Timeline of Causes of the Revolution

Aim: How did a series of British policies and colonial reactions escalate into a movement for independence?

Part 1: Do Now

Think about a time in your life when one event led to another, creating a chain reaction.

=> Describe that chain of events and explain how the outcome was the result of a long series of smaller actions. Be prepared to Turn and Talk with a partner.

Part 2: Primary Source Document

Read the following excerpt from a newspaper published in Boston in October 1765. This was written as a protest against the Stamp Act.

Excerpt from the Boston-Gazette, October 1765 (Primary Source)

The public alarm is great, and the people are justly aroused to oppose this most detestable and unheard-of taxation. We have been accustomed to the blessings of liberty, and we shall not be deprived of them without a struggle. This new act imposes a tax on all newspapers, legal documents, and even playing cards. It is an act of tyranny, for it is taxation without representation. The people of this province, who are subject to the King of Great Britain, ought to have a right to be represented in the legislative body by whom taxes are imposed. To be taxed by a Parliament in which we have no voice and no member to speak for our interests is a violation of our most basic rights as Englishmen. The Sons of Liberty are preparing to resist this, and we will not rest until the act is repealed.

Questions:

1. What is the author's main complaint about the Stamp Act?

2. What does the author mean by the phrase, "taxation without representation"?

3. How does the author propose that colonists should respond to this law?

Part 3: Creating a Timeline

Your task is to work in a small group to create a timeline of the key events leading up to the American Revolution.

Instructions:

1. Read the event descriptions below.

2. On a separate sheet of paper, work with your group to place the events in the correct chronological order on a timeline.

3. Write a one-sentence summary for each event.

4. Once your group is finished, you will participate in a Group Gallery Walk by walking around the room to compare your timeline with other groups. Make any necessary corrections to your own timeline.

Event Descriptions

• The Sugar Act (1764): An act of Parliament that put a tax on sugar, molasses, and other imported goods. It was the first act passed specifically to raise money in the colonies for the British government.

• The Stamp Act (1765): An act that required a government stamp on almost all printed materials, from newspapers and legal documents to playing cards. It led to widespread protests, including the formation of the Sons of Liberty.

• The Townshend Acts (1767): A series of acts that placed new taxes on imported goods like glass, lead, paper, and tea. The goal was to raise revenue to pay the salaries of colonial governors and judges.

• The Boston Massacre (1770): A clash between British soldiers and a mob of colonists that left five colonists dead. The event was used as propaganda by patriot leaders to stir up anti-British sentiment.

• The Tea Act (1773): An act that granted the British East India Company a monopoly on tea sales in the colonies. It was meant to save the company from bankruptcy, but colonists saw it as another example of "taxation without representation."

• The Boston Tea Party (1773): A political protest in which a group of colonists, disguised as Native Americans, boarded British ships and dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor in response to the Tea Act.

• The Intolerable Acts (1774): A series of punitive laws passed by the British Parliament in response to the Boston Tea Party. They closed Boston Harbor, limited self-government in Massachusetts, and allowed British officials to be tried in England.

• First Continental Congress (1774): A meeting of delegates from 12 of the 13 colonies in response to the Intolerable Acts. They agreed to boycott British goods and sent a petition to King George III outlining their grievances.

Part 4: Exit Ticket

In at least five sentences, explain WHY it is important to understand the order of events that led to the American Revolution. Use at least two specific events from our timeline to show HOW one event led to the next (cause and effect).