~;J·RMl~~ ··: : How did the colonists :. ..react...... to British.. .policies?...... American Diary Reading Guide To enforce tax laws, British troops Content Vocabulary arrived in . Conflict soon propaganda (p. 127) committee of correspondence (p.128) erupted. On March 5, 1770, a Academic Vocabulary Boston merchant wrote: "The occupy (p. 127) encounter (p. 127) 29th [regiment] on duty. A Key People and Events Crispus Attucks (p. 127) quarrel between the soldiers Boston Massacre (p. 127) and inhabitants; . .. A (p. 128) (p. 129) party of the 29th .. . fired George Ill (p. 129) on the people; they killed Coercive Acts (p. 129) five, wounded several Reading Strategy Taking Notes As you read, take others. . .. The inhabitants are notes on how the Intolerable Acts greatly enraged." affected the colonists. -from The Diary of John Rowe Trouble in Boston The Boston Massacre On March 5,1770, a fight broke out between I I!J mtj10[}1 A violent clash between townspeople Bostonians and the soldiers. While some Brit­ and British soldiers in Boston intensified anti-British ish officers tried to calm the crowd, one man feeling in the colonies. shouted, "We did not send for you. We will History and You When someone taunts you, how not have you here. We'll get rid of you, we'll do you react? Read to learn how British soldiers drive you away!" responded to the jeers of Bostonians. The angry townspeople moved toward the ...... tl ••••••••••••••••• •• •••• customhouse, where British taxes were col­ lected, picking up sticks, stones, and clubs. B y 1768, protests by the colonists were As the crowd approached, the sentry pan­ making British colonial officials nervous. icked and called for help. The crowd threw They sent word to Britain that the colonies sticks and stones at the soldiers. "Fire, you were on the brink of rebellion. Parliament bloodybacks, you lobsters," the crowd sent troops to Boston. As angry Bostonians screamed. "You dare not fire." jeered, the "redcoats" set up camp in the cen­ After one soldier was knocked down, the ter of the city. nervous redcoats did fire, killing five colo­ Many colonists felt that the British had nists. One Bostonian cried: "Are the inhab­ pushed them too far. First the British had itants to be knocked down in the streets? passed laws that violated colonial rights. Are they to be murdered .. . ?" Among the They also had sent an army to occupy, or con­ dead was Crispus Attucks, a dockworker trol, colonial cities. who was part African, part Native American. To make matters worse, the soldiers in The colonists called the tragic encounter, or Boston acted rudely and sometimes even vio­ unexpected meeting, the Boston Massacre. lently toward the colonists. Mostly poor men, the redcoats earned little pay. Some stole The Word Spreads goods from local shops or scuffled with boys Colonial leaders used the killings as who taunted them in the streets. The soldiers propaganda-information made to influence o omp t d off-hours for job that Bosto- public opinion. put up post­ .ans wanted. ers that described the "Boston Massacre."

Protesting the Boston Massacre

Colonial Propaganda The event described by John Rowe became known as the Boston Massacre. People used that event to rally opposition to the British presence in Boston. This poster recalling the Boston Massacre was printed more than two years later.

Analyzing How does this poster indicate bias? Primary Source The Boston Tea Party December 16, 1773 Boston Tea Party: Boston March 31, 1774 November 30, 1773 citizens disguised as Native George Ill and Parlia­ May 1773 Citizens of Boston vote to Americans board the ships ment respond by closing Parliament passes prevent three shiploads of and empty the tea into Boston's port. Tthe Tea Act. tea from being unloaded. Boston Harbor.

~ Tea from the Boston Tea Party

"Fellow countrymen, we cannot afford to give a single inch! If we retreat now, everything we have done becomes useless!" -Samue1Adams,December1773

Speculating Why do you think the colonists disguised themselves as Native Americans to carry out the Boston Tea Party?

