Causes of the American Revolution

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Causes of the American Revolution

• To

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Objectives of the presentation

• Students will identify the major events that led
  to the American Revolution and how these events
  caused problems
• Students will be able to describe the cause and
  effect between the events to show how they are
  connected.
• Students will identify the major people
  associated with the start of the Revolution

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The French and Indian War
VS.

• We like England now-lets beat the French!!!!

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So, why did England and France fight in North
America in 1756??

• Both wanted the land known as the Ohio River
  Valley
• Problems between loyal Indian Tribes
• Face it these two countries hate each other-they
  have already fought 3 main wars in the last 100
  years so it was only a matter of time

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Quick overview of war

• War started by British Captain George Washington
• France winning war at early stages
• Turning point of war came when British Prime
  Minister Pitt decides to sink a lot of money to
  beat the French
• Final result of the war is England wins

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Terms of Peace

• Treaty that officially ends war is the Treaty of
  Paris
• England received all of Canada, 13 colonies,
  Florida (from Spain), and the Ohio River Valley
• Spain was given French Louisiana in exchange for
  Florida
• France lost everything in North America

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Long term effects of the war

• England is broke-who will pay for the war??
• France is really really mad-a little revenge
  wanted
• US now feels secure since our enemy is off our
  shores-we begin to feel that we no longer need
  England for anything anymore-this will make us
  more likely to question them

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Problems begin

• The road to the Revolution now begins

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The Proclamation of 1763
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What was this????
Pontiacs Rebellion

• A document issued by the British government that
  forbid all colonist from settling in the Ohio
  River Valley (any land West of the Appalachain
  Mountains)
• This was issued soon after Pontiacs Rebellion

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Why does England issue this

• 1) Colonist who were going west were being hurt
  by Indians-they demanded protection which would
  cost England money
• 2) Smooth things with Indians
• 3)

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Colonist reaction

• Colonist feel betrayed after this. After all
  didnt we fight the French and Indian War so we
  could get this land?
• We see this as another form of British
  control-they are now trying to tell us where we
  can live

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The Taxes begin

• Our already tense situations is going to get worse

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Two types of taxes

• Direct taxes
• Taxes you pay and you know exactly what you are
  paying
• Hard to change because people know what they are
  paying
• Example-sales tax

• Indirect Taxes
• Taxes that are figured into the price of an
  object so you dont know what you are paying
• Easy to change since people dont know what they
  are paying in the first place
• Example is the tax on movie tickets

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The Sugar Act

• The Taxes begin

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What was the Sugar Act???

• This was an indirect tax-a tax figured in the
  price of goods (hidden tax)
• Creation of George Grenville
• Taxed all imported sugar and molasses coming into
  US

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Colonial reaction

• Since this was a indirect tax most colonist did
  not know the law existed so they did not care.
• Those who did know often got around the act by
  smuggling-this was on the increase.
• Good idea by Grenville because it was indirect
  but then he messes up

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The Quartering Act

• We are not talking about money here

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What was the Quartering Act

• British law saying the colonist would be
  responsible for housing and feeding British
  troops in colonies
• England feels that since the troops are there for
  the colonist benefit the colonist should shoulder
  the cost of the troops
• Did not have to put them in your home but you had
  to provide a place for them and if you could not
  build one then homes would be used
• Colonist see this as an invasion of privacy
  especially since we are not at war

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The Stamp Act

• OK Maybe just maybe this was a very bad idea!!!

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What was the Stamp Act

• A direct tax-means the colonist know they are
  paying it
• This will be a tax placed on any printed material
  (playing cards, legal papers, etc.)
• Affected all members of our society the rowdiest
  people to the most articulate of our society
• Grenville thought we would not react-he was wrong

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Colonial Reaction
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Colonist have three forms of reaction

• Sons of Liberty
• Letter to the king
• Colonial boycott
• Lets look at these individual

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The Sons of Liberty
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Who were the Sons of Liberty

• Organization of patriots formed by Sam Adams
• Group believed in doing whatever it took to end
  Stamp Act
• A violent group-the original American Mafia

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British Reaction to Sons of Liberty

• British do not like the Sons of Liberty because
  they are willing to do whatever to get their
  message across including violence
• As we get closer to the war we see that the
  actions of the Sons of Liberty actually hurt the
  colonist
• They do not do anything to help get rid of the
  Stamp Act

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Letter to the king

• Next we tried to petition the King asking for his
  help in protecting us from Parliament and the
  unfair taxes
• King turns a deaf ear towards our request
• Must now try something else

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The Boycott
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What is a boycott

• A boycott is an organized effort to refuse to buy
  goods or services from a place until a demand is
  met
• We refused to buy things from England until they
  repealed the Stamp Act
• Works well because England can not punish us for
  not buying things
• Problem-if everyone does not participate this
  will be a failure

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Boycott works!!!!!

• The American boycott begins to have a huge impact
  on British merchants as they lose lots of money
• Since these merchants could vote for Parliament
  they could tell them to either get rid of the
  Stamp Act or they would vote them out. It worked

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End of Stamp Act

• March 1766 Parliament repeals the Stamp
  Act-colonist cheer
• Colonist do not realize that at the same time
  Parliament passed the Declaratory Act. This will
  be a very poorly timed act and will cause some
  problems.

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The Declaratory Act

• Remember we are in charge and can do whatever we
  want

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What did this act do??

• Not a tax (unusual for England)
• The act basically said that England can do
  whatever they want to the colonies because they
  own them
• England does this to save their reputation after
  getting rid of the Stamp Act

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Reaction/Effects of the Act

• Colonist basically have no reaction to the
  Declaratory Act-too happy about the Stamp Act
  being repealed
• Long term this is a bad idea-if you need a law
  that says you have power you basically have no
  power.
• This act was England saying to the colonies-as
  long as you live in our house..

