The French and Indian War England and France both had extensive land claims in North America. Both countries claimed the Ohio Valley territory as their own. In the 1750’s, the French sent troops to occupy the Ohio Valley. They built several forts west of the Appalachians to show that they planned to remain in the Ohio Valley to protect their land. One of the most famous forts was called Fort Duquesne. A young George Washington, a Colonel in the British Army, led 150 British militiamen to capture Fort Duquesne. Washington and his men were outnumbered and soon defeated by the French. The French sent Washington and his men back to British commanders with a message that the Ohio Valley belonged to the French. The British didn’t give up easily. They returned to Fort Duquesne with more troops. The British, as was their custom, marched in straight lines with much noise and fanfare. The French and their Indian allies hid behind rocks and trees. They fired on the British troops from their hiding places. The British were again defeated. The British did have some assistance from Native American groups. However, this assistance was not enough to help them defeat the French right away. The British continued to fight the French but mostly to the north, in Canada. The French were finally defeated and signed the Treaty of Paris in 1763. In this treaty, the French surrendered all of their land claims in North America.

Ohio Valley

Made with Love by: Jenifer Bazzit The Proclamation of 1763

A Proclamation is defined as “an official statement or announcement made by a person in power.”

As a result of the French and Indian War, the British drove the French out of North America. The British knew that the help they had received from Native Americans had helped them win the war. Native Americans made it clear that they were worried about the constant stream of new settlers into the west, past the Appalachian Mountains. To calm the fears of the Native Americans, King George III of England issued a royal proclamation. This proclamation was known as The Proclamation of 1763. It forbid colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains. King George III and Parliament were hoping that this proclamation would satisfy the Native Americans and reduce future Indian attacks. The Proclamation of 1763 angered the colonists. They argued that this new law showed that King George III of England was on the side of the Indians. Many colonists had already moved past the Proclamation Line and were not willing to give up their land and the settlements they had already created. The Proclamation of 1763 ultimately failed because of these reasons.

= Proclamation Line of 1763

Made with Love by: Jenifer Bazzit The Sugar Act

In 1764, the British Parliament passed the Sugar Act. This was a British law meant to raise money in the American Colonies. When this law began, England started to tax the colonists three pence per pound of sugar. Three pence was not much money at all, however, this new tax greatly angered colonists. The Sugar Act was the first direct tax that Parliament imposed on the American Colonies. England’s debt had grown considerably after the French and Indian War. Many in England argued that it was only fair that the colonists help pay for the French and Indian War because it was fought to protect colonial borders. While colonists were not particularly happy about paying the extra three pence per pound tax, they were more upset about a larger issue. There was no representation for the colonies in the British Parliament. The colonists argued that Parliament passed laws to tax them without giving them a voice or vote in Parliament. “No Taxation without Representation” was a new phrase heard throughout the colonies.

Made with Love by: Jenifer Bazzit The Stamp Act

After the French and Indian War, England sent troops to remain in the colonies to defend against Indian attacks and to prevent the French from trying to reclaim the land they had lost. Many people in England believed that the colonies should pay to help support these troops. After all, they were there to help the colonists. To support these troops, the British Parliament passed the Stamp Act in 1765. The Stamp Act required that a stamp purchased from the British government be placed on all important documents, such as court papers, almanacs, pamphlets, newspapers, and even playing cards. This special stamp showed that the tax had been paid on the paper item. The Stamp Act caused anger and resentment among the colonists. First, colonists were outraged that the British troops were stationed in the colonies at all AND that they had to pay for their upkeep. Second, colonists believed it was unfair to tax them when they had no representation in Parliament. Representatives from nine colonies met in New York City in 1765 in a meeting called the Stamp Act Congress. They declared that the colonies should not be taxed by Parliament. The only taxation they would accept would have to come from the assemblies elected by colonists themselves. Ships arriving from England carrying the stamps were met by mobs who destroyed the stamps. Some ship captains were forced to return to England with the stamps. The resistance of the colonists to use the stamps caused many businesses to be unable to operate. Parliament repealed the Stamp Act in March 1766.