His posters showed a slaughter of innocent A Crisis Over Tea Americans by bloodthirsty redcoats. An engraving by showed British IMMim¥1 New British laws restricting colonial troops firing on an orderly crowd. rights further enraged the colonists. The Boston Massacre led many colonists to History and You If you destroyed someone else's call for stronger boycotts on British goods. property, would you expect to be punished for your Aware of the opposition to its policies, Parlia­ actions? Read to find out about the consequences ment repealed all the taxes of the Boston Tea Party. except the one on tea. The colonists ended ...... their boycotts, except on tea. Trade with Brit­ ain resumed. I n 1773 the British East India Company Some colonial leaders, however, continued faced ruin. To save the company, Parliament to call for resistance to British rule. In 1772 passed the Tea Act. This law allowed the Samuel Adams revived the Boston commit­ company a virtual monopoly, or sole control, tee of correspondence, an organization used of the trade for tea in America. The act let the in earlier protests. Soon committees through­ company sell tea directly to shopkeepers and out the colonies were airing their grievances bypass colonial merchants who normally dis­ against Great Britain. tributed the tea. Colonial merchants called for a new Reading Check Explaining How did the colonists boycott. Colonists vowed to stop the East use the Boston Massacre to their advantage? India Company's ships from unloading.

128 Chapter 5 The Spirit of Independence The Daughters of Liberty issued a pamphlet 1774. These harsh laws were intended to pun­ declaring that rather than part with freedom, ish the people of for their "we'll part with our tea." resistance to British law. The Boston Tea Party The Coercive Acts closed Boston Harbor until the Massachusetts colonists paid for the Despite warnings of a brewing crisis, the ruined tea. This action prevented the arrival East India Company shipped tea to a number of food and other supplies that normally of colonial cities. The colonists forced the came by ship. Worse, the laws took away cer­ ships sent to New York and Philadelphia to tain rights. For example, the laws banned turn back. Three tea ships arrived in Boston most town meetings in New England. Harbor in late 1773. The royal governor The Coercive Acts also forced Bostonians refused to let the ships leave and ordered to shelter soldiers in their own homes. Parlia­ them to be unloaded. The Boston Sons of Lib­ ment planned to isolate Boston with these erty acted swiftly. On December 16, a group acts. Instead the other colonies sent food and of men disguised as Mohawks boarded the clothing to support Boston. The colonists ships at midnight. They threw 342 chests of held that the Coercive Acts violated their tea overboard, an event that became known rights as English citizens. These rights as the Boston Tea Party. included no quartering of troops in private Word of this act of defiance spread. Colo­ homes and no standing army in peacetime. nists gathered to celebrate. Yet no one spoke Parliament then passed the Quebec Act. of challenging British rule. Most colonists This law set up a government for Quebec. It saw themselves as British citizens. also gave Quebec the area west of the Appa­ The Intolerable Acts lachians and north of the Ohio River. This When news of the Boston Tea Party reached provision ignored colonial claims to the area. London, King George III realized that Brit­ The colonists expressed their feelings in their ain was losing control of the colonies. He name for the new laws-the Intolerable Acts. declared, "We must master them or totally leave them alone." The British government Reading Check Describing How did the British responded by passing the Coercive Acts in react to the Boston Tea Party?

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Vocabulary Critical Thinking 6. Creative Writing Write an 1. Write a short paragraph in which 4. Evaluating How did Samuel account of the Boston Massacre you use all of the following Adams and Paul Revere try to from the point of view of a Brit­ vocabulary terms: sway public opinion about the ish soldier involved in the event. Boston Massacre? 5. Organizing Use a diagram like Main Ideas the one below to identify events How did the colonists react to 2. Describing Describe the events and policies that led to rising British policies? leading up to and following the tensions in the 1770s. Boston Massacre. 3. Explaining How did the Tea Act give an unfair advantage to the British East India Company?

