Vocabulary of the American Revolution
You will be introduced to important vocabulary in this unit. As 5th grade historians you will be expected to know and use this vocabulary.
You will be introduced to important vocabulary in this unit. As 5th grade historians you will be expected to know and use this vocabulary.
American Revolution Vocabulary
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american_revolution_vocab.docx__1_.pdf | |
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Important People in the American Revolution
These are the people that were instrumental in America gaining its independence from Great Britain.
These are the people that were instrumental in America gaining its independence from Great Britain.
key_figures_in_the_american_revolution.pptx | |
File Size: | 550 kb |
File Type: | pptx |
Road to the American Revolution
The conflict that we know as the the American Revolution or the Revolutionary War, started with a war that has two names: The 7 Years' War or the French and Indian War.
The conflict that we know as the the American Revolution or the Revolutionary War, started with a war that has two names: The 7 Years' War or the French and Indian War.
The French & Indian War & The Proclamation of 1763
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The Sugar Act
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The Sugar Act was the first attempt by King George III to raise income to pay off the debt from the French & Indian War.
The Sugar Act placed taxes on imported sugar, as well as other items such as textiles (cloth), coffee, and indigo (dye). It doubles the taxes on re-shipped items from England to the colonies and forbids the import of foreign goods. |
The Stamp Act - "No Taxation Without Representation!"
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The Stamp Act
The British Parliament issued the Stamp Act to raise money to pay for the British army in the colonies. The tax would be paid directly to England and not stay in the colonies. The Stamp Act meant that all printed materials were taxed, including newspapers, playing cards, brochures, legal documents - anything that required paper or printed was taxed. The American colonists quickly unite in protest - especially lawyers, landowners and merchants. Can you think why? |
The Quartering Act
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The Quartering Act
This was the most hated act passed by the British Parliament. It required that colonists house and feed British troops. It was enforced and changed later under the Intolerable Acts. |
The Townshend Acts
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The Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts were a group of taxes that were leveled on the colonists by the British Parliament in 1767. Named after Charles Townshend, the acts placed taxes on tea, glass, paint and paper being imported into the colonies. The prices of these goods increased for the colonists. Many colonists saw the Townshend Acts as an abuse of power and started to boycott these goods. Eventually, the British Parliament repealed the act, but kept the taxes on tea. Now you understand why Americans drink coffee and not tea! |
The Boston Massacre
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The Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was an incident where British soldiers opened fire on a group of American colonists, killing five men. The Boston Massacre began the evening of March 5, 1770 with a small argument between British Private Hugh White and a few colonists outside the Custom House in Boston on King Street. The argument began to escalate as more colonists gathered and began to harass and throw sticks and snowballs at Private White. Soon there were over 50 colonists at the scene. The local British officer of the watch, Captain Thomas Preston, sent a number of soldiers over to the Custom House to maintain order. However, the sight of British soldiers armed with bayonets just aggravated the crowd further. They began to shout at the soldiers, daring them to fire. Captain Preston then arrived and tried to get the crowd to disperse. Unfortunately, an object thrown from the crowd struck one of the soldiers, Private Montgomery, and knocked him down. He fired into the crowd. After a few seconds of stunned silence, a number of other soldiers fired into the crowd as well. Three colonists died immediately and two more died later from wounds. The trial of the eight soldiers began on November 27, 1770. The government wanted the soldiers to have a fair trial, but they were having difficulty in getting a lawyer to represent them. Finally, John Adams agreed to be their lawyer. Although he was a patriot, Adams thought that the soldiers deserved a fair trial. Adams argued that the soldiers had the right to defend themselves. He showed that they thought their lives were in danger from the mob that had gathered. Six of the soldiers were found not-guilty and two were found guilty of manslaughter. Results The Boston Massacre became a rallying cry for patriotism in the colonies. Groups like the Sons of Liberty used it to show the evils of British rule. Although the American Revolution would not start for another five years, the event certainly moved people to look at British rule in a different light. |
The Tea Act
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The Tea Act
In 1773, the British Parliament passed the Tea Act. This law gave one British company (the East India Tea Company) the right to control all trade in tea with the colonies. Tea would be shipped to the colonists on this company's ships. It would be sold in the colonies by this company's merchants. AND, the colonists would still have to pay the tax on tea. This company was the East India Tea Company. This was done because Parliament needed money. This frustrated the colonists and they believed that the British Parliament was being unfair. So the colonists decided to boycott British imports. It also caused the Sons of Liberty to become more active and protest the actions of the British. |
The Sons of Liberty and The Boston Tea Party
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The Sons of Liberty and the Boston Tea Party
Founded in Boston by Samuel Adams and John Hancock, the Sons of Liberty were a secret group who organized protests and demonstrations against the British and their taxes. In 1773, a group dressed up as Mohawk Indians and in protest against the Tea Act, threw barrels of British tea into Boston Harbor. |
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The Intolerable Acts/The Coercive Acts
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The Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts (the British called them the Coercive Acts) were five laws that were passed by the British Parliament against the American Colonies in 1774. They were given the name "Intolerable Acts" by American Patriots who felt they simply could not "tolerate" such unfair laws. The British passed these acts as punishment for the Boston Tea Party. The Acts 1. Boston Port Act. The Boston Port Act was the first Intolerable Act passed. It was direct punishment to the city of Boston for the Boston Tea Party. The act closed the port of Boston to all ships until the colonists paid for the tea they dumped into the harbor. Many felt that this punishment was unfair because it punished all the citizens of Boston for a crime that only a few committed. Many of the other American colonies sent supplies to Boston. 2. Massachusetts Government Act This act changed the government of the colony of Massachusetts. It gave more power to the governor (who was appointed by Great Britain) and took away power from the colonists. Many of the government officials that used to be elected by the people would now be appointed by the governor. The act also said that only one town meeting a year could be held. This act angered the entire colony of Massachusetts and put fear into the other American colonies. If the British government would do this to Boston, they may do it to all the colonies. 3. Administration of Justice Act This act allowed the governor to move capital trials against government officials to Great Britain. The colonists felt that this act gave too much protection to government officials. Witnesses would have to travel all the way to Britain to testify against an official, making it nearly impossible to convict. 4. Quartering Act The Quartering Act of 1774 expanded upon the original Quartering Act of 1765. It said that the colonies had to provide barracks for British soldiers. In the case where barracks weren't available, the soldiers could be housed in other buildings such as barns, hotels, and homes. |
The New Quartering Act
Common Sense by Thomas Paine
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Common Sense by Thomas Paine
Although Paine was born in England, he moved to America after meeting Benjamin Franklin in London. In 1774 he sold his house to pay off his debts and took a ship to Philadelphia. Thomas got his first job in America as the editor of the Pennsylvania Magazine. He began to write articles for the magazine as well. Common Sense Thomas soon became interested in the American Revolution which began in 1775 with the first shots being fired at the Battles of Lexington and Concord. On January 10, 1776 he published the pamphlet Common Sense. Common Sense put forward an argument that the colonies should break away from British rule. Thomas wrote in such a way that the average reader could understand his argument and would be forced to make a decision. Many people of the time were still undecided. After reading Common Sense, they became convinced that revolution and independence from Britain was the best direction for the colonies. Common Sense Pamphlet Common Sense became a best seller. It sold over 100,000 copies in just a few short months. Through his writing Thomas Paine had convinced many undecided people to become patriots. For this reason he is sometimes called the Father of the American Revolution. |