...for the small group of local American militiamen to prepare for a battle against the oncoming British forces. Had Revere not made the treacherous journey, the militiamen of Massachusetts wouldn’t have been prepared for the battle that commenced the American Revolution. Beginning in Boston and ending in Lexington, Paul Revere rode fifteen miles through Massachusetts on horseback in order to alert Samuel Adams and John Hancock (two other patriots) that they were to be arrested. Along the way, he also took it upon himself to forewarn the local citizens of the approaching British troops. Before setting out that night, Paul arranged for a signal to be cast from the North Church Tower, the highest point in Boston, alerting Revere of which method of approach the British were using. One lantern was to be lit and hung if the British were approaching by land, and two if by sea. Once alerted that night that the British were advancing by sea, Revere set out to the house where Adams and Hancock were hiding out, going by a precise route to avoid any Redcoats on duty. Less than an hour after warning Adams, Hancock, and other citizens, Revere was captured by British soldiers. If not for Paul Revere’s brave midnight ride, the...
Words: 546 - Pages: 3
...4/12/2012 By: Derek Putnam | | The Sons of Liberty | | The Sons of Liberty | The Sons of Liberty used their power and influence to manipulate popular opinion, thereby inciting the public to act against the laws and control of England. They were one of the most influential groups behind the American Revolution. The start of the Sons of Liberty is something of a mystery. The group always met in secret and it is disputed where it all began. Some say it started in New York and some will say under the leadership of Samuel Adams the Boston chapter was first. One thing is certain though, they all had the same goal, to organize public opinion and coordinate patriotic actions against Great Britain. The Sons of Liberty met at night so not to attract the British soldiers and to keep their activities secret until they felt it was time to make them public. One of the main reasons the groups were started was to protest and campaign against the Stamp Act. That was just the start of what the group would protest against and continue to fight for liberty against Britain. The Sons of Liberty name actually came from a speech given to parliament by Colonel Isaac Barre, “the behavior of Britain’s officials toward Americans on many occasions has caused the blood of those Sons of Liberty to recoil within them”, which wasn’t intended to imply disloyalty towards the crown but when word got back to the colonies and they saw his words they used them to their benefit. Barre...
Words: 1804 - Pages: 8
...War of Independence While Acts like the taxations and military occupations only provoked the Americans and started their calls for revolution, Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” showed them that independence is not only possible but also necessary. After the French and Indian war ended the American’s which were proud for being British, got stimulated by their mother country with several Acts which were made to pay back the depts of the war and to control the colonists. It was the 2nd act, the Stamp Act that began the distancing of both sides. The 1st Act was the Sugar Act which was just and invisible act and people didn’t really care about but with the Stamp Act the British had interfered colonial affairs by directly and visibly taxing them and making them feel unfairly treated. For their defense the Americans forced the tax collectors to resign and they met together for the first time, in the Stamp Act Congress, to decide what to do against the Stamp Act tax and the British. The congress ended with the decision of a boycott which could be a reason to end this act. After their successes the Americans felt that they can get what they want if they work together. But the Acts didn’t end with repealing the Stamp Act. Instead even more Acts were created as for example the Quartering Act of 1774 which was part of the Coercive Acts after the Boston Tea Party. Americans felt disturbed about this Act because they had to care about accommodation of British soldiers in their own houses even...
Words: 788 - Pages: 4
...You have been asked to sign the Declaration of Independence. Explain in some detail your decision as if you were a colonial of that era. At first, this seems like an easy question, with the immediate thought being ‘of course I would sign the Declaration of Independence’ but when it is considered in the context of the times, there are quite a few things that must be considered before putting my John Hancock next to John Hancock. In the years leading up to 1776, the British Parliament did very little to endear itself to the colonists. Various measures, such as the Stamp Act, Townshend Acts, Navigation Act, and Sugar Act, continually antagonized the colonists and reinforced Parliament’s assertion that they were entitled to derive revenue from their rightful property. The feeling of being oppressed by the British government led to a growing feeling of solidarity amongst the colonists, and eventually inspired the idea that they could not only achieve independence and govern themselves, but in the process create an entirely new kind of government based on the tenet that all men are created equal and entitled to the same rights. Despite the excitement and appeal of independence, it would have been a difficult decision for me, as it was for many at the time, so turn my back on the country of our origin, and commit was essentially would be an act of treason. There was no guarantee this experiment would work, and it surely was no certainty the colonies could stand up militarily...
Words: 336 - Pages: 2
... If you led the American revolution, what would you do about the government you're trying to overthrow? America’s separation from Britain was not the best of ideas. America had no right to overthrow the government and may have lost more than they won. The new colonies lost a lot of men and a lot of money in their efforts to break away from Britain. Government protection from other aggressive countries was lost along with its financial benefits. A lot of today’s problems also existed when the revolutionary war was afoot; even things such as religion had an impact on this war. The British government refused freedoms in the colonies and forced taxes and requirements for them to purchase goods at excessive prices. In 1768 Britain stopped protecting American colonies when colonial local governments rejected the taxation and demands for goods of their British masters. Though the tea tax had been just 4 American cents or threepence in British coins per pound of UnBranded tea, colonists believed the taxes were too high and Americans stopped paying them, which is an overreaction. This was a normal tax and the cost for a pound of tea. Colonists also received tax relief when proving quarter for the British soldiers which made for a cheap “Protection payment”. The payback for quartering a British soldier was a reduction in taxes. The ever growing native tribe power was becoming too much for the British soldiers, but they kept protecting America and the people in the colonies whilst they...
