Paul Revere was sent out to Lexington to warn the Americans of the British attacks that were to come on the night of April 18,1775. source: Boorstin, Daniel J., Brooks Mather. Kelley, and Ruth Frankel. Boorstin. "The Battles of Lexington and Concord." A History of the United States. Needham, MA: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2005. 84-85. Print.
Benedict Arnold was captain of the Connecticut militia. He aided in the seize of Fort Ticonderoga. He became a traitor when he became a general in the British army and led British revolts against the Americans in Virginia and Connecticut. source: Appleby,Joyce Oldham. "More Military Action." The American Republic to 1877. New York: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill,2003.144.Print.
Thomas Jefferson was the writer of the Declaration of Independence and the third president of the United States. source: Boorstin, Daniel J., Brooks Mather. Kelley, and Ruth Frankel. Boorstin. "The Declaration of Independence." A History of the United States. Needham, MA: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2005. 88. Print
Acts that Led to the War
Newspaper article from April 5,1764 talking about the Sugar Act.
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The Sugar Act of 1764 put a tax of 3 pence a gallon on sugar. Colonists couldn't afford to pay this tax. The purpose of this act was not to regulate, but to take the colonists' money. source: Boorstin, Daniel J., Brooks Mather. Kelley, and Ruth Frankel. Boorstin. "The Sugar Act of 1764." A History of the United States. Needham, MA: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2005. 77-78. Print.
The Stamp Act began being used in England in March of 1765. This act stated that you must buy a stamp to prove you paid the tax on anything printed. If you did not have a stamp, you were seized and tried without a jury in an Admiralty Court. then you would be fined and jailed. source:Boorstin, Daniel J., Brooks Mather. Kelley, and Ruth Frankel. Boorstin. "The Stamp Act." A History of the United States. Needham, MA: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2005. 78-79. Print.
The British government was not willing to compromise. They repealed the Stamp Act on March 18,1766. The Declaratory Act was then passed. This act stated that Parliament still had power to make laws "in all cases whatsoever" in the colonies. source: source: Boorstin, Daniel J., Brooks Mather. Kelley, and Ruth Frankel. Boorstin. "The Declaratory Act." A History of the United States. Needham, MA: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2005. 79-80. Print.
Political cartoon of the Townshend Acts.
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The Townshend Acts put taxes on imported goods such as lead,paper,glass,paint,and tea. This act recorded the customs service. When a ship was seized or sold for breaking the law, officers received 1/3 of the proceeds. source: Boorstin, Daniel J., Brooks Mather. Kelley, and Ruth Frankel. Boorstin. "The Townshend Acts." A History of the United States. Needham, MA: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2005. 80-81. Print.
The Most Famous Tea Party in History
The British East India Company was in trouble financially. Although the company had large amount of tea stored in England, they could not sell it there due to the fact that they could not pay the customs tax that was due since they did not have money. To help the company out financially, the government allowed them to sell tea directly to the colonies. The company figured that they could sell tea for less than what the colonists were paying for smuggled tea. The British East India Company thought everyone benefited from this, but the colonists didn't. Colonial merchants led the stand. They cried "monopoly" against the British East India Company. The colonists' refusal to buy tea became a symbol of British tyranny. On December 16,1773, a group of townspeople organized by Sam Adams, disguised as Mohawk Indians, boarded the tea ships docked in the Boston Harbor. They threw 342 chests of tea overboard as an act of rebellion. This historic event is known as the Boston Tea Party. source: Boorstin, Daniel J., Brooks Mather. Kelley, and Ruth Frankel. Boorstin. "The Boston Tea Party." A History of the United States. Needham, MA: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2005. 82-83. Print.
Battles and their Outcomes
The Battles of Lexington and Concord The battles of Lexington and Concord were the first battles of the Revolutionary War. They took place on April 18 and 19,1775. Massachusetts began to prepare for war in April of 1775. They collected military supplies from a town about 20 miles inland from Boston called Concord. The British Secretary of State for the colonies decided to destroy the first supply base when he heard the news. He did this to avoid the Americans from coming any better prepared for war. The Bostonians learned of the plan. On the night of April 18,1775, Paul Revere and William Dawes were sent on a ride to Lexington, which was on the way to Concord. They warned Americans and told them of the British plans of destroying the supply base in Concord. The next morning, 700 British troops arrived in Lexington and found 70 American minutemen. Minutemen were militiamen who agreed to be ready at a minute's warning. They were positioned on the town common. Before the British moved to Concord, they killed 8 Americans and wounded 10. Thousands of American militiamen appeared out of nowhere and helped to fight off the British troops. The British had nearly 300 dead and wounded before they returned to their ships, which were docked in Charlestown Harbor. The American losses were fewer than 100. Little did the colonists know that this was just the beginning. source: Boorstin, Daniel J., Brooks Mather. Kelley, and Ruth Frankel. Boorstin. "The Battles of Lexington and Concord." A History of the United States. Needham, MA: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2005. 84-85. Print.
"Three Phases of the Peace Movement." World Affairs 96.3 (1933): 136-39. Web. 30 Nov. 2014. http://www.studythepast.com/threephasesrevolutionarywar.pdf
The Battle of Bunker Hill was the bloodies battle to ever take place on British North American soil. On the night of June 16, colonial militiamen were sent to secure Bunker Hill across the water from Boston under the guidance of Colonel William Prescott. Unfortunately for Colonel Prescott, him and his troops secured Breed's Hill, where the battle was fought. It was later given the name Bunker Hill. The next day, the Red Coats,another name for the British, charged up the hill towards the Americans twice. They suffered terrible losses. On the third attack, the colonies were out of gunpowder, so they were forced to use their bayonets. The British won the battle of Bunker Hill. British General Howe lost 1000 men, which was more than double that of the Americans. source: Boorstin, Daniel J., Brooks Mather. Kelley, and Ruth Frankel. Boorstin. "The Battle of Bunker Hill." A History of the United States. Needham, MA: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2005. 86. Print. "Three Phases of the Peace Movement." World Affairs 96.3 (1933): 136-39. Web. 30 Nov. 2014. http://www.studythepast.com/threephasesrevolutionarywar.pdf
Benedict Arnold was commissioned to raise an army of 400 to seize Fort Ticonderoga,located on Lake Champlain. Fort Ticonderoga was rich in military supplies. Arnold learned that another man named Ethan Allan and his force, known as the Green Mountain Boys, were planning on seizing the fort also. They joined forces and threw the British off.
source: Appleby,Joyce Oldham. "More Military Action." The American Republic to 1877. New York: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill,2003.144.Print. "Three Phases of the Peace Movement." World Affairs 96.3 (1933): 136-39. Web. 30 Nov. 2014. http://www.studythepast.com/threephasesrevolutionarywar.pdf