How growing tensions between Britain and the colonies led to rebellion
Britain defeated France in the French and Indian War (1754-1763), gaining control of much of North America. But the war was very expensive!
The war left Britain with a huge debt. King George III and Parliament believed the colonies should help pay for their own defense. The colonists disagreed - this was the beginning of major conflict.
Britain banned colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains. This was meant to avoid conflicts with Native Americans, but colonists were angry because:
Britain passed several tax laws to raise money from the colonies:
Tax on sugar, molasses, and other goods imported to the colonies
Tax on printed materials (newspapers, legal documents, playing cards, etc.). Required an official stamp proving tax was paid.
Taxes on glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea imported to the colonies
Colonists were furious! They argued:
Boston leader and organizer of colonial protests. Founded the Sons of Liberty, a group that protested British policies. Cousin of future president John Adams.
Colonial protests worked! In 1766, Parliament repealed the Stamp Act. But they also passed the Declaratory Act, stating they had the right to tax the colonies "in all cases whatsoever." The conflict wasn't over.
Tensions were high in Boston where British soldiers (called "redcoats") were stationed to enforce laws.
A crowd of colonists surrounded British soldiers, throwing snowballs, ice, and insults. The nervous soldiers fired into the crowd, killing five colonists.
A sailor of African and Native American descent, Attucks was the first person killed in the Boston Massacre. He is considered the first casualty of the American Revolution.
Samuel Adams and Paul Revere used the "massacre" as propaganda (information designed to influence opinion). Paul Revere created a famous engraving showing British soldiers firing on peaceful colonists. This wasn't exactly accurate, but it spread anti-British sentiment throughout the colonies.
Parliament passed the Tea Act, giving the British East India Company a monopoly on tea sales in America. Colonists saw this as another attempt to control them.
Colonists (some disguised as Mohawk Indians) boarded three British ships in Boston Harbor and dumped 342 chests of tea into the water - worth thousands of dollars!
Though never proven, historians believe Samuel Adams helped organize the Boston Tea Party. Members of the Sons of Liberty participated in the protest.
Britain was furious about the Boston Tea Party! Parliament passed harsh laws the colonists called the "Intolerable Acts" (also called Coercive Acts):
Britain hoped the harsh laws would isolate Massachusetts and scare other colonies into obedience. Instead, the colonies united in support of Massachusetts. "If they can do this to Boston, they can do it to us!"
In September 1774, delegates from 12 colonies met in Philadelphia (Georgia didn't send delegates). This was called the First Continental Congress.
"The distinctions between Virginians, Pennsylvanians, New Yorkers, and New Englanders are no more. I am not a Virginian, but an American!"
British General Thomas Gage learned that colonists were storing weapons in Concord, Massachusetts. He sent 700 soldiers to seize them.
Paul Revere, William Dawes, and Samuel Prescott rode through the night to warn colonists: "The British are coming!" (Actually, Revere probably said "The regulars are coming out!" since everyone was British.)
British soldiers encountered 70 colonial militiamen (called "minutemen"). Someone fired a shot - no one knows who. Eight minutemen were killed. The Revolutionary War had begun!
At Concord's North Bridge, minutemen fired on British soldiers, forcing them to retreat
Thousands of colonial militiamen attacked the British as they marched back to Boston. British casualties: 73 killed, 200 wounded or missing. The war had truly started!
The poet later called the first shot at Lexington "the shot heard round the world" because it started a revolution that would inspire others worldwide.