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War of Independence

• The War of Independence was fought primarily between the Kingdom of Great Britain and her Thirteen Colonies in America, resulting in the overthrow of British rule in the colonies and the establishment of the United States of America.

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The Stamp Act1765

The Tax Act put a tax on may paper items in the colonies. Newspapers, legal documents, and even playing cards had to have a special stamp on them to show that the tax had been paid.

This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND.

Why were colonist angry about the Stamp Act?

• British leaders felt the tax was fair. Many colonists, however, were angry. They said Britain could not tax them because they had no representation in Parliament. No one was speaking or acting for them.

• In October 1765, representation from 9 colonies met in New York City in what became known as the Stamp Act Congress. A congress is a formal meeting of representatives. There, colonial leaders spoke out against the Stamp Act.

• Soon people began to repeat these words-”no taxation without representation.”

This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY.

The Sons and Daughters of Liberty

Soon after the Stamp Act was passed, a group of colonists called the Sons of Liberty began to work against it. To most colonists, liberty meant freedom to make their own laws. So, they started to defend themselves against the British. They covered the tax collectors with sticky tar and dumped feathers on them. They also chased tax collectors out of their towns.

Daughters of Liberty

Women also acted against the Stamp Act. Members of the group spun thread and wove their own cloth instead of buying British cloth.

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

The Townshend Acts

In 1776, Parliament passed several new tax laws called Townshend Acts. This Townshend Act was on imported goods.

Goods that were taxed:

• glass

• tea

• paint

• Paper ect.

Colonists boycotted British goods, and sales of British goods went down.

The Boston Massacre

“As anger between the colonists and the British soldiers grew, fights often broke out. One of the worst fights took place in Boston on March 5, 1770, when a large crowd of angry colonists gathered near several British soldiers. The colonists shouted at the soldiers and threw rocks and snowballs at them.”

“When the crowd moved forward, they knocked down some of the soldiers. The soldiers open fire. Three colonist were killed on the spot, and two others died.”

Google

• The Stamp Act of 1765-King George III Announcement

• The Townshend Acts of 1776 King George III Announcement

• History Brief: The Boston Massacre

The Boston Tea Party

In 1773, Parliament passed the Tea Act. It gave Britain’s East India Company a monopoly on tea. A legal monopoly gives complete control of a good or service in an area to one person or group. The Tea Act meant that you could only buy tea from them or not drink tea at all.

Colonist were angry so they decided to boycott tea. (boycott refuse to buy something) .

On December 16, 1773, about 150 Sons Of Liberty dressed as members of the Mohawk tribe went down to Boston Harbor. They boarded the ship, broke open more than 300 chests of tea, and threw it overboard. We all know what happens to tea when it gets wet.

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

Questions

• What was the Boston Tea Party?

• What caused colonist to take part in the Boston Tea Party?

• Do you think it was right for the Sons of Liberty to dress as members of the Mohawk tribe? Why?

Google:

• The Boston Tea Party 1773, (The American Revolution)

• December 16,1773 Boston Tea Party Reenactment