Unit Two: Founding of a New Nation

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Unit Two: Warm Ups

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I. Road to Revolution: The

Acts

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A. Greenville and the Sugar Act

1. Aftermath of the French and Indian War

Britain was left with a huge debt

10,000 British troops were still in the colonies

Prime Minister Greenville wanted the colonists to pay for the troops staying in the colonies

Use taxes to pay for them

2. British vs Colonists on Taxes Britain

Colonies are subjects of King Under British law

Colonies Didn’t ask the King to defeat the

French

3. Quartering Act 1763 required colonists to provide housing and supplies for

British soldiers

4. Sugar Act First tax passed to deal with the cost of troops British Parliament passed a tax on sugar and

molasses imported from the West Indies

5. Colonial Response Northern Merchants said

it would hurt the rum industry

The molasses used to make rum would be more expensive

Samuel Adams said that this tax turned them from free people into “tributary slaves”

6. No taxation without representation Colonists saw it as unfair to be taxed without

representation in the British Parliament Major issue of Revolutionary war

B. The Stamp Act Brings Protest

1. Stamp Act (1765) Law required a tax stamp to be placed on all

legal documents Contracts, Licenses, Newspapers, Almanacs,

Printed Sermons, and even Playing Cards

2. Mobs in the Streets In protest, mobs forced stamp agents to resign Colonists hung dummies representing stamp

agents

3. Stamp Act Congress Representatives from 9 colonies met in NY Sent a petition to the King and Parliament Stated that the Parliament could not tax them without representation

4. Sons of Liberty Group started to organize protests against the

taxes Boycotted (refused to buy) British goods

5. Stamp Act Repealed British Merchants were losing money because of

Boycott Asked the Parliament to end the stamp act Act was repealed but Parliament said they could

still tax if they wanted to

C. Townshend Acts (1767)

1. What were they? Charles Townshend (New Parliament Minister)

comes up with these taxes Taxed lead, paint, paper, glass, and tea

imported from Britain Also involved Writs of Assistance: Customs

officers could search colonial homes without a warrant

2. Colonial Response Merchants found ways to get around the taxes Some smuggled goods Merchants in Boston, New York, and

Philadelphia signed agreements to not import British goods

3. Repeal of the Townshend Acts Smuggling and Boycotts hurt British Merchants

again Most of the acts were repealed in March 1770 The tax on tea was left in place

D. Boston Massacre 1770

1. Boston Massacre – Five unarmed, innocent, God fearing, Colonists are brutally gunned down by bloodthirsty British troops in front of the State House in Boston.

2. Crispus Attucks former slave (African father, Native American

mother) killed in the Boston Massacre

3. Discuss Propaganda Media – TV, Newspapers, Internet

I. Road to Revolution: The

Acts con’dWarm Up:

What was the stamp act and explain how the colonist reacted?

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E. Tea Act (1773)

1. What was it? Lord North (new

Prime Minister) has parliament redo the tax on Tea

This would help the East India Tea company and hurt Colonial Merchants

2. Boston Tea Party In response to the tea act Nov 1773: Three ships

loaded with tea enter the Boston Harbor and are not allowed to unload

Dec 16 1773: About 70 angry Bostonians dressed like Native Americans

Threw the chests of tea into the harbor

F. Patriots Organize

1. Militias – Armed citizens defending their communities.

Minutemen – Colonial militia trained to be ready in one minute.

G. Intolerable Acts1. Punishing the Colonists

Lord North wanted to punish the colonies (Massachusetts mostly)

Upset over the protests

2. What the Acts did Closed Boston Harbor Cancelled the Massachusetts Charter (No more Rep

Government) Moved trials of colonial officials to Britain Allowed soldiers to be housed in colonists homes

(Quartering)

I. Overall Effect of Acts

Colonists became more united Felt their rights were being taken away “No Taxation without Representation”

became a rallying cry Colonists began to see themselves separate

from Britain

H. 1st Continental Congress 1774

1. Colonists for 1st Government

2. Philadelphia

3. Protect Colonial Rights

They met at Carpenters’ Hall in

Philadelphia in what became known as the

“First Continental Congress” to convince Parliament to repeal the Intolerable Acts.

