The war of Independence 外语104班陈尼玛

1、King George III and his government wanted to tax the American colonies as a way of regaining their war costs. A series of actions including the Stamp Act (1765), The Townshend Acts (1767), and the Boston Massacre (1770) agitated the colonists. When the decision was made to tax tea, that was what spu

2、rred the colonists into action, which in turn laid ground work for the American Revolution.The colonies felt like they had no obligation to pay taxes imposed by a parliament in which they had no representation.Due to this, Parliament retracted the taxes with exception of a duty on tea a demonstratio

3、n of Parliaments ability and right to tax the colonies.The Americans would now get their tea at a cheaper price than ever before. However, if the colonies paid the duty tax on the imported tea, they would be acknowledging Parliaments right to tax them.Tea was a staple of the colonial life it was ass

4、umed that the colonists would rather pay the taxes than deny themselves the pleasure of a cup of tea.This did not fool the colonists. The companies sent out the shipments of tea to Philadelphia, New York, Charleston, and Boston.They were not allowed to land in Philadelphia and New York. The tea was

5、sent to a warehouse where it rotted. When Boston permitted a total of three ships to dock, it started a reaction of fury among the townspeople.Early evening, about 200 men disguised as Indians, known as the Sons of Liberty, assembled by the Old South Meeting House under the guidance of Samuel Adams.

6、The crowd marched to the harbor where the three ships were docked and dumped 342 chests of tea overboard.The tea that was dumped was to be valued over 90,000 pounds which is equal to $159,611.25!The British Government considered the Event defiance of the law and wanton destruction of property. Then-

7、In March 1774, English Parliament passed the Intolerable Acts, which included closing Boston Harbor and imposing martial law.Intolerable Acts were:1.Quartering Act Quartering of British soldiers in civilian homes2.Quebec Act It rearranged the Canadian Borders.3.Administration of Justice Act It prote

8、cted royal officials accused of capital crimes. They had to be tried in England.4.Massachusetts Government Act It gave the royal government direct control over the colony down to town meetings.5.Boston Port Bill Closed Boston Harbor and reparations were made for the tea that had been destroyed.The F

9、irst Continental CongressThe First Continental Congress convened in Philadelphias Carpenters Hall on September 5, 1774. The idea of such a meeting was advanced a year earlier by Benjamin Franklin, but failed to gain much support until after the Port of Boston was closed in response to the Boston Tea

10、 Party. The Congress did not advocate independencePaul Revere and William Dawes make midnight ride to warn Minutemen of approaching British soldiersIn June of 1776, the Continental Congress agreed that a Declaration of Independence needed to be written.1 All people have equal rights.“We hold these t

11、ruths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”2 Great Britain had treated the colonists wrongfully. 3 The colonies were now an independent country kno

12、wn as the United States of America. Declaration of Independence 3 Main PartsNothing is more certainly written in the book of fate than that these people are to be freeJefferson Memorial, Washington, D.C.Nor is it less certain that the two races, equally free, cannot live in the same government. Nature, habit, opinion has drawn indelible lines of distinction between them. - Thomas Jefferson3. It inspired French revolution. Many French men who had fought on the side of the colonies became heroes of the French revolution.4. It inspired revolutionaries in many