Lesson 1: Toward Independence

Key Idea

After the French and Indian War, Great Britain was deep in debt and had a larger empire to manage. To solve these problems, the British government decided to exert tighter control over its American colonies. Parliament began passing new laws and taxes, ending a long period where the colonies had largely governed themselves.

Many colonists were outraged. They argued that Parliament could not tax them without their consent. In response, they began to organize and protest these new policies. Through boycotts, petitions, and public demonstrations, colonists challenged British authority and set the stage for a major conflict.

Key Idea

In 1765, Great Britain passed the Stamp Act, a tax on all paper items like newspapers and legal documents. Colonists were outraged. They argued that Parliament could not tax them because they had no elected representatives. This idea became a famous rallying cry: "no taxation without representation."

In response, colonists organized a widespread boycott of British goods. Leaders from different colonies also met at the Stamp Act Congress to protest as a united group. The pressure was successful, and Parliament repealed the Stamp Act. However, the conflict was far from over, as Britain soon passed new taxes to assert its authority.

Key Idea

A tense calm was shattered when Parliament gave the British East India Company total control over the colonial tea trade. Although this made tea cheaper, many colonists saw it as a trap to make them accept Parliament's right to tax them.

In response, a group of Bostonians led by Sam Adams took matters into their own hands. On the night of December 16, 1773, they boarded three ships and dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. This famous act of protest destroyed valuable property and directly challenged British rule.

Key Idea

Furious about the Boston Tea Party, King George III and Parliament decided to punish Massachusetts. In 1774, they passed a series of harsh laws that colonists called the Intolerable Acts. These laws shut down Boston Harbor, a major trade port, and took away much of the colony's power to govern itself.

Britain hoped this severe punishment would isolate Massachusetts and scare the other colonies into obedience. Instead, the plan backfired. Leaders in other colonies saw these acts as a direct threat to their own liberties. Believing they had to act together, they organized a meeting to plan a unified response.