Factors Leading to The American Revolution Part III
BELLWORK How is the push and pull of the relationship between Parliament and the colonies establishing colonial independence rather that loyalty to England?
UNITED STATES HISTORY STANDARD Concept 4: Revolution and New Nation PO 1. Assess the economic, political, and social reasons for the American Revolution: a.british attempts to tax and regulate colonial trade as a result of the French and Indian War
OBJECTIVES Describe the origins of the Boston Tea Party Explain the results of the Boston Tea Party Describe the American response to the Intolerable Acts
The Calm Before Revolution With the repeal of the Townshend Revenue Acts and the shock of the Boston Massacre everyone calmed Lord North became the chancellor of Parliament and only had the Tea Act maintained on the colonies
Colonists hated customs commissioners because they were often corrupt and would abuse their power They often used writs of assistance to seize goods they wanted to sell themselves They did this to the wealthy merchants as well as the struggling people Customs Commissioners
Samuel Adams did not believe that things were going to be fine and he did not trust Parliament He kept producing pamphlets and writings essays and editorials reminding the colonists of their freedoms and how the British could easily abuse power Sons of Liberty
Committees of Correspondence 1772 Parliament does try to introduce new taxes on imports and exports Every attempt convinced more and more colonists that Adams was right Adams suggests that a formal group of individuals be formed to communicate grievances to villagers throughout Massachusetts since judges were loyal to Parliament It became a very popular idea
Question #1 How effective were the committees of correspondence in the colonies?
The British East India Company was given permission to take tea straight to the colonies Saved the struggling business money and made tea cheaper for the colonies Yet the colonies still saw it as a way to tax them, and it hurt American merchants who made a lot of money smuggling tea from Holland The Tea Act 1773
The Tea Act 1773 Colonists refused to buy the tea In Boston Governor Thomas Hutchinson forced the ships to remain in the port even though American dock workers would not unload it Members of the local committee of correspondence and the governor argued for over a month
December 16, 1773 a group of men dressed up as Mohawk Indians and boarded the ships and dumped 340 chests of tea in the harbor The Boston Tea Party 1773 Everyone called it the Boston Tea Party No one knows who organized the event, but the Sons of Liberty probably played a significant role
Question #2 What statement were the colonists making by dumping the tea into the harbor?
The Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts) Parliament passed a series of laws as a response to the Tea Party 1.Closed the port of Boston until the tea was paid for 2.Restructured the Massachusetts legislature 3.All British officers who committed crimes tried in Britain 4.Quarter troops wherever needed, including all unoccupied buildings
Americans felt they were being enslaved and it confirmed their fears about England asserting their control Edmund Burke, who had been defending the colonies in Parliament, warned that war was coming if Parliament continued to be heavy-handed with the colonies Response
Results in Boston Boston was cut off from trade, and began to struggle The other colonies chipped in and provided food, money, and support The issue of Parliaments desire to be sovereign ruler over the colonies was now there for everyone to see
Question #3 Explain why trying to shut down Boston was a serious miscalculation by Parliament?