Crisis in the ColoniesChapter 5 U.S. History

European Rivals in North America

• France posed the most serious threat to English colonies• The French were

determined to halt westward expansion by the English

European Rivals in North America

• The Ohio River Valley linked French settlements in Canada and along the Mississippi River.• Ohio river marked the

western border of British-controlled lands

French and Indian War

• Both the French and English sought Native American allies• French alliance with

the Iroquois nation led to early British defeats

French and Indian War

William Pitt’s strategy for winning Britain's war with France was to use Britain’s best generals in North America.

French and Indian War

• British troops were able to surprise the French at Quebec by climbing a steep cliff at night• The capture of Quebec

by the British led to the fall of New France

Treaty of Paris

• After the Treaty of Paris, Britain and Spain controlled most of the land in North America• Quebec Act established

protection for rights of French Catholics

Proclamation of 1763

• The Proclamation of 1763 was signed to avoid conflicts with Native Americans in the Ohio Valley• Proclamation Line of

1763 was designed to protect Native American lands

Turmoil Over Taxation

• Parliament approved colonial taxes to help pay for the costs of the French and Indian War. • Stamp Act imposed

duties (taxes) on legal documents

Turmoil Over Taxation

Parliament then passed the Townshend Acts, which taxed goods such as paper, paint, glass, and lead

Turmoil Over Taxation

• Sons and Daughters of Liberty formed to protest taxes• Mercy Otis Warren

and Abigail Adams organized resistance to British taxes through their writings

Turmoil Over Taxation

New colonial leaders emerged as tensions with Britain grew:• Samuel Adams • John Adams• Patrick Henry

Boston Massacre

• British troops were sent to Boston to protect customs officials• Crowds threw

objects at soldiers• Troops shot into the

crowd, killing five

Boston Massacre

• In response to the shootings, Samuel Adams wrote letters to other colonies to build outrage

• Letter-writing campaigns became the committees of correspondence to report of events in Massachusetts

Boston Massacre

•British troops were given a fair trial in a colonial court

From Protest to Revolution

• Colonists protested the Tea Act by boycotting British tea

• Boston Tea Party: “Boston harbor is a teapot tonight! The Mohawks are come!”

• Colonists destroyed British property

Parliament Strikes Back

• In retaliation for the Boston Tea Party, Parliament passed laws punishing Massachusetts• Colonists called these

laws the Intolerable Acts because they were so harsh

Intolerable Acts

• Laws placed limits on colonists’ rights to call town meetings.• Parliament shut down

the port of Boston• British soldiers were

housed in colonists’ homes

Lexington and Concord

• British troops tried to seize colonists’ arms and ammunition• Colonial militia

drove the troops back to Boston

Lexington and Concord

•Battles signaled the start of the American Revolution

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