American Revolution: Colonial Acts, Resistance & Key Battles

Pontiac's Rebellion

1763, Natives united for a major attack against British colonists, after the French and Indian War

The reason Natives were made was because the colonists were encroaching on the Natives land

Colonists did not treat the Natives as valuable trading partners

Rise of pan-Indian identity, from prophet Neolin, to unite against the Europeans

Stamp Act

First direct tax imposed by British on the colonists, required

After proclamation of 1763, British were in debt, needed to pay for soldiers in colonies

"No representation without taxation, colonists believed they shouldn't be taxed

John Dickinson

Founding father of America

A colonist who argued against the Townshend Acts in his Letters From a Farmer in PA

Townshend Duties

New taxes imposed on colonists, on goods imported into the colonies

Was after the repeal of the Stamp Act and passing of Declaratory Act

British got more control of trade, wanted to stop the smuggling

Colonists were mad, wanted independent trade

Tea Act

East India Company was financially troubled, to raise money to fund the company, Britain taxed tea, reduced price of tea but taxed colonists for tea

Resulted in Boston Tea Party, colonists didn't want to acknowledge Britain's right to taxing the colonists

Albany Plan of Union 1754

Drafted by Benjamin Franklin, proposal to unify the colonies

United colonies would have a intercolonial government, system for recruiting troops and collecting taxes

0 colonies approved, wanted to keep power for themselves

Set precedent for revolution congress in 1770s

Proclamation of 1763

In response to Pontiac's Rebellion, banned westward colonization past the Appalachian mountains

After the French and Indian War ended, British did not want to spend more money fighting the Natives

Colonists were angry

Saratoga Summer 1777

2nd British army led by John Burgoyne came south from Canada to help Sir William Howe

Howe unknowingly abandoned Burgoyne

Became a turning point in the war, America won the battle, Burgoyne forced to surrender

Winter afterwards, Washington and Continental Army stranded at Valley Forge

Yorktown 1781

Final major battle of American Revolution, peace negotiations began afterwards

Cornwallis, British Commander in Virginia, Yorktown, surrendered to French and Americans

Continental Congress (1rst and 2nd)

First Continental Congress 1774

Met to organize resistance to Intolerable Acts

Second Continental Congress 1775-1781

Met to organize independence, breaking away from Britain, main government

Treaty of Paris 1783

Treaty between America and Britain, marked the ending of war, officially recognized American Independence

Britain ceded the region between Canada & Florida east of Mississippi River

Conditions were that loyalists would not face persecution

America became western hemisphere's first independent nation

Writ of Assistance

Search warrants that allowed British to search homes, ships, shops, etc. to check for smuggled goods

Didn't need permission or cause, authorized with the Townshend Acts

Aggravated the colonists

Sugar Act

Britain wanted to raise money for their war debt after French and Indian War

Taxed sugar, but colonists could avoid just choosing to not buy tea

Colonists wanted to force Parliament to take back the act

Role of women, Africans, Indians during Revolution

women helped with the boycotts of British goods

Many enslaved people were offered freedom by the British if they fought on their side

Enslaved people also fought w colonists

Many Native Americans allied w the British, bc the British tried to prevent the colonists from going on the Native lands

Boston massacre

Colonists threw snow balls and held weapons (clubs) near British troops

British troops killed 5 Bostonians, many of the troops found not guilty after put on trial

A lot of propaganda surfaced about this event, images portraying the British as savage killers, made more colonists angry, want to fight for their rights even more

Declaratory Act

Law passed after the repeal of the Stamp act

Said that parliament could pass any laws without colonial input

Colonists ignored, started smuggling goods, especially Massachusetts

Coercive Acts (aka Intolerable Acts)

Came after the Tea Act and Boston Tea Party, British mad about the economic impact

Shut down ports, made colonists pay for the tea

Replaced MA officials with British authorities, abolished local colonial government

British officials and soldiers accused of crime could be tried in a different colony or back in Britain

Continental Association

System of boycotts made by the First Continental Congress in response to the Intolerable acts

People stopped buying goods imported from Britain

Treaty of Paris 1763

Ended the French and Indian War

The British colonists could settle up to the Mississippi River

Britain got French Canada, & Spanish Florida

Afterwards Britain sent troops to the colonies to have more direct control over them

Olive Branch Petition 1775

Attempt to prevent war with Britain by 2nd Continental Congress

Acknowledged colonies' membership of the Britain empire

Asked for the repeal of the Intolerable Acts

Ignored by King George II

Declaration of Independence

Written by Thomas Jefferson revised by Congress

Majority of the document consisted of list of grievances against King George III

Stated that no government could take away basic rights "Life, liberty, pursuit of happiness"

New government was open ended and democratic

British and Colonial preparedness for Revolution

Loyalists

American colonists who stayed loyal to the British Crown

patriots

colonists who fought for independence

French and Indian War

A part of the larger conflict between Britain and France known as Seven Years War

French and Native allies vs. British and Native Allies

Dispute over the Ohio River Valley territory, owned by French, Britain wanted it

Britain won the war, French forced to surrender North American territories, removed France as power in North America

Ended in 1763 with Treaty of Paris of 1763

Common Sense

1776 Pamphlet written by Thomas Paine, criticized English control and government

Wrote simply in a clear direct manner for all people to understand

Promoted independence, free trade, burden of being member of British Empire

Thomas Paine

English emigrant, author of Common Sense, enlightenment thinker

Believed in the idea of American Independence

Letters From a Farmer in PA:

See thomas dickinson

Massachusetts Circular Letter

Written by James Otis Jr. and Samuel Adams, protested Townshend Acts

Thomas Hutchinson

Royal governor of Massachusetts

Was a prominent Loyalist

Virginia Resolves

Written by Virginia House of Burgesses, response to Stamp Act

Lexington and Concord April 1775

Skirmishes between Americans and British, first military engagement between the two

Started war for American Independence

Americans won

Bunker Hill June 1775

Army commanded by George Washington, British abandoned Boston,

Second Continental Congress raised the Continental Army

British won

Olive Branch Petition

King George III

King of Britain during the time of revolution in the colonies

The colonies accused King George III of many grievances, were mad at the monarchy for all the unfair taxes and limited rights

Quartering Act

Came after the Tea Act and Boston Tea Party

Stationed troops in the homes of colonists to get more control in the colonies

Colonists felt oppressed

British Action and Colonial Reaction

Stationed troops and taxes angered the colonists

Significance of 1763

Kinda started everything

Timeline of Events

Proclamation of 1763

Sugar Act

Currency Act

Stamp Act

Repeal of Stamp Act and passage of Declaratory Act

Townshend Duties

Tea Act

Quartering Act 1774

Coercive or "Intolerable" Acts

Lexington and Concord