American Revolution Causes Unit 4 Causes of the

American Revolution Causes Unit 4

Causes of the American Revolution

King George III 1760 -1801 • Feared that the loss of one group of colonies would lead to the loss of another. • Maintained an aggressive policy against colonial resistance.

Mercantilism • Carefully controlling trade • Britain made it where the colonies could only trade with Britain and no one else. • Colonies were expected to be a source of raw materials for the “mother country” • Colonies were also expected to be the purchasers of manufactured goods from Britain

Proclamation of 1763 • British Parliament Law • Colonists were forbidden to settle west of the Appalachian mountains • Britain wanted a buffer zone between colonists and Native Americans • Colonists wanted to settle in the fertile Ohio River Valley

Stamp Act - 1765 • Required that all legal documents have an official stamp showing a tax had been paid. • British used this to make money after the French and Indian war. • The problem with this is that the colonists had absolutely no say in the taxes.

Civil disobedience • This is considered going against the government or rulers of the time. • The colonists decided to boycott British goods. • Boycott means refuse to buy. • The protests and demonstrations were considered civil disobedience.

Lack of Representation in Parliament • Since the colonies were formed, little systems of representative government had began. • Colonists were unhappy with Britain’s insistence of Parliament’s supremacy (taxation). • Colonists did not have direct representation in Parliament. • The slogan – “No Taxation without Representation” became popular throughout the colonies.

Patrick Henry • A member of the Virginia House of Burgesses • Spoke out against the Stamp Act • Famous quote, “Give me Liberty or give me death!” spread throughout the colonies during the war.

Townshend Acts - 1767 • Taxed imported glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea. • The money for these duties (taxes) paid for military costs and the salaries of colonial governors. • To enforce this, British officials used writs of assistance. • This allowed tax collectors to search for smuggled goods without a warrant.

Boston Massacre - 1770 • Tensions exploded between colonists and British troops sent to keep order. • A crowd gathered around a group of soldiers. • Colonists were shouting insults, throwing snowballs. • The mob grew louder and angrier. • Suddenly, soldiers fired into the crowd killing several colonist.

Propaganda • What makes this an example of propaganda? • One-sided (bias) • Made the British look like they had been ordered. • Colonists are fleeing

Tea Act - 1773 • To reduce tension in the colonies, Parliament repealed most of the Townshend Acts. • It kept a tax on British East India Tea. • The colonists were smuggling tea. • Britain made a deal with the British East India Company. • This made the smuggled tea more expensive than the British tea.

Boston Tea Party - 1773 • A political protest • Sons of Liberty • Men dressed as Native Americans dumped 342 chests of tea in the Boston Harbor. • Soon the streets echoed with shouts of “Boston Harbor is a teapot tonight!” • This was considered an act of civil disobedience.

Coercive/Intolerable Acts - 1774 • These acts were passed in response to the Boston Tea Party. • Boston Harbor was closed • Massachusetts charter was cancelled • Royal officials accused of crimes were sent to Britain for trial • Quartering Act – forced colonists to quarter troops • General Thomas Gage became the new governor of Massachusetts.

Tensions finally boil over.