Tar and Feathering The Stamp Act Required colonists

Tar and Feathering

The Stamp Act • Required colonists to purchase special stamped paper for every legal document. • Taxed playing cards and dice. Colonies Reacted • Samuel Adams & “Sons of Liberty” • Harassing stamp agents • Stamp Act Congress • No importation Britain Responded • Repealed Stamp Act… …but… Issued Declaratory Act in its place.

The Townshend Acts • Indirect taxes (duties) on imported materials • 3 penny tax on tea Colonies Reacted • Rage • Stopped buying British luxuries Britain Responded • Seized ships of local merchants. • Placed British soldiers in Boston.

The Boston Massacre (March 5, 1770)

Tea Act % British East India Co. : § Monopoly on British tea imports. § Many members of Parliament held shares. § Permitted the Company to sell tea directly to colonies w/o middlemen (cheaper tea!) % Lord North expected the colonies to eagerly choose the cheaper tea. Colonists React…

Boston Tea Party (1775) British respond…

The Intolerable Acts (1774) 1. Port Bill-closed Boston Harbor 2. New Quartering Act Lord North 3. Martial Law

Committees of Correspondence Purpose �warn neighboring colonies about incidents with Br. �broaden the resistance movement.

First Continental Congress (1774) 55 delegates from 12 colonies Agenda How to respond to the new acts placed on colonies. 1 vote per colony represented.

Olive Branch Petition (1775)

Thomas Paine: Common Sense 15 -page pamphlet that clearly explained all the reasons the colonies should become independent of the British king. This pamphlet was distributed

The British Are Coming. . . Paul Revere & William Dawes make their midnight ride to warn the Minutemen of approaching British soldiers.

The Shot Heard ’Round the World! Lexington & Concord – April 18, 1775

Declaration of Independence (1776)

Independence Hall

New National Symbols