Words: 607 - Pages: 3
...To protect themselves, many clergymen fled and closed their churches. Additionally, clergymen were some of the most well-educated men in colonial American society, and as a result many in the clergy as well as loyalists overall were also very reliant on Britain for their economic livelihoods, and opposed the Revolution on economic grounds. Many sectors of American commerce were very reliant on strong British ties. Some like merchants, required British goods to import and sell, in addition to protection of merchant fleets by the Royal Navy. Samuel Johnson, a noted British writer of the time, summarized the economic relationship between Britain and America in the pamphlet Taxation No Tyranny: Nothing dejects a trader like the interruption of his profits. A commercial people, however magnanimous, shrinks at the thought of declining traffick and an unfavourable balance…That the Americans are able to bear taxation, is indubitable…Of every empire all the subordinate communities are liable to taxation, because they all share the benefit of government, and, therefore, ought to furnish their proportion of the...
Words: 1616 - Pages: 7
...The Founding Fathers had numerous reasons for rebelling against the British government and declaring independence. The colonists were angered that the British government taxed them without fair representation, quartered large armed troops among them, and took away legal rights in the colonies. Due to the unfair implements and restrictions on the colonies by the British government, the colonies felt that there was no other option than to rebel against the British government and finally declare their independence. The British government taxed the colonists without fair representation. By way of illustration, the British were creating new taxes to reduce the severe debt they had fallen into due to the French-Indian War. In order to alleviate British debt the parliament thought the colonies should pay the cost of the war and raised taxes in the colonies by taxing sugar, trade, and tea. However, the colonists were not represented in parliament fairly and felt that the taxes violated the English Bill of Rights. Even though many colonists took part in the Boston Tea Party and unloaded gallons of costly taxed tea into the Boston Harbor, the colonists were justified in this act of rebellion because it was their representation of the unfair taxation that parliament put upon the colonies. Furthermore, as a direct result of the Boston Tea Party the British government quartered large armed troops among the colonies as included in the Intolerable Acts. The Intolerable Acts was a direct...
Words: 569 - Pages: 3
...“Give me liberty or give me death”. This was a quote by Patrick Henry. Patrick Henry said this because when he was talking to the Virginia House of Burgesses. He told them that because he wanted liberty and if he couldn’t have liberty then he wanted him and his family to have death. He was part of the Sons of liberty. The Sons of Liberty set an example for the rest of the world by defeating the strongest and wealthiest country in the world, they would rather die than be part of England, they wanted liberty for their thirteen colonies.The Sons of Liberty were also our founding fathers. At the time England was the strongest and the most wealthiest country in the world. No one would ever really want to go to war with them because they were the strongest nation and the biggest population in the world. But the Patriots were so mad at England that they decided that they would go to war with them. That’s not a very good idea because they were only thirteen colonies going against the strongest and wealthiest country. The reason they were so mad was that during the French and Indian war the king didn’t send in the British Regulars to fight and the colonists lost a lot of people. The colonists were so mad. Also to make things even more worse, King George passed a stamp act against the thirteen colonies. The smart thing to do would be to apologize and say that they are important to you. But he was to cruel and selfish and blamed them. The Patriots were willing to die for Liberty. They...
Words: 574 - Pages: 3
...The Declaration of Independence stated many the many grievances of the colonists against King George Ⅲ. The impetus for these injustices was the French and Indian war. After the war, salutary neglect ended and the British began implementing laws to raise money which eventually spiraled into hate and distrust between the colonist and the crown. From 1754-1776 tensions rose until fighting broke out and the colonist eventually defeated the British army. The complaints against the king in the Declaration of Independence were valid because of taxation without representation, the Navigation Laws, and the Intolerable Acts. One of the first injustices levied against the colonist were the many taxes. Due to the high cost of the revolutionary war, parliament decided that it was the responsibility of the colonists to pay for one- third of the cost. The stamp and sugar acts were passed and tis led to such outrage that protesters chanted, “no taxation without representation,” throughout the colonies. The colonist felt that the taxes were unjust. As Benjamin Franklin said while explaining the difference between an external of internal tax to the House of Commons in 1766, “But an internal tax is forced upon the people without their consent, if not laid by their own representatives.” As he explains, it was not the raising of taxes themselves that caused anger in the colonist, but rather the lack of a representative for the people. These taxes, including the sugar tax would soon lead to violent...
