American revolution

• The British government was determined to maintain control over the colonies, but they were also aware that their military forces were stretched thin.
• In response to the Boston Tea Party, Parliament passed the Coercive Acts (also known as the Intolerable Acts) which punished Massachusetts by closing its port, suspending its charter, and imposing martial law.
• These acts led to increased tensions between Britain and America, with many Americans feeling that their rights had been violated.
• These acts led to increased tensions between Britain and America, with many Americans feeling that their rights had been violated.
• These acts led to increased tensions between Britain and America, with many Americans feeling that their rights had been violated.
• In response to the Boston Tea Party, Parliament passed the Coercive Acts (also known as the Intolerable Acts) in 1774, which punished Massachusetts by closing its port, suspending its charter, and imposing martial law.
• In response to the Boston Tea Party, Parliament passed the Coercive Acts (also known as the Intolerable Acts) in 1774, which punished Massachusetts by closing its port, suspending its charter, and imposing martial law.
• In response to the Boston Tea Party, Parliament passed the Coercive Acts (also known as the Intolerable Acts) in 1774, which punished Massachusetts by closing its port, suspending its charter, and imposing martial law.
• These acts further angered the colonists and led to the formation of the Continental Army under George Washington's leadership.
• The First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia in September 1774 to discuss ways to resist British policies.
• Many Americans felt that these actions were unconstitutional and went against the principles of liberty and freedom.
• Britain's attempts at reconciliation failed due to the lack of support from the majority of Americans who wanted independence.
• Many Americans felt that these actions were unconstitutional and an infringement on their liberties.
• As a result, there was growing support for independence among the colonists.
• Many Americans felt that these actions were unjustified and unfairly targeted them.
• The American Revolution was one of several revolutions that occurred on both sides of the Atlantic in the late 18th and early 19th centuries
• A revolution is a rapid and significant change in society, politics, technology or the economy
• In America, France and Ireland, people rose up to overthrow the established order and create new ways of running society where people would have a greater say over the laws that ruled their lives
• The first of these revolutions took place in North America, where colonists fought against British rule
• Types of sources for studying the American Revolution

  • Writings of the revolutionaries themselves: letters and diaries
  • Books, pamphlets and newspapers written by political thinkers
  • Official documents like the Declaration of Independence
• From the 1600s, Britain had established 13 colonies along the eastern seaboard of North America
• The colonists were from Britain and other European countries and were largely allowed to run their own affairs through their local assemblies
• By the 1760s, various factors had come together to make the colonies unhappy with British rule
• The Enlightenment


  • A movement of thinkers who valued reason and science above faith or authority as a basis for society
  • Many challenged the idea that kings had a divine right to rule as they saw fit
  • Argued that power of government should be limited and the rights of the people protected
• Britain wanted America as a market to sell the finished goods made by British industry using American raw materials
• The British Parliament passed the Navigation Acts, which forced the colonies to sell some of their products to Britain alone
• The Seven Years' War between Britain and France resulted in Britain seizing a lot of French territory in North America
• The British government wanted the colonies to contribute to the cost of the army, as it was there for their protection
• The British introduced the Stamp Act and Quartering Act, which imposed taxes on the colonies without their consent
• The colonists were furious about these taxes and used the slogan 'No Taxation without Representation'
• There were widespread protests and violence against the Stamp Act, which was eventually withdrawn in 1766
• Groups like the Sons of Liberty advocated for Americans to govern themselves and be free of British rule
• After repealing the Stamp Act, the British instead imposed the Townshend Acts, which placed taxes on goods imported to America
• In 1773, the British passed the Tea Act, which exempted the East India Company from paying the tea tax
• In December 1773, the Sons of Liberty dumped 342 crates of East India Company tea into Boston Harbor in the Boston Tea Party
• The British government responded by imposing the 'Intolerable Acts' on the colony of Massachusetts, closing the port of Boston until compensation was paid
• Representatives of the colonies met in the First Continental Congress in September 1774, opposing British taxes and demanding the removal of British soldiers
• In April 1775, British troops marched to seize weapons at Concord, leading to the Battles of Lexington and Concord, where the first shots of the American Revolution were fired
• The Second Continental Congress chose George Washington to be commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, and on July 4, 1776 issued the Declaration of Independence
• The American Revolution is celebrated every year in the United States of America