Lesson 2.03 & 2.04 Hand Out

Following the French & Indian War, Britain passed the Proclamation of 1763, which banned the colonists from moving west into the Ohio River Valley. Many ignored the proclamation and continued to settle in those forbidden lands. But they could not ignore the next action the British took: the Stamp Act of 1765.

The Stamp Act required that every piece of paper sold in the colonies, from pamphlets to playing cards, have a revenue stamp. The colonists complained that the British had never imposed such a tax on Americans before. Angry colonists boycotted British goods. Some even rioted in protest. As the riots and boycotts continued, the British were forced to give in. Less than a year after the Stamp Act came into effect, the British Parliament repealed the tax law. But Parliament soon approved other duties and taxes, and tensions mounted in the colonies. Britain sent troops to Boston to maintain order and enforce its taxes.

On March 5, 1770, an angry mob in Boston gathered around nine British soldiers, or redcoats. The crowd began to taunt them and threaten them with wooden clubs and sticks. When their shouts did not provoke the soldiers, the crowd threw ice at them, and some in the crowd even yelled "fire!" When a colonist named Richard Palmes struck a soldier with a club, a shot finally rang out. Other shots quickly followed. Some witnesses later claimed that Captain Thomas Preston, the commander of the British troops, ordered his soldiers to fire. Others said the soldiers fired their weapons on their own. The soldiers themselves said their shooting was in self-defense. When the smoke cleared, five colonists lay dead or dying.

Samuel Adams, one of the leaders of the anti-British protests, saw an opportunity in this tragedy. He and his allies began calling the incident "The Boston Massacre." They helped arouse further anger against the British with articles and pictures that described British soldiers shooting at unarmed civilians. The British tried to calm the colonists by bringing the soldiers to trial. In the end, juries made up of colonists ruled that Preston and most of his men had fired in self-defense. Only two of Preston's soldiers were convicted. But they were only found guilty of manslaughter. The trials helped calm American anger.

Parliament also tried to appease the colonies by repealing all the duties it had enacted, except one. England would not overturn the tax on tea (Tea Tax). The colonists boycotted and on the night of December 16, 1773, the Sons of Liberty took a further step. A group of men disguised as Native Americans boarded an English ship that was docked in Boston. Then they dumped 342 cases of tea into the harbor.

The king was furious with the colonists, and Parliament passed a set of laws called the Coercive Acts. The colonists called them "The Intolerable Acts" because they were so severe. The Intolerable Acts closed Boston's port, reduced the power of town meetings, and increased the authority of British royal officials. The king had hoped the colonists would give in to his power. Instead they continued to resist. Delegates from many colonies met in the first Continental Congress in the fall of 1774. They demanded that Britain remove the Intolerable Acts. But the British refused. The next spring, the British sent troops to the town of Concord to seize a supply of weapons. On the way to Concord, the British soldiers met 70 militiamen in the town of Lexington. A shot was fired, the first shot of the American Revolution. More shots rang out, and eight colonists died. The British continued to Concord but met more militia and more fighting. They were forced to retreat. Militia troops from nearby towns fired on the British during the long retreat to Boston, killing and wounding many soldiers.

In May 1775, the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia to discuss what to do. Some delegates wanted to remain loyal to Britain, others wanted independence, and others were undecided. But most knew war was on the horizon. The Second Continental Congress selected John Hancock as its president. Hancock was one of the richest colonists. He used his wealth to fund the Sons of Liberty in his home state of Massachusetts. The Second Continental Congress also selected George Washington as the commander of the Continental Army. In an attempt to avoid a full-scale war, the Congress sent King George the Olive Branch Petition. In it, the colonists asked the King to protect their rights and told the King that they wanted peace. King George rejected their petition and began preparing for war.

In January 1776, Thomas Paine published a pamphlet called Common Sense. In it, he inspired many Americans to want to break away from Britain and declare independence. He framed the complaints of the colonists to be about a quest for freedom and not just about taxes.

The rejection of the Olive Branch Petition and the growing move toward independence led the Second Continental Congress to act. On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee from Virginia proposed independence. While debating the issue, the Congress appointed a committee to draft the Declaration of Independence. Members of this committee included Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Robert R. Livingston of New York, and John Adams of Massachusetts. Thomas Jefferson, the youngest member, wrote the document. Adams and Franklin made edits to his original draft.

The colonists had several reasons or grievances against Britain. They can be broken down into three areas; economic, courts, and government.

Economic Courts Government  Cutting off of trade  No trial by jury  Refusing to pass laws for  Unfair taxes  Judge paid by King the public good.  Moving trials to Britain  Taking away of colonial laws.

Finally, on July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence. Colonists circulated copies of the Declaration of Independence following the vote. George Washington had it read to his troops to inspire them to fight for a new cause. Celebrations in the colonies followed the news.