Chapter 5 Section 4 To Arms

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Chapter 5 Section 4To Arms!
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The Tea Act

• In 1773, Parliament found itself involved in new
  trouble with its North American colonies.
• Trouble arose because of the East India Company,
  which many members of Parliament owned stock in.
• In 1773, the East India Company had more than 15
  million pounds of tea sitting unsold in
  warehouses.
• Colonists refused to buy the tea because of the
  small tax that was kept on it after the repeal of
  the Townshend Acts.

3

• Parliament passed the Tea Act of 1773 to help the
  East India Company. This let the East India
  Company ignore colonial tea merchants and sell
  its tea directly to the colonial stores. This
  would actually lower the cost of East India tea
  to the colonists!
• Colonists protested the Tea Act. They said that
  colonial tea merchants would be driven out of
  business.
• They also believed that this was a British trick
  to make them accept the tax.
• Colonists responded with a boycott of East India
  Tea.

4
The Boston Tea Party

• In November, 1773, three ships carrying East
  India tea arrived in Boston harbor.
• The governor of MA ordered that the tea be
  unloaded so the tax could be paid.
• Members of the Sons of Liberty, dressed up like
  Indians, marched down to Boston Harbor, and
  dumped the tea into the harbor.
• The Boston Tea Party was a protest by the Sons of
  Liberty against the tea act.

5
The Intolerable Acts

• The British were shocked by what they saw as
  Bostons lawless behavior.
• In response, Parliament passed a series of laws
  that were called the Intolerable Acts in the
  colonies.
• Parliament passed the Intolerable Acts to punish
  the city of Boston for the Boston Tea Party
• (1)The port of Boston was shut down-no boats
  could enter or leave
• (2) Town meetings in Massachusetts were banned
• (3) British officials accused of crimes in
  Massachusetts could be tried in Britain
• (4) A new, tougher Quartering Act was passed to
  support the stationing of more troops in the city
  of Boston

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The First Continental Congress

• Colonial response to the Intolerable Acts came
  quickly food and supplies came into Boston from
  all parts of the Colonies.
• In addition, all the colonies (except Georgia)
  sent delegates to a meeting in Philadelphia that
  became known as the First Continental Congress in
  September, 1774.
• The First Continental Congress agreed to
• Boycott British goods until the Intolerable Acts
  were lifted
• Send a petition to King George III of common
  principles and grievances of the Colonies
• Urge each colony to set up and train its own
  militia, or citizens trained to fight in an
  emergency.
• Meet again in May, 1775.

7
The Shot Heard Round the World

• In Massachusetts, minutemen, or citizens who
  could be ready to fight in a minutes notice,
  trained in military tactics.
• By early 1775, 4000 British troops were in
  Boston. In April, 1775, General Gage, the
  British commander, planned a surprise march to
  Concord, about 18 miles west of Boston to seize
  supplies of arms that the colonists were storing
  there.