The document discusses the events leading up to the Revolutionary War and America's fight for independence. It describes the colonial oppression by the British through high taxes and lack of representation that caused growing unrest. It also profiles some of the enlightened thinkers like John Locke, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson who influenced ideas of liberty, democracy and natural rights. Key events in the growing rebellion are noted, including the Stamp Act Congress and the Boston Tea Party, as the colonists were ready to take a stand against the tyranny of King George and the burden of British rule.

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The Call for Democracy
Colonial oppression
No Representation
High taxes and surcharges
Restrictions on trade
" If this
be
tre aso n,
make the
mo st o f
it!"
-Patrick Henry

3. Ready for Freedom
Enlightened Minds:
John Locke, England: “All men should have the right to “life, liberty
and property.”
Ben Franklin, Pennsylvania: “Where liberty dwells, there is my
country.”
Thomas Jefferson, Virginia: “When the government fears the people
there is liberty; when the people fear the government there is
tyranny.”
Jean Jaques Rousseau, France: “To renounce liberty is to renounce
being a man, to surrender the rights of humanity and even its
duties. For he who renounces everything no indemnity is possible.
Such a renunciation is incompatible with man's nature; to remove all
liberty from his will is to remove all morality from his acts.”

4. Taking their Stand
Americans were ready to rebel against King George.
Some notable events include:
Stamp Act Congress, October 1765
The forming of The Sons of Liberty around 1766
The virtual blockade of British goods in 1768
The Boston Massacre, March 5, 1770
The Boston Tea Party, December 16,1773

5. Burden of Oppression
• Sugar Act (1764)
• Currency Act (1764)
• Stamp Act (1765) - all printed materials are taxed, including; newspapers,
pamphlets, bills, legal documents, licenses, almanacs, dice and playing cards
• Quartering Act (1765)
• Declaratory Act (1766)
• Townshend Revenue Acts (1767) - taxes on
paper, tea, glass, lead and paints
• Tea Act (1773)

7. America’s Leaders in the Colonies
• Thomas Jefferson
• Thomas Paine
• Benjamin Franklin
• Patrick Henry
• George Washington
• John Adams
• Samuel Adams