Causes of the American Revolution

2. U.S. History
Social Studies TEKS
8.4 (History) Understand significant
political and economical issues of the
revolutionary era.

3. Summary:
Why Colonist Went to War
“For over two centuries, the occupants of the
American colonies lived peacefully under the
rule of the English government. But, by 1775
the colonists had grown tired of being unfairly
controlled by King George III and his
parliament.”
“Colonists wished to be treated like adults, not
children. Each side refused to give in, which led
to an all out war and eventual independence for
the colonies.”
http://www.usfca.edu/fac-staff/conwell/revolution/openingpage.htm

4. Timeline of Events
Leading up to American Revolution
1763
1765
1765
1767
Proclamation of 1763 Stamp Act
Quartering Act
1770
1773
Boston Massacre
Townshend Act
1774
Intolerable Acts
Boston Tea Party
*Click on the event name to learn more!*

5. Proclamation of 1763
•The colonists helped the British win the
French and Indian war.
•This victory gave England the land west
of the Appalachian Mountains, all the
way to the Mississippi River.
•The King made a PROCLAMATION or an
announcement in 1763 that the colonists
could not go past the Appalachian
Mountains.
•This Proclamation angered the colonists
since they also helped fight for that land!
Click flag for timeline

6. Quartering Act
1765
King George III sent British soldiers to
the colonies to “protect” the colonists
from the French.
To pay for the protection that the
colonists were receiving, they were
required to provide supplies and
barracks (housing) for the British
troops. Act
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was a way for the King to put an
indirect tax on the colonists.
Click flag for timeline

7. The Stamp Act-1765
Example of a
stamp
showing that a
colonist paid
the stamp tax.
•The Stamp Act was a law passed which
imposed a tax on all American colonists. It
required them to pay a tax on every piece of
printed paper they used.
•The Stamp Act required all legal
documents, licenses, commercial contracts,
newspapers, pamphlets and playing cards
to carry a tax.
•The money collected by the Stamp Act was
to be used to help pay the costs of the
British soldiers who were in America
protecting the frontier.
Click the stamp
to learn more
and to see other
examples!
•Colonists boycotted British goods in order
to get the Stamp Act repealed.
Click flag for timeline

8. Townshend Act-1767
After the Stamp Act was repealed, a man by the name of Charles
Townshend imposed an indirect tax on items such as lead, glass, paper
and tea.
Townshend hoped that the colonists would not notice the price
increase.
This indirect tax was collected at the sea ports before items
reached colonial stores. Therefore, when the colonists went to buy
these items, the tax was already included in the price. (Unlike the
Stamp Act, where the colonists were aware of the added tax)
The colonists did recognize the indirect tax and once again
boycotted British goods. Colonists were extremely upset with the
unjust form of “Taxation without Representation!”
Click the tape to
watch a clip on the
Townshend Act!
Click flag for timeline

9. Boston Massacre-1770
•Tensions were growing higher between the
colonists and the British soldiers.
•On March 5, 1770 a crowd of people gathered in
front of the Customs House and began harassing
a British soldier.
•The soldier called for helped and nine more
soldiers were sent.
Engraving by: Paul Revere
•Insults and snowballs were thrown at the soldiers
and in the commotion someone yelled, “Fire!.”
•Many shots were fired and when the smoke
cleared a total of 5 townspeople had been killed.
Click the newspaper to read the
March 12, 1770 edition of the
Boston Gazette reporting the
Boston Massacre.
•The people of Boston were furious and demanded
that the soldiers be tried and executed for the
killings.
Click flag for timeline

10. Boston
Tea Party
1773
On December 16, 1773 the Sons of Liberty, who were led by
Samuel Adams, dressed up as Mohawk Indians and headed to
the Boston Harbor.
These Radical Patriots quickly and quietly boarded three
different ships arming themselves with axes and hatchets.
The group disguised as Native Americans threw 342 crates of
tea overboard, destroying the precious British tea.
This act of defiance made King George III furious and he told
the Patriots they would be punished!
Click flag for timeline

11. Intolerable Acts ~ 1774
*Due to Massachusetts’ constant resistance to parliamentary rule and as
punishment for the Boston Tea Party, the King and his Parliament
passed a series of laws to limit political and geographical freedoms.
These laws were called the Coercive Acts or Intolerable Acts.
1. The Boston Harbor would be closed until the East India Tea Company
was repaid fully for the tea lost at the “Tea Party.”
2. Quartering Act was extended to publicly occupied buildings.
3. British Officials could not be tried in colonial courts for their crimes;
instead, they would be sent back to Britain to receive punishment.
4. Colonial charters, which stated rules and government set up, were
annulled and British Governors were in complete control of town
meetings.
5. The border of Canada was now extended into the western colonies of
Connecticut, Massachusetts and Virginia.
KG

12. First Continental Congress
1774
The American colonists banded together to fight
back after the British enforced the Intolerable Acts.
Representatives met in Philadelphia to try to figure
out a compromise that could be made with England.
Congress voted to cut off colonial trade with Great
Britain until Parliament abolished the Intolerable
Acts.
Congress also decided to being training men for
war, fearing war with England was inevitable.
King George III and Parliament did not
acknowledge or respect the requests of the
colonists.

