Events leading to the Events leading to the American Revolution American Revolution

Two Main Ideas

The French and Indian War was fought from 1754-1763; after the war the British needed money. As a result, the British government placed taxes on the colonists. The colonists protested these taxes.

   After the French and Indian War, colonist began to move

into the area near the Appalachian Mountains called the backcountry and Ohio River valley. George III issued a Proclamation of 1763 reserving this land for Native American tribes. The proclamation said colonists were no longer allowed to settle the land west of the Appalachian Mountains. This angered the colonists.

A Series of Events Leading to the American Revolution

The Quartering Act 1765

This law required colonists to provide food and housing for British soldiers. Colonists did not see why they had to pay for these soldiers’ food out of their own money. The soldiers also had too much power and violated the rights of the colonists.

The Stamp Act 1765

The Stamp Act required colonists to pay an extra stamp on all printed material including newspapers, legal documents and pamphlets. The colonists were against by this act and showed England how they felt in many ways. One way was that the colonists tossed stamp agents (those who collected money for the stamps) into the bay.

The Townshend Acts 1767

This act put taxes on many household items including glass, paper, lead, paint and tea. Officials collected this tax as items were imported to America. The tax was then added to the cost of the items.

The Boston Massacre 1770

British soldiers became angry after being taunted by a crowd of colonists. Five colonists were killed when the British soldiers fired into the crowd.

The Boston Tea Party 1773

American colonists called “The Sons of Liberty dressed as Indians and boarded cargo ships carrying tea and dumped all of it into the ocean. The group’s leader was Sam Adams. This event greatly angered the British government. It was also the beginning of a rebellion, or an organized opposition to overthrow the government.

The American colonists continued to organize groups to oppose British rule, along with “The Sons of Liberty” other groups formed.

One other group was “The Daughters of Liberty”. This group encouraged colonists to stop buying goods from Britain by making their own tea and by weaving cloth that could be used instead of British wool.

Intolerable Acts 1774

This order was a punishment for the Boston Tea Party and other acts of rebellion. These were a set of new, stricter laws such as closing the Boston port until the colonists paid for the destroyed tea, the royal governor of Massachusetts was given more power and more soldiers were sent to the colonies under the command of Thomas Gage.

The First Continental Congress meets

1774

The Committee of Correspondence held a meeting among all of the colonies; twelve colonies were represented. The group decided to stop all trade with England and agreed to start training a militia of ordinary people.

Patrick Henry’s Speech 1775

 Patrick Henry gave a

brilliant speech that inspired many to fight the British. One famous phrase from the speech was, “Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”

 

VOCABULARY TAX: To require people to pay a

percentage of income, property value, etc. for the support of a government

  QUARTERING: Providing of lodging and

living arrangements for soldiers.

MILITIA: An army composed of citizens rather than professional soldiers called in time of emergency.

  PATRIOTS: Colonists who rebelled

against the British in the thirteen colonies.  LOYALIST: a person who remains loyal

to the British government.  

REPEALED: The removal of a law when it is

no longer effective. 

MINUTEMEN: Members of teams of select men from the American colonial militia during the American Revolutionary War. They provided a highly mobile, rapidly deployed force that allowed the colonies to respond immediately to threats of fellow soldiers in the war, hence the name.