The American Revolution was a war that was fought for: Liberty o Religious o Political o Economic

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1 The American Revolution was a war that was fought for: Liberty o Religious o Political o Economic These are the 3 reasons people came to the Colonies in the 1 st place American Colonists want to expand west into the Ohio Valley. Britain and France World powers struggling for strongest empire Colonists want Britain to prevail Struggle spills to colonies.

2 OHIO Valley France s North American Empire o 1608 Quebec 1 st French settlement o French priest Marquette and Jolliet explore the Great Lakes o De LaSalle claims Mississippi river valley for France. Naming it Louisiana o Not interested in colonizing, but reaping the benefits of natural resources. (FUR) o French develop economic partnership with Native Americans leading to good relations o French empire collides with expanding British Empire.

3 French and Indian War France and Great Britain had fought 3 wars in first 50 years of 1700 s 1754 French build Ft. Duquesne (present day Pittsburgh) Virginian government grants 200,000 acres to wealthy planters to expand into Virginia governor sends local militia to establish colonial presence. Colonel George Washington (22 years old) Washington attacks small French forces o Is forced to surrender after a counter attack o Washington becomes an aide to regular British army General Edward Braddock (Seeds of British cowardice) William Pitt (politician) assembles 50,000 man army to defeat the French Iroquois Indians join sides with the British Britain becomes victorious War ends in 1763 with the Treaty of Paris o Britain claims Canada and all of North America east of Mississippi river Navigations Act 1651 & 1696 Salutary Neglect

4 Proclamation of 1763 Financial Problems resulting from the war 10,000 troops stationed in new territory Debt from borrowing to finance the war (132 million pounds) Massachusetts Colonial merchants traded goods with non-british merchants Writs of Assistance (general search warrant) (Britain) Losing tax revenue because of smuggling Sugar Act (1764) Lowers by half the tax on foreign made molasses Placed taxes on some previously untaxed imports Allowed smuggling cases to be tried in Vice-admiralty courts instead of colonial courts o Taxation without representation The Stage Is Set The Stamp Act (March 1765) Direct tax o A direct tax taxes the individual directly like a sales tax does today. o An indirect tax (Sugar Act) taxes the merchants who then pass the cost along to the consumers Direct tax on items like: o playing cards o letters

5 o paper Sons of Liberty - founded by Samuel Adams as a resistance group to British authority - Harassed stamp agents and authorities to resign Merchants boycott British goods - Parliament repeals the stamp act Townshend Acts (1767) Indirect taxes o Glass o Lead o Paint o 3 penny tax on tea June 1768 Liberty a ship owned by John Hancock is stopped for smuggling wine into Boston - Riots ensue in Boston - Britain sends 4,000 troops to Boston (1 troop for every 4 people) Boston Massacre (March 5, 1770) - Crispus Attucks and 4 others clash with British troops - He and the others are killed - Paul Revere makes propaganda engraving of the event Townshend Act repealed except Tea tax

6 Boston Tea Party East India Co. British company that imported tea to colonies suffers from boycott 17 million pounds of tea in storage Britain allows the East India co. to sell tea directly to the colonist without the tax. (Cutting out the merchants) Boston rebels disguised as Indians dump 15,000 pounds of tea in Boston Harbor Intolerable Acts In response to the Boston Tea Party the king presses parliament to act. Shutting down of Boston Harbor Quartering Act Martial Law In response the Colonists assemble the 1 st Continental Congress, which convenes September 5, 1774 in Philadelphia Continental Armies start to appear all over New England Minutemen Weapons storage Military preparations Lexington and Concord British General Thomas Gage orders troops to march into countryside from Boston to Concord Massachusetts to seize illegal weapons April 18, 1775 Paul Revere The British are Coming 700 troops reach Lexington 1 st where a small skirmish kills 8 minutemen British march to Concord and find no weapons 3,000-4,000 minutemen chase British back to Boston Minutemen surround Boston and hem the British in.

7 The shot heard round the world