Lesson #1: Colonist Protest!

Activity 1.2: Protests Against the British Overview

Notice in a newspaper of the Stamp Act of 1765

England won the Seven Years War. This meant that there was a massive amount of new land to protect and soldiers to pay. England’s national debt doubled by the end of the Seven Years War. Because of the great debt that England faced after the Seven Years War, England began to tax the colonists. The colonists began to protest these taxes, which led to more conflict. England responded with more taxes and laws to control the colonists and colonists reacted with protests. In this activity, you get an overall understanding of the events of protests that led to the American Revolutionary War.

Benchmark:

5.4.4.17.1: Identify major conflicts between the colonies and England following the Seven Years War; explain how these conflicts led to the American Revolution.

Learning Target:

I can...explain the differing views of the British and the colonists over taxation.

Essential Question:

What are the major conflicts between the colonies and England, and how did they lead to the American Revolution?

To complete Activity 1.2 please follow the steps below:

STEP 1:

There were a few techniques that colonists took to protest the British policies. Since some of the policies involved taxing goods sent into the colonies, some colonists would smuggle the goods into the colonies to avoid having to pay the taxes. This means colonists would hide the goods without letting the officials know they had it. Another technique that was used was boycotting certain goods. This meant that they would refuse to buy certain goods from England. If enough people refused to buy the goods, then the company suffers and the tax policy would have to be reconsidered. Some colonists even went to the extreme of violently protesting certain policies by damaging property or threatening and hurting certain individuals. When did they use these techniques? Find out by watching the video clip below, and reading about each policy more in-depth.

To get a general understanding about what events led to the American Revolution, watch a short video clip about why the colonists protested British policies. The clip is an overview of tax policies from 1764 to 1775.

STEP 2:

Now we will look more closely at the different British policies that angered the colonists. Fill out the following note taking guide using the sources below. You will be quizzed on the information, so be sure to be detailed in your responses.

Sugar Act:

Social Studies for Kids Sugar Act

Stamp Act:

Social Studies for Kids Stamp Act

PBS The Stamp Act Riots and Tar and Feathering

Townshend Act

Social Studies for Kids Townshend Act

Tea Act

Social Studies for Kids Tea Act

“Intolerable Acts”:

Social Studies for Kids Intolerable Acts

US History The Intolerable Acts

STEP 3:

Once you feel you have a solid understanding of the content, take the quiz.