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The Townshend Acts
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What did this act do?

• The key statute levied import duties on glass,
  lead, paint, paper, and tea. Its purpose was to
  provide salaries for some colonial officials so
  that the colonial assemblies could not control
  them by withholding wages.
• Colonial reaction the same

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Colonist reaction

• Sons of Liberty once again decides to fight
  this-call this tax an Example of Taxation without
  Representation
• A second boycott is enacted-not as successful but
  it does work
• Parliament eventually repeals all of these taxes
  except the tax on tea since that was the most
  profitable

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The Boston Massacre

• Things get a little violent now

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What happened

• March 5, 1770 A group of colonist meet in from of
  a British Customs house and begin harassing
  British troops to get a reaction
• Mob begins throwing snowballs and then turns to
  throwing rocks, glass, bottles, etc. to get a
  reaction

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Troops respond? (Sort of)

• Troops begin to dodge the flying objects-one of
  the troops slipped on the snow and dropped his
  gun causing it to fire. Troops hearing a gun
  shot open fire
• British troops led by Captain Thomas Preston
• Result of the Massacre was 5 colonist dead
  including Crispus Atticks the first person to die
  in the Revolution

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What happened after the event

• British troops were placed on trial after this
  event. Troops were defended by John Adams
• Most of the troops were found not guilty
• This actually eases the tension between the
  British and Americans for a while

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The Tea Act

• OK let me get this straight-we help you by
  lowering the cost of tea and this is how you
  thank us???

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What the Tea Act did

• Tea Act actually lowered the cost of tea by
  allowing the East India Tea Company to sell tea
  directly to the colonies(eliminated middleman)
• Gave the East India Tea Company a monopoly in tea
  selling

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Why is this act passed

• Parliament passes this act to help the East India
  Tea Company
• Parliament thought the colonist would not really
  care about this act-since it actually helps the
  colonist
• Parliament was wrong

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Colonial reaction

• Colonist were very upset by this act for three
  main reasons
• 1) Since the East India Company had a monopoly
  they could raise their prices at any time
• 2) England now trying to control what we drink
• Hurt Colonial smugglers

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The Tea Party

• It sounded like a good idea

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What happened that night in Boston

• First of all Boston is not alone at their
  rebelling against tea-all major ports in US
  staged some sort of protest
• Governor of Mass-Thomas Hutchinson said that the
  tea would be unloaded and the law followed and he
  dared anyone to try and stop him-bad thing to say

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Colonist react

• The Sons of Liberty take the dare of Hutchinson
  and decide to do something
• In December 1773-colonist, dressed as Mohawk
  Indians, bored the ships that had the tea and
  begin to dump it overboard

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The Coercive Acts

• The British reaction to the Tea Party and will
  Boston pay

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Why is England so mad

• Several thousand dollars of tea was thrown into
  Boston harbor-costing the East India Tea Company
  lots of -members of Parliament who owned that
  company wanted revenge
• Since no one knew who exactly did this England
  decides to punish all of Mass. Through a series
  of acts called the Coercive Acts

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What the Coercive Acts said

• No ship could enter or leave Boston Harbor until
  tea was paid for
• Mass. Charter cancelled and no local meetings
  could happen without governors permission
• Trials involving British soldiers now to take
  place in England

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What Coercive Acts said (cont.)

• A new and more strict Quartering Act is placed on
  Mass.
• At the same time Thomas Hutchinson is replaced as
  governor by General Thomas Gage
• Colonist refer to these acts as the Intolerable
  Acts

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What are the reasons why England creates these
acts

• 1) Punish Boston to teach them a lesson and
  teach everyone else what will happen when you
  challenge the British
• 2) Break apart the colonial unity-maybe the rest
  of the colonies will take advantage of Bostons
  misfortune to make money for themselves

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Colonist respond

• Mass. Asks the other colonies for a meeting of
  all leaders
• Three months later all colonies except Georgia,
  send representatives to the First Continental
  Congress

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What did Congress decide to do

• Banned all trade with England until the repealed
  all of the Intolerable Acts
• colonist should begin to form militias
• agreed that if things were not improved by May
  1775 then they would meet again
• No talk of independence or war is discussed-we
  still wanted to be England
• Things do not get better

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Lexington and Concord

• You say you want a Revolution

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Why does England decide to go to Concord

• The British were in control of Boston however in
  the surrounding towns etc. the colonist ran the
  show-openly training
• Gage decided to send 700 troops to Concord to
  destroy the colonial arms and capture Sam Adams
  and John Hancock in Lexington on the way
• colonist found out of this plan-enter Paul Revere

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Paul Reveres Ride

• Colonial militia was known as the
  Minutemen-people who could be ready to fight in a
  moments notice
• In order for the militia to be successful they
  had to know of the upcoming battle
• enter the alarm riders-people who would ride to
  warn the colonist of the upcoming attack

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Revere (continued)

• One of several alarm riders the night before
  Concord
• Actually starts his ride with William Dawes
  although they are both captured at Lexington and
  Samuel Prescott actually finishes the ride
• Together with others they get the colonist ready
  for the next days battles

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Lexington

• First shots of war fired here
• Colonist trying to stall the British so Concord
  can get more prepared for upcoming battle
• No one expects shooting to occur here-it does and
  the war is on
• 8 colonist die-0 British troops

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Concord

• After Lexington the British move to Concord
• after the British had destroyed any supplies not
  hidden by the colonist they retreated back to
  Boston
• Colonist ambush the British as they move the 19
  miles to Boston-British suffer 270 casualties to
  the colonist 100