1. The British imposed strict trade regulations and taxes on the American colonies to pay off debts from the French and Indian War. This led to unrest in the colonies. 2. In response to the Boston Tea Party, the British Parliament passed the Intolerable Acts in 1774 which closed Boston harbor, altered the Massachusetts government, supported the Catholic church, and denied colonists the right to fair trials. 3. The Intolerable Acts outraged the colonies and led to the convening of the First Continental Congress to discuss a unified response to growing tensions with Britain.

1. 1 7 6 3 - 1 7 7 5
ROAD TO REVOLUTION

2. STATE OF BRITAIN
• The British Empire was fueled by mercantilism
• Mercantilism was achieved through acquiring many
different colonies away from the mother land to ensure the
control of a variety of raw materials.
• Mercantilism: wealth comes from exporting more
goods compared to importing more goods
• During their quest for mercantilism and control of
the vast majority of resources, the British Empire,
kept running into the French Empire.
• Begin fighting with France

3. FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR
• Starts in 1756 - Ends in 1763
• Also known as the Seven Years War
• Fought in the American colonies
• War is between Britain and France
• Britain sends troops to American Colonies
• Britain Wins! (with help of the American colonists).
• Britain is in a lot of debt after the war.
• British solution to get out of debt: tax and strictly
regulating trade in the American colonies.

4. AMERICAN COLONIES 1763
• The American colonies were a part of the British
Empire, but had gone through a period of salutary
neglect
• Salutary neglect: Left alone to govern themselves but still
under the control of another country
• Colonists had been use to smuggling in goods from
other countries, selling their goods to other
countries, and began producing their own
products.
• Not acting like a good colony of the British Empire

5. PROBLEMS START IN THE COLONY
• Britain begins to enforce trade rules
and taxes on the colonists
• British troops and officers can see what
the colonists are doing
• Britain does not let colonists move
into the land won from the French in
the Seven Years War
• Proclamation Line 1763

6. BRITAIN TAKES ACTION
• Sugar Act 1764
• Taxed Sugar
• Quartering Act 1765
• Colonists had to house British soldiers
• Stamp Act 1765
• Taxed everything that was made up of paper
• Playing cards, legal documents, mail, news papers ect.
• Stamp Act Congress 1765
• Encouraged Colonists to boycott British goods
• Wrote to the King George and Parliament to reconsider the Act
• Said that the tax was unfair because the colonies were not
represented in the House of Commons
• Stamp Act repealed 1766

7. 1768-1770
• British Troops occupy Boston
• 2 full regiments of soldiers
• Boston Massacre 1770
• British Troops shot on unarmed citizens of Boston
• The soldiers were tried in the Colonies
• Represented by John Adams
• They were acquitted

8. COLONISTS BEGIN TO ORGANIZE
• Committees of Correspondence
• Set up in Massachusetts 1772
• Boycott of British goods
• 1773 Boston Tea Party
• Colonists dressed as Indians went aboard ships carrying British Tea
and dumped the tea into Boston Harbor
• First Continental Congress 1774
• First form of organized delegates that discussed abandoning
Britain
• Met in Philadelphia
• 12 of the 13 colonies were represented
• Made up of 55 members
• Georgia did not attend

9. INTOLERABLE OR COERCIVE ACTS
• Intolerable or Coercive Acts
• American Colonists called the Acts the Intolerable Acts
• The British called the Acts the Coercive Acts
• Put into action in response to the Boston Tea Party

10. BOSTON PORT ACT
• 1774
• Shut down the Boston port until the British King was
repaid for the dumped tea

11. MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNMENT ACT
• 1774
• Took away the colonies charter in order to have
more royal control
• Massachusetts had been unique among the
colonies in its ability to elect members of its
executive council. This act took away that right and
instead gave the king sole power to appoint and
dismiss the council. Additionally, many civil offices
that had previously been chosen by election were
now to be appointed by the royal governor.

12. QUEBEC ACT
• 1774
• The oath of allegiance was replaced with one that
no longer made reference to the Protestant faith. It
guaranteed free practice of the Catholic faith.
• Promoted the Roman Catholic faith in preference
to widely-held Protestant beliefs. It also limited
opportunities for colonies to expand on their
western frontiers, by granting most of the Ohio
Country to the province of Quebec

13. THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE ACT
• 1774
• Took away the American Colonists right to hold trials
• the Act granted a change of venue to another
British colony or Great Britain in trials of officials
charged with a crime growing out of their
enforcement of the law or suppression of riots.
Witnesses for both sides were also required to
attend the trial and were to be compensated for
their expenses.