Chapter 1, Section 3

1. The American Revolution Chapter 1, Section 3

2. Growing Rebelliousness • Big Ideas: • Unpopular British Laws led to colonial protests and eventually violence. • The British felt that additional taxes were necessary to pay for the increasing costs of safeguarding the colonies.

3. Growing Rebelliousness • The French & Indian War • The British and French fought for control of the Ohio River Valley. • French control of the region would prevent the colonials from expanding westward.

4. Growing Rebelliousness • Fighting alongside the British forces were natives of the Iroquois Confederacy. • The French had the aid of many different tribes including their longtime allies the Algonquin.

5. Growing Rebelliousness • In the end, the British were successful. • The Treaty of Paris of 1763 made Britain the premiere power in North America. • Spain allied with France, so with victory, Britain also gained control of Florida.

6. Growing Rebelliousness • Unpopular Regulations • In order to prevent another war, Parliament passed the Proclamation act of 1763. • This was enacted to prevent westward colonial expansion into Native American lands. • This ticked off western farmers.

7. Growing Rebelliousness • Unpopular Regulations • Colonials were supposed to be paying customs duties, taxes on imports and exports, but were dodging those fees by smuggling goods past customs. • Intended to make up that lost revenue, the Sugar Act of 1764 raised taxes on imports of raw sugar and molasses. • This made the merchants very upset.

8. Growing Rebelliousness • The quartering act of 1765 also forced colonials to house British troops. • The Stamp Actof 1765 was the most upsetting to the colonials; it was the first direct tax on the colonies. • Nearly all printed materials were taxed. • A boycott led to the repeal of the Act in 1766.

9. Growing Rebelliousness • The Townshend Acts • These acts placed duties on all imported glass, lead, paper, paint, and tea. It also gave customs officers the power to arrest smugglers. • Protests over these acts lead to the Boston Massacre. • Again, these taxes were repealed except for the tax on tea.

10. The Road to War • Big Ideas: • The British were frustrated by the unwillingness of the colonies to accept new taxes and regulations. • The British responded to colonial protests by first repealing laws and imposing new and more restrictive ones. • It was the British laws, regulations, and reprisals that gave the colonies something they could all rally around.

11. The Road to War • The Colonists Defy Britain • British taxes and regulations served to unite the colonies. • Thomas Jefferson encouraged the creation of committees of correspondenceto coordinate strategies for dealing with Britain.

12. The Road to War • In response to the Boston Tea Party, Parliament implemented the Coercive Acts which closed the Port of Boston, moved 2,000 troops into New England, and banned town meetings. • The Brits also introduced the Quebec Act which expanded Quebec’s boundaries into colonial territory. • The Coercive and Quebec Acts became known as the Intolerable Acts.

13. The Road to War • One of the most prominent voices for independence from Great Britain was Thomas Paine. • In his pamphlet “Common Sense,” Paine urged the colonies to break away from England.

14. The Road to War • Revolution Begins • After the passage of the Intolerable Acts, the First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia, June 1774. • The delegates decided on a plan to boycott British goods and to meet again in 1755.

15. The Road to War • A rebellion first began when Massachusetts elected John Hancock as their leader and began training a militia, defying their British appointed governor. • A special unit of minute-men were trained to raise the alarm at a minute’s warning.

16. The Road to War • Colonists started choosing sides with some staying loyal to the King, some siding with the rebel patriots, and some trying to stay out of it all together. • The first battle took place at Lexington as British troops passed through on their way to Concord to seize patriot weapons being stored there.

17. The Road to War • The Decision for Independence • As conflict escalated and the hopes for a compromise vanished, the Continental Congress adopted The declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776.

18. The War for Independence • Big Ideas: • George Washington waged a war of attrition. • While the continentals didn’t win many battles, they succeeded in wearing down the British forces. • The new United States received overt military help from France and covert help from Spain.

19. The War for Independence • The British managed to captured New York and Philadelphia, but the Continental Army surprised the British forces by capturing their forces at Saratoga. • This surprising victory encouraged France to openly fight against Britain, and France became the first nation to formally recognize the United States.

20. The War for Independence • The Americans and their allies achieved an end to the war by forcing the surrender of General Lord Cornwallis in Yorktown, Virginia in 1781. • The Peace Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783 granting the US its independence as well as giving Florida back to Spain and making concessions to France.