The Spirit of Independence Chapter 5 129 Meet the Author Building Background Barry Denenberg ( 1946- ) In The Journal of William Thomas Emerson: A Revolutionary has said that the American War Patriot, Barry Denenberg depicts life in Boston in the Revolution is often presented months leading up to the as told by Will, a to young people as a distant young orphan boy. Will works for Mr. Wilson, a tavern owner and event. In writing The Journal member of the Committee, a group of colonists who oppose the of William Thomas Emerson: British. As you read this excerpt, think about the actions of the A Revolutionary War Patriot, Committee toward ordinary citizens and their effect on the polit­ Denenberg wanted to "bring ical climate at the time. the revolution to life by showing how it affected ordinary people and how they affected it:'

Vocabulary crown king trampled crush cowering crouching feeble weak soot ash

THE JouRNAL oF WtLLIAM THOMAS EMERSON: A REVOLUTIONARY WAR p~~~~ J: like thern to think they · · h go ds and Barry Denenberg could bring in Bntls .th 1"t You can count on get away Wl · d The Fitch Sisters and the Committee i ter to be concerne the Fitcl1. in Thompson is still angry t themsel s, even ' M rs. h a nly ab ou . . about the Fitch sisters, who ave . lik these. J.magine, c1 a.iroJl\g "lk Street. She never tune . . t keep a roof shop on M1 they are just trymg 0 raises her voice like that. over their heads and food on the table. window. A ladder was put up and Mr. Isn't that all any of us are doing?" Carlisle was lowered to those waiting The Fitch sisters say that if they didn't below. have British goods to sell they would Once they had him outside, they find themselves poor in no time. But stripped off his nightclothes, smeared Mrs. Thompson says they're only mak­ him with hot tar and covered him with ing it harder on themselves by defend­ the insides of the feather bed. ing their actions and they should just When the house caught fire someone admit their mistake ... . wanted to call for the firemen, but the "They ought to get the same treatment crowd shouted him down, yelling, "LET as Mr. Carlisle," Mrs. Thompson said. IT BURN, LET IT BURN," and so they did. The flames, Henry said, could be Henry told me all about Mr. Carlisi en for mile by dawn.... We aw him ne day walking down Mo t f the men pulled nightcaps King Street dres d in lac and ruffles. ver their heads or darkened their faces Henry aid he has long b en uspected with chimn y soot s th y wouldn't be of being Joyal to the crown and one recogniz d. orne were armed with night he finally got what he deserv d. sticks and clubs and Henry said that Mr. Some of the men from t wn marched Carlisle wa lucky not t ha e uffered ut to his h us . Mr. Carlile i ery rich, even greater injury to his per on than to Henry said, "Alm t as rich a Mr. Dud­ his pride. l y. Mr. Carlisle' h u e wa one of the grandest in Bo ton." Of course, Mr . Thompson didn't ay A soon as the crowd arrived they any of thi to me. I overheard it when trampled the lawn, hacked down the she wa talking t Mr. Wilson right tree , and verran the gate that ur­ before he went into the r gular Tuesday r w1d th hous . They smashed th big night meeting with the Committee. front doors with axe and then poured That' why 1 stay put on Tuesday into th house, where they t re up the nights. I never go anywhere. They meet £1 orb ards, ripped the curtain from late, aft r th tavern closes, in th small the window and, after finding Mr. Car­ room n xt to the big barroom. As soon lisle's portrait, tore the eyes out. as I hear them all coming in I just lie They dragged his finely carved furni­ there quietly on my cot and listen .... ture outside and smashed it to bits, ran off with his carpets and drank his wine cellar dry. They found Mr. Carlisle Analyzing Uterature cowering upstairs, trying 1· Respond If asked to take ·d · to hide behind his bed cur­ which side would you take ~n:s~~~r. Carlisle's situation, tains. They pulled him out 2. Recall and Interpret despite his feeble efforts (a) Who tarred and feathered Mr C r ? to hold on to the bedpost (b) Why do you think the Com -~ ar •sle . How do you know? m• ee acted so drastically? and then took his feather 3 · Eva Iuate · bed and threw it out the (a) What do you think will h . (b) Do you think the auth adppen to the FJtch sisters? or oes a good · b · b . . American Revolution to m f JO 10 nngmg the e or readers? Explain your answer. I