DO NOW:

• Name one of the philosophers we spoke about last week and one thing he believed

Objectives

• SWBAT describe the events leading up to the American Revolution.

• SWBAT analyze the major causes of the American Revolution.

Today’s Question:

1. What happened leading up to the American Revoution?

What is a revolution?

A forcible overthrow of a government or social order for a new system

I. The American Revolution Background A. French and Indian War=a war that Britain (England) fought with France and caused them to spend a lot of money

-They went into debt and came to the colonists to have them pay through taxes

-They forced the colonists to pay these taxes by passing special laws called acts

England is in debt! You colonists must help us pay off our debt…

British Abuses: The British government decides the American colonies need to pay for British protection and war debts. They tax the colonies heavily.

1.1765 Stamp Act: Tax on all printed materials (newspapers, pamphlets, playing cards)

2.1765 Quartering Act: Required colonists to provide housing to British Soldiers.

3. 1766 Declaratory Act: British gov’t was allowed to pass any law or tax on the colonies it wants WITHOUT input from the colonies.

4. 1767 Townshend Act: Tax on paper, paint, glass and tea.

5. 1774 Intolerable Acts: revoke MA’s charter, King takes control of MA’s gov’t, close Boston’s port, soldiers occupy Boston

1. 1750 “No taxation without representation!” Colonists are angry b/c they pay taxes but don’t get to vote in English Parliament.

2. 1770 Boston Massacre: Colonists are protesting British, when a soldier shoots and begins the fight.

3. 1773 Boston Tea Party: Colonists sneak onto British ships dressed up like Indians and throw tea into the harbor

Colonial Opposition: Colonists fought back against the harsh taxes and treatment from the British.

The Boston MassacreThe Boston MassacrePaul Revere’s engravingPaul Revere’s engraving

Boston Tea Party Boston Tea Party (1773)(1773)

Boston Tea Party45 tons of tea are destroyed, tea washes up in Boston harbor for weeks.

DIRECTIONS: Please explain how each cause led to the Revolutionary War using at least ONE historical example from the events we studied today in your notes.

Cause Explain the CauseCause Effect

British Abuses

The Revolutionar

y War

Colonial Opposition

The Revolutionar

y War

Start of the War: Start of the War: The The Shot Heard Shot Heard ’’Round Round

the Worldthe World!!

LexingtonLexington & & ConcordConcord – April – April 18,177518,1775

Questions• 1. What is a revolution?• 2. What is the French and Indian War?• 3. Why did the colonists have to pay taxes after the

French and Indian War?• 4. In the box in your notes: Name the 5 British

abuses. Give a one sentence description of each. • 5. How did these abuses make the colonists feel?• 5. In the box in your notes: What were the 3 colonial

oppositions? Give a one sentence summary about each one.

Solve the MysteryWhat really happened in the Boston

Massacre?

Pre-Reading Questions1. What do we know about the Boston Massacre from our

notes?

 

2. What are the two sides in the story?

 

3. What the relationship between the British and the colonists before the Boston Massacre happened? Good, bad? Why?

 

 

Pre-Reading Questions

4. What is a massacre?

A brutal slaughter of many people.

5. Define these words:

Bayonets= A sword like stabbing blade that may be fixed to the muzzle of a rifle for use in hand-to-hand fighting

Cudgels= A short thick stick used as a weapon

Directions: You are a detective! Your job is to read through the 4 pieces of evidence about the Boston Massacre and decide for yourself what really happened. There are 3 steps in this process.

First: Read through each piece of evidence and answer the questions for each source (front and back of this page)

Second: Fill in the Evidence Table comparing each piece of evidence. Try to see what similarities and differences there are between them.

Third: Answer the reflection questions at the end. What do you think happened?

4 Witnesses or Sources1. A painting done by a Colonist Paul Revere.

2. An article in the colonial newspaper Boston Gazette

3. The British Captain Preston who was there

4. Theodore Bliss, a colonial witness at the event

Source 1: