Declaring IndependenceDeclaring Independence

Taxation Without Representation

• The French and Indian War was EXPENSIVE, so who was going to pay?

• King George III taxed all of the colonists without their say.

• When Parliament discussed new taxes, there were NO representatives from the American colonies.

Proclamation of 1763

• The Proclamation of 1763 said that the colonists could not move west of the Appalachian Mountains. 

Stay over there!

Sugar Act• Parliament felt the

colonies should pay for French and Indian War. The Sugar Act, was a new duty (tax) on molasses.

Stamp Act

• In 1765, the Stamp Act was passed.

• You had to pay a tax in order to buy any paper products, such as newspapers, licenses, and even playing cards.

• When you paid the tax, they gave you a STAMP to prove that you paid.

Townshend Acts

Charles Townshend put a“secret” tax on imports.

Instead of knowing that something had a tax on it, the colonists just thought the price went up.

Boston Massacre

March 5, 1770 Colonists threw snowballs at the

British soldiers. The British shot

and killed five colonists

Ouch!

Boston Tea Party

• Sons of Liberty were men who were protesting the taxes, especially the one on TEA

• In Boston, they snuck onto 3 ships and dumped 342 chests of tea into the harbor (90,000 pounds)

I hate tea!

Intolerable (Coercive) Acts

Now you will pay!

• Because of the loss of money from the Boston Tea Party, Parliament passed laws to punish Massachusetts

• The King closed the port of Boston to all trade

• Town meetings were now forbidden

Quartering Act

• One aspect of the Intolerable Acts was that the colonists had to provide housing and food for British soldiers without being paid for it!

Where should we stay tonight?

First Continental Congress

As a result of the Intolerable Acts, representatives from each colony, except Georgia, met in Philadelphia in September of 1774.

This new Congress did not yet want independence, but they wanted to stop trading with Britain until the King repealed the Intolerable Acts.

8Americanswere killed

Lexington

The Minutemen fired at the British soldiers, but were not able to stop them from advancing.

Concord

• The British RETREATED when they met up with the American militia at Concord

• 73 British killed and 174 wounded

• 49 Colonists killed and 39 wounded

George Washington

The Second Continental Congress unanimously chose

Washington as Commander in Chief

of the Continental Army.

Declaration of Independence

In Congress, July 4, 1776The Unanimous

Declaration of the Thirteen united States of America

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people...