Events Leading to American Independence

• Britain begins taxing the colonies & enforcing the Navigation Acts.

• Needed in order to pay for Britain’s F&I War debt;

• British Army will now be needed in the Colonies to enforce the Navigation Acts and enforce new taxes.

• 1761 - Writs of Assistance allow the British to search Colonial ships (used during the F & I War when some Colonists were trading with the French);

• 1764 - Sugar Act lowers the tax on sugar and hurts Colonial smugglers like John Hancock, but raises taxes on other items. One of the first times colonists complain about lack of representation in Parliament.

• 1765 - Stamp Act - raises revenue by placing a tax on all official documents (including wills), cards, newspapers, etc. It is similar to one Parliament has passed in Great Britain.

Events Leading to American Independence

• Colonial Protest Begin• Protest Cry Becomes: “No Taxation without

Representation!”• Colonists believe this a basic right - Magna Carta

• Stamp Act Congress Takes Action (Oct. 1765)

• Stamp Act Congress meets in New York City

• Petition King George III and Parliament declaring Britain has no legal right to pass an “internal tax” in the colonies.

• Calls for a Colonial boycott of British trade goods.

• Parliament repeals Stamp Act - passes Declaratory Act.

• British Merchants & Ben Franklin get Parliament to Back Down - 1766

Events Leading to American Independence

• Declaratory Act - 1766

• Parliament makes it clear it has the right to tax in all cases • Townshend Acts - May, 1767

• Boycott agreement are signed by Colonial Planters and Merchants.

• Tax officials once again use Writs of Assistance to search a ship’s cargo (Many expect bribes to turn their head). • Non-Importation Agreements (Boycott)

• Parliament taxes glass, paper, silk, lead, and tea imports

• Sons of Liberty use threats to tax collectors and merchants who fail to sign these agreements; • Daughters of Liberty pledge to not use British items;

Events Leading to American Independence

• Boston Massacre - March 1770

• A crowd gathers at the Custom House (where imports are taxed) to harass British guards;

• At first snowballs, then rocks are thrown at guards;• Reinforcements are called as crowd turns into a mob;

• No command to “fire” is given but a shot rings out and many soldiers open fire;

• Sam Adams & Paul Revere depict this incident as a “massacre” of peaceful citizens and use it as propaganda to gain support.

• Most colonists accept Revere’s famous picture as the facts;

Events Leading to American Independence

• Revere’s Boston Massacre - 1770• Revere’s

famous engraving is propaganda at its finest. It’s printed throughout the colonies and all see and believe it. • A planned and ordered killing in broad daylight of innocent colonists is shown. It omits all facts.

Events Leading to American Independence

• Parliament Backs Down After Boston Massacre

• Non-Importation Agreements Cripple Trade

• British Merchants pressure Parliament to repeal the Townshend Acts.

• Tax on tea is left by Parliament as a symbol of Britain’s right to tax colonies.

• Boycott ends.•Sam Adams and Joseph Warren use The Committees of Correspondence in 1772 to initiate protests throughout the colonies. Over 100 are formed.

•set up to keep the Colonists informed and united • Committees of Correspondence will plan and coordinate future protests throughout the colonies.

Events Leading to American Independence

• Protest Ignite• The Boston Tea Party -

1773• British Parliament lowers the tax

on tea to Save the British East India Company from bankruptcy– Believes the colonists will be

pleased since the price of tea will be lowered.

– Colonists are angry at the special favoritism given to the British East India Company

• “Boston Tea Party” is organized by Sam Adams• Carried out by the Sons of Liberty dressed as Indians• aimed at the special favoritism given to the British East India Company• Thousands of dollars of tea is thrown into Boston Harbor.

Committees of Correspondence organize other “Tea Parties” in other colonies.

Events Leading to American Independence

• Protest Ignite• Britain Responds to the

Boston Tea Party with the Intolerable Acts (1774) (Called the Coercive Acts in Britain)

• 1. Close the Port of Boston until the colonists pay for the tea. – This depresses Boston’s Economy and

punishes all for the act of some.

• 2. Suspends town meetings– Loss of a basic right to assembly.

• 3. Custom Officials Charged with Crimes are no longer to be tried in the Colonies.

• 4. New Quartering Act– Citizens now force to find housing

for British soldiers in their homes in Boston.

Events Leading to American Independence

• Protest Ignite

• Colonists in other Colonies Unite in Support of Boston.

• Food and other aid is sent to Boston.

• Colonists unite because they know that what happened in Boston can happen to them.

Events Leading to American Independence

• Protest Ignite

• First Continental Congress• September 1774

• Called in sympathy for Massachusetts• All Colonies except Georgia make it to

the Congress which is at Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

– Some call for a moderate approach and just want to patch-up with Britain

– Other colonies urge for firm action against Britain

– In the end, these Colonies Agree to:• Side with Massachusetts against the

Intolerable Acts (Coercive Acts).• Boycott all British goods and cut off

exports with Britain until the acts are repealed

• Each colony is urged to set up and train its own militia (citizen army) for defense.

• Agree to meet again in May of 1775.

Events Leading to American Independence

• Protest Ignite• The British Are

Coming!

• 4,000 British Troops massed in Boston.

• The Massachusetts Militia, known as the Minutemen, prepare for fighting by storing arms at Concord.

• British General Gage sends 700 troops to surprise Minutemen and seize the arms by surprise.

• Sons of Liberty warn riders across Boston Harbor of the British approach toward Concord.

– Two lamps are hung from the Old North Church of Boston.

Events Leading to American Independence

• Protest Ignite• The British Are Coming!• The Colonists and British first

clash when 70 Minutemen meet them at Lexington on April 19, 1775– 8 Colonists and 1 British soldier

are killed that morning.

• The British go to search Concord, but all weapons are not to be found.

• The British return to Boston.

Events Leading to American Independence

• British retreat to Boston becomes a slaughter.

• Minutemen hide behind walls and trees and ambush them.

• 73 British troops are killed and 200 wounded.

Events Leading to American Independence

• Second Continental Congress• May 1775 – March 1781

• All Colonies make it to the Congress which is at Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.– Some call for loyalty still to

Britain.– Other colonies urge for

independence against Britain– In the end, these Colonies Agree

to:• Declare independence from Britain

in July 1776