The Events Leading to Independence

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1 The Events Leading to Independence 1 P a g e

2 The Events Leading to Independence Although King George III was later burned in effigy in the streets of the colonies, his relaxed ruling style inspired little ire among the colonists in the 1760s. In 1763, few would have predicted that by 1776 a revolution would be unfolding in British America. The ingredients of discontent seemed lacking at least on the surface. The colonies were not in a state of economic crisis; on the contrary, they were relatively prosperous. Unlike the Irish, no groups of American citizens were clamoring for freedom from England based on national identity. KING GEORGE III was not particularly despotic surely not to the degree his predecessors of the previous century had been. Furthermore, the colonies were not unified. Benjamin Franklin discovered this quite clearly when he devised the ALBANY PLAN OF UNION in This plan, under the slogan "Join, or Die," would have brought the colonial rivals together to meet the common threat of the French and Indians. Much to Franklin's chagrin, this plan was soundly defeated. Ben Franklin sketched this cartoon to illustrate the urgency of his 1754 Albany Plan of Union. He unsuccessfully tried to bring the colonies together to defend themselves against Indian and French threats. How, then, in a few short years did everything change? What happened to make the American colonists, most of whom thought of themselves as English subjects; want to break the ties that bound them to their forebears? What forces led the men and women in the 13 different colonies to set aside their differences and unanimously declare their independence? 2 P a g e

3 Much happened between the years of 1763 and The colonists felt unfairly taxed, watched over like children, and ignored in their attempts to address grievances. Religious issues rose to the surface, political ideals crystallized, and, as always, economics were the essence of many debates. Copyright by the Independence Hall Association, a nonprofit organization in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded in Publishing electronically as ushistory.org. On the Internet since July 4, Complete the following: ****Cartoon made by Benjamin Franklin in 1754 encouraging the colonies to unite. 1. Why would it be so important for people to see this in newspapers in the colonies? 2. Do you think tactics like this (putting ads in newspapers) will actually help unite the colonies? Why or why not? 3. Draw your own cartoon below to help unite the 13 colonies. 4. Today.are you influenced by the media? Have you ever done something because you saw it on TV or read about it? Explain your answer. (Made by Mrs. DeVries-Nehl 12/10/12) 3 P a g e

4 (Silver, James F. Ready to Use American History Activities for grades 5-12: lessons and skill sheets from Pre-Columbus to the Space Age. The Center for Applied Research in Education, 1995.) 4 P a g e

5 Taxation without Representation 5 P a g e

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8 (Appleby, Joyce, Discovering Our Past: A History of the United States, McGraw-Hill Networks A Social Studies Learning System, 2013) 8 P a g e

9 Complete the following questions: Taxation without Representation Reading questions What did the Proclamation of 1763 do? Advantages/Disadvantages? Define prohibit. Define revenue. Who did the British feel should pay for part of the cost of war? How did they try to raise this money? What did the colonists due because of these new taxes? What was the purpose of the Sugar Act? What were the colonist s responses to the Sugar Act? What is the Stamp Act and why did colonists oppose it? Define boycott. What was taxed under the Townshend Act? (Made by Mrs. DeVries-Nehl 12/14/12) 9 P a g e

10 More Reactions and Events Leading to Independence For their part, the British found the colonists unwilling to pay their fair share for the administration of the Empire. After all, citizens residing in England paid more in taxes than was asked of any American during the entire time of crisis. The 1770 Boston Massacre was only one in a series of events that led American colonists to revolt against Britain. This was not the first time American colonists found themselves in dispute with Great Britain. But this time the cooler heads did not prevail. Every action by one side brought an equally strong response from the other. The events during these important years created sharp divisions among the English people, among the colonists themselves, and between the English and the Colonists. Over time, the geographic distance between England and the colonies became more and more noticeable. It took England time to respond to Colonial provocations and to administer the settled areas of America. Further, some now questioned how it could be that a tiny island nation could contain and rule the American continent. Before long, the point of no return was reached. Copyright by the Independence Hall Association, a nonprofit organization in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded in Publishing electronically as ushistory.org. On the Internet since July 4, P a g e

11 Additional Reading & Activities Go to the following website and complete Section 9e. Boston Massacre and 9f. Boston Tea Party to read more about the events leading up to American Independence 9e. Boston Massacre Answer the following questions on the Boston Massacre 1. Where did the people of Boston meet 3 weeks before the British troops arrived? 2. Date of Boston Massacre: 3. # of people in mob: 4. Actions of the mob: 5. What were the reactions of the British to this unruly mob? 6. How many people were killed? 7. Who was the African American killed? 8. What were the people in this Boston Massacre charged with at their trials? 9. What lesson can be learned from the Boston Massacre? (Made by Mrs. DeVries-Nehl 12/14/12) 11 P a g e

12 9f. Tea Party 10. What company was about to collapse and was allowed to sell their tea to the colonies cheaper that others? 11. What did the colonists do to the tea on the ships in Boston? 12. How many crates/chests were destroyed? 13. What were the colonists disguised as? Why? 14. How much would have the damage been in American $? (Made by Mrs. DeVries-Nehl 12/14/12) Important People and Documents 12 P a g e

13 (Appleby, Joyce, Discovering Our Past: A History of the United States, McGraw-Hill Networks A Social Studies Learning System, 2013) Additional Reading & Activities Go to the following website and complete Section 10f. Thomas Paine s Common Sense to read more about the events leading up to American Independence Ideas behind the Revolution Common Sense-- list basic facts about it below What two basic points were being brought forth in this document? 13 P a g e

14 Describe how the pamphlet was written. What were some reactions to Common Sense? How would have you reacted to reading this? What are some common sense things people should know today? (Made by Mrs. DeVries-Nehl 12/14/12) 14 P a g e

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16 Answer the following: How do you think the Declaration of Independence affected the following people? 1. Patriot Armies: 2. Merchants trading with England: 3. Indians: 4. African Americans: 5. The future? 16 P a g e

17 (Silver, James F. Ready to Use American History Activities for grades 5-12: lessons and skill sheets from Pre-Columbus to the Space Age. The Center for Applied Research in Education, 1995.) 17 P a g e

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20 (Appleby, Joyce, Discovering Our Past: A History of the United States, McGraw-Hill Networks A Social Studies Learning System, 2013) Complete the following: Find the Declaration of Independence app on your I pad. Open and read through the document and answer the following questions about the document. Declaration of Independence Date of document: Person who wrote document: Terms: unanimous 20 P a g e

21 Self-evident Unalienable Abolish Usurpations Part 1. Introduction: Part 2. Political Ideas What are the 3 unalienable rights? Who can abolish governments if they are destructive? Part 3. Statement of Rights Who is the He the Declaration of rights in referring to? List some of the injustices that the colonists include. Part 4. Resolution of Independence What should Free and Independent States be able to do? Signers of Declaration of Independence How many signers to this document? What name is the largest one? Any guesses on why? What state has the most representatives? The least? (Made by Mrs. DeVries-Nehl 12/14/12) 21 P a g e

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