Delegates included John Adams, Benjamin

Franklin, Samuel Adams, George

Washington, Richard Henry Lee, and John

Jay.

Delegates from 12 colonies (all except Georgia) met to discuss the situation with Britain in the fall

of 1774.

Carpenters Hall

The Congress did not intend to declare independence from

Britain. The delegates believed that they were entitled to the

same rights as all Englishmen and that the Intolerable Acts and

other laws violated those rights. At the conclusion of the Congress,

the delegates signed non-importation agreements

boycotting British goods. In addition, they pledged to meet again in 1775 if the Intolerable

Acts were not repealed. However, before the delegates

could meet again, the Revolutionary War had begun,

and the Second Continental Congress found itself occupied

with the conduct of a war rather than repeal of the Intolerable

Acts.

The Non-Importation agreement

Continental Congress’ Resolutions

This painting of Patrick Henry addressing the First Continental Congress can be found in the House Corridor

of the United States Capitol.

The colonists prepared for war

Colonial early warning system

The Minutemen

Lexington and Concord

In several Massachusetts towns people had begun to stockpile weapons and train openly for combat

General Thomas Gage, British military governor of Massachusetts, learned of colonial military preparations, and ordered British troops to Lexington and Concord to seize weapons

General Thomas Gage

Colonists prepared for combat

Many of the leaders of the rebel movement, known as

the “Patriots”, fled Boston to avoid arrest by the British.

Those who stayed devised a plan to alert those who remained of a British

advance: one lantern in the steeple of the Old North Church, two if from the

Charles River.

On April 18, 1775 silversmith Paul Revere saw the lanterns

and along with William Dawes and Dr. Samuel

Prescott, rode through the countryside warning

colonists and militia that the British were on the march to

Lexington and Concord.

“One if by land, two if by sea”

William Dawes

Dawes took the longer “by land” route across the

isthmus of Massachusetts and was able to elude

capture by British forces and warned militia at several

locations along the route the British traveled to Lexington

and Concord. Dawes was thrown from his horse and

was captured.

The riders

Only Prescott was able to make it to Concord

Revere was captured, but lied to the British about colonial troop strength, and was

eventually released to return to Boston on a poorly rested horse.

Paul Revere

Based on English militia model

All males over age 16 were required to join militia and attend musters. Minutemen were selected from colonial militia rosters

The average age was about 25 years old, and many were veterans of the French and Indian War

Term “minute men” first used in 1756; but not officially used for colonial militia until 1774; meant they would be ready to fight “in a moment’s notice”

The Minutemen

Lexington and Concord

April 19, 1775

“The shot heard round the world”

Cartoon shows George III and Lord Mansfield, seated on an open chaise drawn by two horses labeled "Obstinacy" and "Pride," about to lead

Britain into an abyss represented by the war with the American colonies

When the British troops arrived in Lexington, the colonial militia under Captain John Parker, was lined up on the village green. Parker had ordered his men to “stand their ground…”,

but added “if they mean to have a war, let it begin here”.

As the two sides watched each other, a shot apparently was fired in the distance. The British responded by firing at the militia, who returned fire. At the end of the skirmish, along

with the subsequent one at Concord, 50 militia and 73 British soldiers were killed.

The British marched back to Boston under heavy fire from the colonists, who practiced guerrilla warfare, meaning they were

hiding behind rocks and trees. The British army had always fought in a traditional style, in the open with both sides facing each other, which made it difficult for them to effectively fight

back. Eventually the British troops made it back to Charlestown after suffering many more casualties on the

march.

The British army and colonials were now at war.

How the war began