Words: 614 - Pages: 3
...The American Revolution was inevitable. In the French and Indian War, which was also known as the Seven Years War, was actually fought with France against Great Britain. And the Treaty of Paris in 1756 is one of the reasons why the United States became independent from Great Britain. In addition, the colonies were on salutary neglect, which was England momentarily vacating from them to resolve pressing issues. The colonies relinquished in governing themselves and they did not want to allow Britain to govern them again. Thus, they formed a document called the Declaration of Independence to claim themselves to be their own country. Proclamation of Independence Three acts were given to the colonists after the British Parliament passed them: the Sugar Act, the Stamp Act, and the Townshed Acts. For the Sugar Act and the Stamp Act, many colonial members were upset that they could not vote on Parliament members; and for the Townshed Acts, they were fuming for not getting land after paying all the taxes to Britain to pay for the British French and Indian War debt. Although there were different reactions to these acts, there was one motto they all agree on: “No taxation without representation.” Boston Tea Party Five Boston colonists, who claimed themselves to be Patriots, taunted Captain Thomas Preston and his troop. He ignored insults thrown at them and commanded the soldiers to go join the other troops. However, when the Patriots threw snowballs at the captain, his rage ignited....
Words: 568 - Pages: 3
...According to Doc. B Abigail Adams states that “The men are ignorant, restless criminals with conscience or morals.” This evidence states that the men did not care about the consequences of their actions. Daniel Shay led them under false ideas, according to Abigail Adams. He made them believe that could be free from the taxes. Abigail Adams was worried and told Jefferson of her concerns. Abigail Adams believed that the rebels could destroy America. It even states in my notes that they stole weapons from the arsonal, and isn’t stealing a crime. Even if the rebels hadn’t been charged for a rebellion they would be up doubtfully charged for thievery. Also the rebels caused many riot among the cities. According to Doc. B The riots were not exaggerated. Abigail Adams states that “this mod of rebels wants to weaken the foundation of our country and destroy the whole fabric of our nation.” She says that she wishes that the riots were exaggerated. But she was worried that the attacks were becoming according to Doc B. This proves that the farmers were rebels becauses Abigail Adams goes to such lengths to abolish them because she was concerned about America’s...
Words: 475 - Pages: 2
...Does history repeat itself? It certainly seems that way when looking at the Boston Massacre in 1770 and the shootings at Kent State University in 1970. There are quite a few similarities in each case. In both cases there are protests strong enough that authorities are brought in to try to maintain order. These groups are not well received and are harassed continually which leads to the tragic shootings. However, not all the circumstances are the same, but both are well remembered in American history. The Boston Massacre was a result of tension between the American colonists and British soldiers stationed in Boston. The British Parliament had passed the Sugar Act in 1764 which enforced that the colonists pay duties on goods like coffee, molasses and sugar. The Stamp Act passed in 1765. This law required many documents to carry an official stamp which the colonists had to purchase, and funds of the sale went to the British treasury. Of course many colonists opposed these taxes and a group was formed called the "Sons of Liberty" to take action. Their protests often turned violent. The "Sons of Liberty" attacked and mobbed stamp sellers until the law was repealed in 1766. Parliament then passed the Townshend Acts, which required duties paid on many other imported items, and hired royal officials to enforce the laws. Violent protests continued and crowds often attacked officials. British leaders decided it was time to send in British troops to restore order. The British soldiers...
Words: 1319 - Pages: 6
...Justifying the Revolution: “Controlled by Britain” As said by Patrick Henry an American attorney, planter, and orator “Give me liberty or give me death!”(military.wikia.com) This quote has played a massive impact on the colonists and the world today. Since the beginning from 1764 when the first taxes came, the colonists were essentially being “controlled” by the British, its cause being the drive from money, and wickedness. These actions had forced the hand of the Colonists resulting in the Revolution. The American Revolution was justified, for the colonists actions were liable and technically legal in their standards of separating from Britain. For example, the increasing tensions and conflict between the colonists and the British, Necessary,...
Words: 272 - Pages: 2
...In the Propaganda posters, it not only steered people's opinions in certain direction, but it also caused the cogs of war to started moving. In the Propaganda poster number one, it is a poster of the Boston Massacre, in the eyes of Paul Revere a patriot. The poster depicts a line of British soldiers, guns aimed and fired at a group of innocent looking group of protesters, at command of a general behind the line of soldiers. This shows that the poster is trying to make the British look like killers. In the Propaganda poster number two, it is a poster of the Boston Tea Party and it is in the eyes of a patriot. The poster depicts a group of patriots taking a loyalist customs official, and dumping hot tar and feathers on him. Then they are drowning...
Words: 261 - Pages: 2
...The sons of liberty were heroes because they were the ones who saved the Boston massacre. The sons of liberty were great leaders. They made america and they started the revolution in Boston. The sons of liberty were in Boston when the massacre was upon Boston. The Boston massacre was reunited when the sons of liberty were at their feet. The Boston massacre was a very real place. Boston was the main target for the British but when the sons of liberty were at boston they massacre they were the head honcho for liberty in the boston massacre but, the townsfolk in boston did not like the the British taxes that the British were collecting. Most of the British tax men were tared and feathered or they boston townsfolk would burn...
Words: 312 - Pages: 2
