American Revolution (Pre-IB SS 9)
What was the major issue Americans had with British rule?
- TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION: The British gov. imposed taxes like the Stamp Act and Townshend Acts, and the Americans believed they should only be taxed by their elected representatives
- Forced Americans to provide for British troops (Quartering Act)
- Enlightened thinking: Ideas about natural rights and separation of powers fueled a growing sense of American identity + desire for independence
Why did the Boston Tea Party take place? What was it?
- Protest against the Tea Act which gave the British East India Company a monopoly on tea sales and maintained a tax on tea
- Act of defiance against British rule occurring in Boston Harbour
A group of Americans, some disguised as indigenous people, dumped 342 chests of tea into the harbor (in order to prevent the tea from being unloaded and the tax being paid)
What were the Intolerable Acts of 1774?
- Series of punitive laws passed by the British after the Boston Tea Party
- Intended to isolate and punish Massachusettes, but instead helped unified America against British rule and contributed to the outbreak of war in 1775
What did equality mean to the Americans at the time?
- "All MEN are created equal": Declaration of Independence discluded slaves, women, and men who didn't have property rights
- Equality meant that no WHITE man living in a simple property was better than anyone other white man living in a simple property.
Why does the American revolution fall a bit short?
People who owned land and had localized power stull had it after the revolution, the existence of ruling elite classes did not change