13. Click on Paul Revere
to learn more!
BATTLE OF LEXINGTON AND CONCORD-1774
•The British soldiers marched out of Boston to seize the colonists’ gunpowder and
firearms in Concord, Massachusetts.
•Paul Revere helped alert the Minutemen that the British were on the move by
hanging lanterns in the church steeple. He also rode through the town to warn that,
“The British are coming!”
•Although the Minutemen were ready for the British in Lexington, Massachusetts,
they were out numbered and defeated.
•Messengers were able to warn colonists in Concord, Massachusetts and only a
portion of the supplies were destroyed.

14. *Now that you have read and reviewed the reasons for the
American Revolution, click on the different activities to see
how much you have learned!
The Road to the Revolution
The American Revolution Interactive Quiz
Boston Massacre Secret Agent Case
Interactive Crossword Puzzle
Glencoe: Causes of American Revolution Self Check Quiz

15. “Test your knowledge about the American Revolution, and
see if you can navigate your way to independence. Every
correct answer gets you closer to liberty!”
Click the map to begin your journey to liberty!
Back to Activity Board
http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/road.html

16. Click on the picture and go to QUIZ for the following lesson topics. Each event
can also be reviewed by clicking LESSON on the website.
Lesson 4: Boston Massacre and Boston Tea Party
Lesson 5: First Continental Congress
Lesson 6: The Minutemen and The Battle of Lexington and Concord
Back to Activity Board

17. Boston Massacre FILES
You are a secret agent and have been sent on a mission to
find out what really happened on the evening of March 5,
1770.
Click on the detective to begin the
investigation!
Back to Activity Board

18. Interactive Crossword Puzzle
Take the crossword puzzle
challenge!
Click the crossword
puzzle to begin!
Back to Activity Board
•Fill out the puzzle using the
terms from the word list. If you
need help, click on the box
labeled “INSTRUCTIONS.”
•When you finish, click the
“CHECK” box and see if you met
the challenge!

19. Works Cited
Microsoft Clip Art: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/default.aspx
Picture of British flag: www.thebattlezone.com/.../ fpa015.jpg
Picture of Colonial flag: www.betsyrosshouse.org/ gifts.html
Proclamation of 1763 Map: www.glencoe.com/ qe/qe96.php?qi=2482
American Revolution pictures :http://www.americanrevolution.com/PicturesoftheRevolutionaryWar.htm
Waving flag and Causes of Revolution:http://www.harlingen.isd.tenet.edu/coakhist/amrev.html#PRE
Reasons for war: http://www.usfca.edu/fac-staff/conwell/revolution/openingpage.htm
QuarteringAct picture: http://www.alexandriacentral.org/cove/intolerable.html
Quartering Act primary source: http://ahp.gatech.edu/quartering_act_1765.html
Stamp Act picture: http://benledwards.com/edwards/tax_doc.shtml
Stamp examples link: http://americanrevwar.homestead.com/files/STAMP.HTM
Townshend picture and movie clip: (United Streaming)
http://www.westirondequoit.org/dake/mrforty/40sPage/myweb/townshend_act.htmBoston Massacre picture: www.answers.com/ topic/american-revolution
Bostom Gazette article: http://www.earlyamerica.com/review/winter96/massacre/massacrepage1.htm
Boston Tea Party Headline: http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/chronicle_boston1774.html
Boston Tea Party Stamp:http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/images/boston.jpg
Boston Tea Party Washout Picture: http://home13.inet.tele.dk/stine/traskibe/side1- filer/FARVER.JPG
First Continental Congress Pictures:
http://www.fasttrackteaching.com/Carphallg60.gif
http://www.phschool.com/atschool/biographies/images/washington2.gif,
http://www.usfca.edu/fac-staff/conwell/revolution/first.jpg
Lexington and Concord Images and Links: http://www.americanrevolution.com/revere.jpg and
http://researchsmp2.cc.vt.edu/cs4624/RevWar/War/LexCon.html
American Revolution Interactive Quizzes: http://www.mce.k12tn.net/revolutionary_war/american_revolution.htm
Road to Revolution interactive Quiz: http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/road.html
Boston Massacre Game: http://www.invivia.com/game/
Glencoe Chapter 7 Quiz: http://www.glencoe.com/sec/socialstudies/ushistory/ahey2001/quiz.shtml?
BOOK=002&CHAPTER=7&TITLE=The+Road+to+Revolution
Glencoe Crossword Puzzle: http://www.glencoe.com/sec/socialstudies/tutor/ushistory/ahey2001/puzzles/ahey2001_07.html