One penny stamp used under the Stamp Act of 1765

Made with Love by: Jenifer Bazzit Committees of Correspondence

In the 1760’s and 1770’s, communication between towns and colonies took weeks. Sometimes people in other colonies never heard news at all. Samuel Adams, leader of the patriot rebel group, the Sons of Liberty, founded the first Committee of Correspondence. Many more committees were quickly formed throughout the colonies. The aim of these committees was to share information about each new issue faced in the developing crisis with England. The Committees of Correspondence were the first attempt of the American Colonies to maintain communication with one another. This communication helped to form bonds among the thirteen colonies that would help them later cooperate in the American Revolution. The relationship between the colonies and England was falling apart quickly. Eventually, each of the thirteen colonies formed a Committee of Correspondence to send out information and news about what their colony was doing to resist the British and end their unfair policies.

Made with Love by: Jenifer Bazzit The Townshend Acts

In 1767, the British Parliament passed several laws called the Townshend Acts. These laws were designed to help England raise money to cover the costs of the French and Indian War. The Townshend Acts were also a way to show that England had power over the colonies. They needed to reinforce their authority because their earlier attempt at taxing the colonists, the Stamp Act, had failed. The Townshend Acts placed taxes on items imported to the colonies from England, such as paper, glass, paint, and tea. The colonial assemblies could do very little to protest the new taxes and they had no representation in Parliament. Colonists did protest the Townshend Acts by holding public demonstrations to complain about the taxes. Colonists boycotted imports from England. This cost merchants in England a lot of money. Parliament decided to repeal, or cancel, the Townshend Acts in 1770 due to pressure from the colonies and from the British merchants who were losing money daily. All of the taxes were cancelled except for the tax on tea.

Made with Love by: Jenifer Bazzit The Boston Massacre

Tensions between England and the American Colonies were very high. Tensions in the city of Boston, Massachusetts were especially high. British soldiers had been occupying the city against the colonists’ wishes. There had been several small clashes between British soldiers and angry colonists in the months preceding the Boston Massacre. On March 5, 1770, a crowd of colonists confronted eight British soldiers on the streets of Boston. The colonists insulted and threatened the soldiers. Some of the colonists provoked the soldiers by throwing snowballs, sticks and stones, and calling them “lobster scoundrels.” When one soldier was hit by a flying object, he fired his musket, purposely or accidentally, we will never know. Although the British soldiers’ captain continued to yell, “Hold your fire,” several muskets were fired into the crowd. When the smoke cleared, five colonists lay dead and many more were seriously injured. John Adams, an outspoken patriot, defended the soldiers in court. He argued that the soldiers were provoked into firing into the group of colonists. Six of the soldiers were found not guilty. Two of the soldiers were allowed to go free after being branded on the thumbs for the crime of manslaughter. The Boston Massacre was certainly not a “massacre.” A true massacre is defined as “the violent killing of many people.” Colonial patriots used this event as propaganda to get more colonists on their side. When people in faraway colonies began to hear of the “out of control” British soldiers, support for the patriot cause and resistance of the British skyrocketed.

Made with Love by: Jenifer Bazzit The Tea Act/Boston Tea Party

The Tea Act was passed by Parliament in 1773. This new tax law was not designed to raise taxes in the colonies. The Tea Act was created to help the East India Company. The company was having great financial difficulty and had 18 million pounds of unsold tea. England allowed the East India Company to ship this tea to the colonies for sale. England gave the East India Company a monopoly on tea sales in the colonies. The fact that England gave the East India Company a monopoly on tea sales infuriated the colonists. When the ships loaded with tea arrived in the colonies, colonists in New York and Philadelphia refused the shipments and sent the ships back to England. In Charleston, the colonists left the tea to rot on the docks. In Boston, the Royal Governor insisted that the ships be allowed to dock. The colonists, however, prevented the ships from unloading. Colonists absolutely refused to pay the taxes on the tea, required by the British government. On the night of December 16, 1773, around 60 colonists, dressed as Mohawk Indians, boarded the tea ships docked in Boston Harbor and tossed 342 crates of tea into the harbor. They did not do any other damage to the ships. Journals of participants even tell us that the colonists swept up the mess before leaving the ships. As expected, England was furious at this act of colonial rebellion. They passed a series of harsh laws to punish the colonists. These laws were referred to as the Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts).

