TOWARD INDEPENDENCE

1
TOWARD INDEPENDENCE

• Quartering Act Cost saving measure that Britain
  used that required colonists to house soldiers in
  their homes and provide them with supplies.
• Sugar Act Placed a tax on sugar, molasses, and
  other products shipped to the colonies.
• Stamp Act Required all legal and commercial
  documents to carry an official stamp showing that
  a tax had been paid.

2
What were points of conflict?
Illegal Search Warrants
Sugar Act in 1764

Conflict Areas
Stamp Act in 1765
Quartering Act in 1765
3
Colonist Begin to Protest

• Colonist merchants began a boycott of British
  goods.
• Secret societies began to form
• Sons of Liberty - Many were lawyers, merchants,
  and craftspeople - those most affected by the
  Stamp Act.
• Parliament repealed the Stamp Act, but imposed
  the Declaration Act - This gave parliament
  supreme authority to govern the colonies.

4
More British Actions

• Townshend Acts Placed taxes on goods such as
  glass, paper, paint, lead, and tea.
• In order to enforce the act, British officers use
  writs of assistance to enter homes or businesses
  to search for smuggled goods.
• Colonist saw the Townshend Acts as a serious
  threat to their rights and freedoms.

5
Tools of Protest

• To protest the Townshend Acts, colonists formed
  another boycott of British goods.
• This boycott was formed by Samuel Adams - Leader
  of the Sons of Liberty.
• Sons of Liberty pressured shopkeepers not to sell
  imported goods.
• Daughters of Liberty called on colonists to weave
  their own cloth and use American products.

6
The Boston Massacre

• On March 5, 1770, a group of youth and dock
  workers - including Crispus Attucks started
  trading insults in front of the Custom House. A
  fight broke out, and the soldiers began firing.
  Attucks and four laborers were killed. Crispus
  Attucks became the first man to die in the
  Revolutionary War.
• Sons of Liberty called the shooting the Boston
  Massacre.

7
The Tea Act

• Colonist were unaware that on the day of the
  Boston Massacre, Parliament proposed a repeal of
  the Townshend Acts. This eased the crisis for
  most Americans at the time.
• In 1773, Parliament opened an old wound by
  passing the Tea Act.
• The Tea Act gave the British East India Company
  control over the American tea trade.

8
The Tea Act Continued.

• The Tea Act caused protests all over the
  colonies.
• In Charleston SC, colonist unloaded tea and let
  it rot on the docks.
• In Philadelphia, they blocked tea ships from
  landing.
• In Boston, the Sons of Liberty organized what is
  known as the Boston Tea Party.

9
Boston Tea Party

• December 16, 1773, a group of men disguised as
  Indians boarded three tea ships and destroyed 342
  chests of tea.
• Many colonist rejoiced about the tea party, and
  thought it would show Britain how much they
  opposed taxation without representation.

10
Boston Tea Party

• Because of the Boston Tea Party many in Britain
  called for the Americans to be knocked about
  their ears.
• King George III said, We must master them or
  totally leave them to themselves and treat them
  like aliens.
• Britain decided to Master the colonies and
  passed a series of laws to punish the colonists.

11
The Intolerable Acts

• British called these new laws the Coercive Acts,
  but they were so harsh that the colonist called
  them the Intolerable Acts.
• Closed the port of Boston - Until tea paid for.
• Allowed Britain once again to house troops
  wherever necessary.
• Let British officials accused of crimes to stand
  trial in Britain.

12
First Continental Congress

• In September 1774, delegates from all colonies
  except Georgia met in Philadelphia.
• Called for each colony to begin training troops.
• Voted to ban all trade with Britain until the
  Intolerable Acts ended.
• This meeting planted the seed for a future
  independent government.

13
The Road to Lexington and Concord

• The colonist had hoped that the trade boycott
  would cause Britain to end the Intolerable Acts,
  instead it caused tighter control and Britain
  sent more troops.
• Patrick Henry was one believed that this would
  all cause a war. He said Give me Liberty or
  give me death.

14
The Midnight Ride

• Sam Adams built a spy network to keep watch over
  British activities.
• Britain had their spies also. They learned that
  the Mass. Militia was storing arms and
  ammunitions in Concord, about 20 miles from
  Boston. He also heard that Sam Adams and John
  Hancock were in Lexington. Gen. Gage ordered
  their arrest.

15
The Midnight Ride

• The Sons of Liberty were prepared.
• Paul Revere and William Dawes were responsible to
  alert the colonist if the British were coming.
• If one lantern burned in the North Church
  steeple, the troops were coming by land If two,
  they were coming by water.
• Revere, Dawes and Dr. Samuel Prescott (who joined
  them in Lexington) spread the news all the way to
  Concord.

16
Lexington

• April 19, 1775, 700 troops reached Lexington.
  They found Captain John Parker and about 70
  militiamen waiting.
• They ordered the militia to put down their guns
  but they refused.
• No one knows who fired first, but within a few
  minutes eight militiamen were dead.

17
On to Concord

• After the fight in Lexington, the British marched
  to Concord and destroyed military supplies. A
  battle broke out at the north bridge, forcing the
  British to retreat.
• Nearly 4,000 Minutemen and militiamen had arrived
  in the area and lined the road between Concord
  and Lexington.
• They peppered the Redcoats with musket fire and
  forced the British back to Boston
• 74 British dead, 200 wounded or missing
• 49 Colonist dead, 41 wounded.

18
Lexington and Concord

• First battle of the War.
• Ralph Waldo Emerson later wrote that colonial
  troops had fired the shot heard round the
  world.
• Colonist would now have to choose a side, those
  who supported Britain were called Loyalists,
  those who sided with the rebels were Patriots.

19
Declaring Independence

• After Lexington and Concord, militiamen from
  Mass. and other colonies began gathering -
  numbers reached 20,000.
• In order to gain needed supplies, Ethan Allen led
  the Green Mountain Boys in an attack of Britains
  Fort Ticonderoga.they seized the fort and large
  supply of artillery (cannon and large guns).

20
Second Continental Congress

• On May 10, 1775 the Second Continental Congress
  began meeting in Philadelphia.
• They agreed to form the Continental Army and
  named George Washington as the commanding
  General.

21
Battle of Bunker Hill

• Britain won the battle but 1,000 men were killed
  or wounded.
• Moral victory for Patriots.
• Actually fought on Breeds Hill.

22
Last Hope for Peace

• In July 1775, Congress drafted the Olive Branch
  Petition. It asked George III to restore harmony
  between Britain and Colonists.
• King George III rejected and announced new
  measures to punish. - Blocked American Ports -
  Hired thousands of Hessians to fight for Britain.

23
Common Sense

• Written by Thomas Paine
• Made a strong case for American Independence.
• Called George III the Royal Brute.
• Sold 100,000 copies in three months.

24
Decision Time

• May 1776, congress passed resolution allowing all
  13 colonies to establish its own government.
• June 7, Richard Henry Lee introduced a resolution
  calling for free and independent states
• Congress debated the resolution but did not vote.
  - Appointed a committee to draft a Declaration of
  Independence.

25
Declaration of Independence

• Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman,
  Robert Livingston and Thomas Jefferson were the
  appointed committee.
• Jefferson was chose to write it for two reasons
  1) He was a very good writer. 2) He was from
  Virginia.
• July 2, 1776 - Congress passed Lees resolution.
• July 4, 1776 - Congress signs Declaration of
  Independence.

26
Five Parts of the Declaration of Independence

• Preamble - Announces the reason for doc.
• Rights of the People
• List of unfair acts of George III
• Actions taken to avoid Declaration.
• Declaration of Independence from Britain.