Revolutionary War Causes

After the French and Indian War, they decided to keep the colonists from settling past the Appalachian divide to give the Native Americans their landKey People: King George III, Pontiac (an Ottawa chief that led a revolt, which made the King do this)The colonists ignored it because they wanted good farmland while others just disliked it because it was an order from the King

Parliament issued it after they realized that they had given the colonists empowerment by taking away the Stamp ActIt was meant to remind the colonists that Parliament still had power in making the laws over themKey People: King George III, Parliament, colonistsResult: The colonists pretty much ignored it; they didn't really care

This regulated and controlled trade between England and the coloniesIt also restricted colonial trade with other places, almost isolating the coloniesKey People: Parliament, colonists, BritishResult: The colonists got even more angry

The French and British were fighting over the Ohio River Valley territory because they wanted the farmland. A lot of African slaves were fighting instead of the colonist's or in their master's place.Important People: George Washington, Virginia Colony MilitiaFighting ended in 1676, and 600 colonists and 3,000 Indians had been killed.This left England in a big debt.

Sons of Liberty: Recruited by Samuel Adams, these people were aggressive and willing to form mobs to rebel against the BritishWeren't very likable people, so they didn't have much to loseKey People: Sam Adams, John Hancock, Patrick HenryDaughters of Liberty:Similar to the Sons of Liberty, they rebelled against the British but did it more subtly through spying / conveying messages to each otherKey People: Abigail Adams, Martha Washington, Deborah Sampson

The colonists engaged in a riot / fight with some British soldiers.The British soldiers shot back, but there is debate over whether they were defending themselves or attackingPaul Revere's image angered the colonists, supported the Patriot movement, and made the British look bad by depicting them as shooting on "unarmed" peopleKEY PEOPLE: Paul Revere, Captain Thomas Preston (he's the soldier that called in additional troops)Result: This served as a "rallying point" for colonists who decided that the British were the enemy and stirred anger inside of them

After Great Britain won the French and Indian War, they had a lot of debt so Parliament passed the sugar act (1764)It was a big deal because sugar was used everydayKey people: Prime Minister George GrenvilleResult: The colonists only got more angered at the King and Parliament for being taxed without their representation in making the taxes

Colonists had to pay for the official stamp when they bought paper items.This tax was paid on:legal documentsnewspaperspamphletslicensesplaying cardsKey people: Prime Minister Grenville (same person as sugar act)Result: Colonists were angered because there was no way to avoid this tax.

1767: Parliament passed these acts, which placed taxes on glass, lead, paints, paper, and tea.This angered BOTH women and men, since it was a tax on everyday items againKey People: King George III, colonists: specifically Daughters of Liberty this time

Protesting from the colonists and mobs designed by Sam Adams led to the King eventually stopping the Stamp Act (BIG MISTAKE)This showed the colonists that all they had to do to stop them was complainKey people: Samuel Adams, who organized the group, Sons of Liberty, Patrick Henry

Parliament decided that instead of having the East India Company send the tea there before sending it to the colonies, they could just send it directly to the colonies.This angered the colonists since the East India Company now had a monopoly on tea trade to themIn refusal to buy it from the East India Company, they boycotted them and instead smuggled tea from the DutchThis faced the East India Company with going bankruptKEY PEOPLE: East India Company, King George III, colonists

December 16, 1763Angered by the Tea Act, a large group of people went on a ship disguised as Native AmericansThey dumped 342 cases of British tea into the harbor. This was about 92,000 pounds of tea and hurt the British economyKEY PEOPLE: Sons of Liberty, ParliamentResult: The King decided to pass the Intolerable Acts because of the colonists who dumped tea in the harbor, one of them being closing the Boston Harbor

This was among the Intolerable ActsSo that the British soldiers had a place to stay in the colonies, the colonies had to house soldiers in barracksIf there wasn't enough room, they had to let soldiers live in inns, stables, houses, etc.Result: The New York colony disliked being required to give the British troops places to liveKEY PEOPLE: Parliament, British soldiers, colony of New York

When the British learned that the minutemen (a group of fighters in the militia who could be ready in a minute) were storing weapons in Concord, they went there to capture militia leadersPaul Revere and William Dawes rode ahead to warn the minutemenBy the time the British arrived in Lexington, they were faced off by the minutemenOne of the groups shot first (probably the minutemen) and that is referred to as the "Shot Heard Around the World"KEY PEOPLE: Paul Revere, William Dawes, minutemenResult: The colonists proved to the British that they were not just a band that's unorganized and it's actually powerful

Parliament was enraged when the colonists dumped all the tea into the harbor, so they passed these actsBoston was CLOSED for trading until the money for all the tea was paid off-- only allowing food and firewood in the portTown meetings were bannedThe royal governor's authority increasedGeneral Gage (British commander of troops) was made the governorKEY PEOPLE: General Gage, people in Boston coloniesResult: The colonists were angry about this because they couldn't trade with anyone, only getting food and wood

First major battle of the American Revolution (Charlestown)After the Battles of Lexington and Concord, 15,000 troops met up in Boston to fight the British army thereThe British wanted to save ammunition, so they were ordered "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!"Patriots fired, British retreated, then the British came and when the Patriots were out of ammo, they were engaged in hand-to-hand combatAmericans retreated (they were outnumbered)Important people: General William Howe (British), Colonel William Prescott (American) Result: 800 British troops injured, 200 killed. 300 Americans injured, 100 killed.