Made with Love by: Jenifer Bazzit The Coercive (Intolerable) Acts

The English government was furious about the rebellious Boston Tea Party. To punish the colonists, Parliament passed a series of laws called the Coercive Acts. The colonists renamed these laws the “Intolerable Acts” because they were truly not tolerable. The first of the Coercive Acts included the closing of Boston Harbor. Parliament declared that the harbor would remain closed until payment was made for the tea that colonists had destroyed. British warships formed a blockade around the harbor so that no ships could pass through to dock. This was devastating to trade and the economy of Boston. The second of the Coercive Acts included a law stating that the Massachusetts legislature could no longer meet. The colony was to be run by the British military and was no longer able to make its own laws or decisions. The third of the Coercive Acts was the Quartering Act. This law forced colonists to house British soldiers in their homes. This was a hated law because British soldiers entered colonists’ homes uninvited, took over bedrooms, and ate the family’s food. Parliament passed the Coercive Acts because they wanted to tighten their control over the colonies. They hoped these new laws would end the rebellion in the colonies. The laws actually had the opposite effect. Colonial protests increased and colonists became more resentful of England.

Made with Love by: Jenifer Bazzit The First Continental Congress

Many of the most important political men in the thirteen colonies met at Carpenter’s Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in a meeting called the First Continental Congress. This meeting took place from September 5, 1774 to October 26, 1774. Delegates, or representatives, from twelve of the colonies were present. Georgia did not send any delegates to the First Continental Congress. This group of men discussed the current crisis with England and expressed their outrage with the Coercive Acts, a punishment inflicted by England for the Boston Tea Party. Members of the First Continental Congress included leaders like George Washington, John Adams, Patrick Henry, John Jay, Samuel Adams, and many others. The members of the First Continental Congress sent a petition to King George III. In this petition, they confirmed that they were still loyal to King George III and to England. They expressed their belief that it was unfair for Parliament to tax the colonies without allowing representation in Parliament. They urged the colonies to boycott all British goods if the Coercive Acts were not repealed, or cancelled. Finally, they said that if the English government did not address their complaints within a few months, they would meet again and that the colonies would stop exporting goods to England.

Samuel John Adams Jay George John Patrick Washington Adams Henry

Made with Love by: Jenifer Bazzit The Battles of Lexington and Concord

General Thomas Gage, the new Royal Governor of Massachusetts, had orders from England to control the rebellious colonists. He made a plan to capture rebel leaders John Hancock and Samuel Adams who were temporarily hiding out in Lexington. He also learned from his spies that colonists were storing weapons in Concord, a small town outside of Boston.

April 18, 1775 Paul Revere and others learned of the British plan to march to Concord at night to gather and destroy the colonial weapons stores. Revere and two other men rode across the countryside warning colonists that the “Regulars” or “Redcoats” were coming. It is very unlikely that they would have said “The British are coming.” At the time, colonists still considered themselves British.

April 19, 1775 At dawn, the British troops arrived in Lexington and saw around 70 militiamen gathered on the town green. The militiamen were heavily outnumbered against the 700 British soldiers. The commander of the militiamen ordered the men to hold their fire. John Parker, a commander of the militiamen is reported to have told his men, “Stand your ground. Don’t fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here.” Then, a shot rang out. The British soldiers fired several rounds at the militiamen and when the smoke cleared, eight militiamen were dead. No redcoats died at that confrontation. The British soldiers continued to Concord to seize the colonists’ weapons and ammunition. They were not aware that the majority of the arms were already hidden or destroyed. Hundreds of Concord militiamen gathered at the North Bridge, which was being defended by

Made with Love by: Jenifer Bazzit the British soldiers. The British fired at the militiamen first and the militiamen returned fire. This exchange is now known as “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World.” After searching Concord for several hours, the British soldiers started their march back to Boston. Unfortunately for them, around 2,000 militiamen had gathered in the area and more were arriving by the minute. They fired at British soldiers from behind buildings, trees, and walls. The British soldiers were fired upon for eighteen miles on their march back to Boston. At the end of the day on April 19, 1775, around 250 British soldiers were killed or wounded while 90 militiamen were killed or wounded. This action by the militiamen proved that colonists were willing to stand up to England, the most powerful army in the world. This was just the spark needed to begin the American Revolution.

Concord’s North Bridge

Made with Love by: Jenifer Bazzit