American Revolution Pt.1 Flashcards
British-French Rivalry
Britain and France hated each other for centuries. In North America the two countries argued over who owned the Ohio River Valley. Most of the Native Americans sided with the French who just wanted to trade while the British wanted to take land from the natives.
Colonists Take Action
Under the lead of 21 year old George Washington, 150 colonists fought a small battle with the French near the Ohio River, but were defeated. Benjamin Franklin suggested the colonies become a unit under the Albany Plan of Union so they could be stronger against the French. But this failed.
The French and Indian War
In 1756 Britain officially declared war on France and her allies. Although the British lost a majority of their forts at the beginning of the battle, the tide turned whenever William Pitt took charge. Pitt decided that Britain would pay for the war no matter the cost, and after the war, make the colonists pay their fair share.
End of the War
After the British captured the cities of Quebec and Montreal, France surrendered. France signed the Treaty of Paris of 1763, and gave the Ohio River Valley to the British. King George III, however, issued the Proclamation of 1763 that did not allow the colonists to cross the Appalachian Mountains.
Effects of the French & Indian War
After the French and Indian War, the British were in debt and needed money. The British decided to pass more taxes on the colonists and punish the colonists who smuggled goods. The colonists began to greatly dislike the British.
British Taxes
1763, the Sugar Act actually lowered the tax on sugar but allowed officers to take goods from smugglers without having to go to court.
In 1765, the Stamp Act placed a tax on all paper goods in the colonies.
In 1766, the Declaratory Act declared that Parliament had the right to tax colonists if they wanted.
In 1767, the Townshend Act taxed glass, tea, paper, and lead and also in 1767, the Writs of Assistance which allowed British officers to search any location for smuggled goods.
Colonists Reaction
The colonists were furious with these taxes because they were being taxed without having any vote in the British Government. The colonists rally cry was “No Taxation Without Representation!” and believed in consent of the
governed. Samuel Adams formed the Sons of Liberty in Boston to protest the taxes by boycotting British goods.
The Boston Massacre
In 1770, British troops and colonists in Boston Massachusetts got into a fight in which 5 colonists were killed. The event was engraved by Paul Revere and used as propaganda to get the colonists to hate the British. Crispus Attucks was the first of the 5 colonists to be killed.
Committee of Correspondence
The Committee of Correspondence was a group dedicated to informing other colonies of the Boston Massacre and other events. Mercy Otis Warren wrote many of the pieces of the propaganda against the British. Abigail Adams also wrote for the Patriot cause and for women’s rights.
The Boston Tea Party
In 1773, to protest the Tea Act, Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty dumped over a million dollars worth of British tea into Boston Harbor. Civil Disobedience is protesting peacefully to make a point. King George lll was furious and passed the Intolerable Acts which closed the Boston Harbor until the colonists paid back the money for the tea. The king also forced the colonists to house, or quarter, British Redcoats.
