Causes of the American Revolution

The French and Indian War

1. Lots of debt

2. More land

The Acts

1. Proclamation of 17632. Sugar Act

3. Quartering Act4. Stamp Act

5. Declaratory Acts6. Townshend Acts

7. Tea Act8. Coercive (Intolerable Acts)

The Protests

1. Boston Massacre

2. Boston Tea Party

First Continental Congress Meets

1) Boycott British Goods

2) Start Training Militia (citizen soldiers)

War!!!!

• 1774• The Continental Congress • The First Continental Congress was a gathering of COLONIAL leaders who

were troubled about the RELATIONSHIP between GREAT BRITAIN and its colonies in AMERICA

• All colonies except GEORGIA sent 55 representatives to Philadelphia• They decide on two things• Continue to boycott (not buy) British goods and called for the repeal

of all 13 acts of Parliament• Told Militias (citizen soldiers) to start preparing for war• They DID NOT want to SEPARATE from England BUT needed to be

prepared for anything• If You Were There• read the section titled “Militias in the Colonies” and respond to the Critical

Thinking Question below.• Look at the chart of items purchased by the Salem Provincial Congress in

October of 1774• What do you think (or know) what the following items are

– Grape and Round Shot –– Arms - – Bayonets -– Flints –

1775

The First Battles

The British also prepared for conflict – sent more troops to the colonies

King George III states “the New England Colonies are in a state of rebellion”

April 1775 several thousand redcoats are in and around Boston

1775

• Thomas Gage – British GOVERNOR of MASSACHUSETTS learned that a stockpile of weapons were being stored in CONCORD

• The weapons must be seized

• April 19, 1775 – PAUL REVERE, SAMUEL PRESCOTT, & WILLIAM DAWES rode through Massachusetts warning the minutemen – MILITIA THAT WERE READY TO FIGHT IN A MINUTES NOTICE – that the “British are coming.”

• Lexington• FIRST BATTLE (First Shots) OF THE

AMERICAN REVOLUTION• 70 militiamen tried to stop about 500

redcoats• Battle over in MINUTES• Number of casualties – SOLDIERS DEAD,

WOUNDED, OR MISSING - colonists = 8 killed 10 wounded

• Redcoats – 1 wounded

• No one knows who fired the FIRST SHOT –“The shot heard ‘round the world”

• Concord

• British coming to Concord to seize – TAKE BY FORCE – the colonist’s WEAPONS but most were already hidden

• Angered, the British set FIRE to many buildings in Concord

• The minutemen retaliated and ATTACKED THE BRITISH THE ENTIRE WAY BACK TO BOSTON – the result was 73 redcoats dead and 174 wounded

VS.• Importance – the war for our independence was on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!