“No taxation without representation!”

1. “No taxation without representation!” Actions that led to the Revolutionary War

2. Warm Up What would you do if your favorite clothes suddenly cost three times as much as it did the last time you bought it?

3. I. TAXES A. Britain was in debt after winning the French and Indian War. The British felt that the colonists had benefited from the war, so they should help pay for it.

4. B. Sugar Act Taxed sugar and molasses

5. C. Stamp Act 1. The Stamp Act required a stamp showing tax was paid on legal documents, licenses, newspapers, pamphlets, and even playing cards.

6. 2. Protesting the Stamp Act a. Many colonists refused to buy the necessary stamps and boycotted the goods

7. b. Samuel Adams claimed that the British government had no right to put taxes on the colonists since there were no colonial representatives in Parliament.

8. This idea became shortened to the popular phrase: No taxation without representation

9. c. Stamp Act Congress – 9 colonies sent representatives to discuss how to protest the Stamp Act The Stamp Act Congress issued a declaration that the Stamp Act violated the colonists’ rights as Englishmen

10. 3. Because of pressure from the colonists and from English merchants (who were annoyed that the colonists were not buying their stuff), Parliament repealed (canceled) the Stamp Act

11. D. The Townshend Acts 1. Taxed glass, paper, paint, lead, & tea

12. 2. To make sure the taxes were collected, British officials used the writs of assistance, which allowed tax collectors to board any ship at any time for any reason

13. 3. Colonists once again boycotted British goods

14. II. COLONISTS RESPOND A. Colonists boycotted goods to protest taxes B. Colonists formed Committees of Correspondence to connect the colonies and inform each other of unfair British laws and actions

15. C. The secret society, The Sons of Liberty, was formed to take action against the British.

16. The Sons of Liberty performed hangings in effigy, threatened tax collectors and governors, and organized colonial protests

17. Colonial cartoon depicting the tar and feathering of a tax collector (customs official)

18. D. Colonists began writing poems and essays criticizing British actions. Mercy Otis Warren even wrote a play making fun of British officials in Massachusetts, including the royal governor.

19. III. THE TEA ACT….ONE TAX TOO MANY A. Parliament passed the Tea Act to lower the price on tea

20. B. Colonists were so distrustful of Parliament, that they thought it was a trick to make them accept Parliament’s right to make laws for them

21. C. Colonists boycotted tea Instead of drinking tea, colonists drank “liberty tea” made of herbs and spices from the colonies or they drank coffee

22. IV. THE BOSTON TEA PARTY A. A ship, the Dartmouth, brought tea to unload at the Boston harbor B. The colonists demanded that the ship leave the harbor without unloading the tea

23. C. The governor refused to let the ship leave D. Led by the Sons of Liberty, Boston colonists decided to take matters into their own hands

24. E. 50 or 60 colonists dressed as Native Americans and boarded the Dartmouth E. F. The “Indians” destroyed the tea by throwing it into the harbor. No one was hurt, but the tea was completely gone.

25. V. Britain’s response to the Boston Tea Party – The Intolerable Acts A. The Intolerable Acts were laws passed to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party and to show other colonies what might happen to them if they protested

26. B. The Intolerable Acts included….. 1. Closed the port of Boston 2. Took away the charter of Massachusetts and eliminated town meetings

27. 3. Dishonest royal officials were taken back to Britain and tried

28. 4. The Quartering Act meant that colonists had to house British soldiers in their own homes http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/perspectives/military.html

29. 5. General Thomas Gage became the new governor of Massachusetts

30. C. The Intolerable Acts had the opposite effect on the colonies from what Britain was hoping. The colonies banned together to help Massachusetts.

31. D. Colonies even sent representatives to the First Continental Congress. http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/cox_corr/g_exp/first_continental.htm

32. The first Continental Congress… • Agreed to boycott all British goods • 2. Encouraged each colony to form its own militia

33. VI. Boston Massacre A. Tensions were building between the colonists and the soldiers B. In March 1770, a colonist and a soldier got into an argument outside the customs house in Boston

34. C. The crowd got larger and more soldiers were called in D. The colonists began throwing snowballs, rocks, lobster shells, and ice at the soldiers

35. E. To everyone’s surprise, a shot rang out F. Thinking they were being fired on, the soldiers fired into the crowd, killing 5 civilians

36. G. Samuel Adams used the killing of five civilians as propaganda against the British and called it the “Boston Massacre”

37. VII. Patriots vs. Loyalists A. Some colonists were angry with Britain and ready to act. But many still felt loyal to Britain and were unwilling to go too far.

38. Patriots believed that British taxes, laws and policies had become oppressive. Most important, they believed the time had come to resist British policy by force of arms. Loyalists were loyal to King George III and Great Britain. They believed that they prospered as a colony of Great Britain. Patriot or Loyalist?

39. Minutemen B. In New England the men began arming themselves. They were called Minutemen because they could be ready to fight in a minute. Some practiced fighting and marching with wooden guns. Others had real guns.