Revolutionary War Notes 2 Events Leading up to the War

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Revolutionary WarNotes 2Events Leading up to
the War
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1. Proclamation of 1763

• The Native Americans in the Ohio River Valley
  were still loyal to France after the
  French/Indian was over.
• So the Native Americans began to attack anyone
  trying to settle there (Ohio River Valley).
• The British govt didnt want another war to
  start, so they issued the Proclamation of 1763,
  which stated
• That the Ohio River Valley was to be set aside as
  an Indian Reservation and the colonists were not
  allowed to settle there.
• Colonial Reaction?
• Furious!
• They helped win the war - they want some of the
  rewards from the victory!

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2. Boston Massacre

• A mob of Boston colonists began to harass British
  troops in Boston by yelling at them and pelting
  them with snow and ice-balls.
• British troops panic in all the commotion and
  opened fire on the crowd.
• This is called a MASSACRE - but only 5 were
  killed.
• British troops were removed from Boston after the
  incident - that did not last too long though.
• John Adams (2nd Pres) defended the British
  soldiers on trial for the shootings.

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3.Stamp Act

• The British wanted the Americans to pick up some
  of the tab (expense) of the French/Indian War.
• Parliament (British Govt) decided to pass a
  small piece of legislation in which the Americans
  would have to pay a small tax on all printed
  items.
• The tax affected almost everyone in the colonies
• The American colonists were furious b/c
• It was TAXATION W/OUT REPRESENTATION! - meaning
  they were getting taxed by someone who did not
  represent THEIR best interests.
• Their tax money was going directly to Britain.

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4. Boston Tea Party

• Britain made a deal with the East Indies Tea
  Company to become the exclusive tea distributor
  of tea in the colonies - meaning they were the
  only country who could sell tea to the colonies.
  
• By doing this Britain was actually able to lower
  the overall tea price, but they added a tax.
• AHHHH OH!
• Bostonians are again so mad that they are being
  taxed without THEIR say (even though the tea is
  cheaper), that they begin to dump large
  quantities of tea into the Boston Harbor.

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5. Townshend Acts

• The Townshend Acts were thought up and named
  after British Prime Minister Charles Townshend.
• His idea was to put an indirect tax on paper,
  tea, and glass
• Indirect - what the heck does that mean?
• Tax on an entire shipment was collected at the
  seaport, so no tax would show up when colonists
  would buy individual items.
• The thought was that maybe the colonists would be
  too stupid to figure out what they did.
• They were not!
• The colonists became furious and again started to
  boycott British goods.

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6. Intolerable Acts

• The British wanted the colonists to pay
  (literally and figuratively) for the tea lost
  during the Boston Tea Party.
• So they set the up the following rules
• Closed Boston Port - no ships could come in or
  out (Which of course hurt trade).
• All legislative town meetings within
  Massachusetts were suspended.
• All of Massachusetts on military rule. British
  troops lined the streets of Boston once again.

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7. Quartering Act

• Quarter - give someone a place to stay.
• The colonists were required
• To quarter British troops by feeding them, and
  giving them beds - basically become a little
  hotel for the troops.
• The British argument was that the troops were
  there to protect the colonies and they should be
  properly taken care of.
• Colonial Belief
• The troops were not there to protect them, but to
  control them!

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8.1st Continental Congress

• The colonies said enough is enough. They decided
  to put aside their individual differences and
  they met in secret.
• 12 out of the 13 colonies sent representatives to
  presented complaints about the British (Delaware
  is the no show).
• After 7 weeks of deliberating
• A Declaration of colonial rights and demands was
  drawn up and sent to Parliament (British govt).
• The representatives knew that after the document
  was sent to Britain, there would be no turning
  back.

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9. Lexington Concord

• Parliament rejected everything put together by
  the Continental Congress.
• In 1775 British troops were sent to Lexington
  Concord to capture rebel leaders and hang them
  for treason against the King of England.
• Treason - the crime of betraying ones country.
• Paul Revere rode to warn the people
• The British are coming! The British are
  coming!
• A battle broke out
• 273 British killed
• 100 colonists killed
• The War had begun!

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