Download Intolerable Acts

THE ROAD TO
LEXINGTON AND
CONCORD
Chapter 6, Section 3
The Intolerable Acts
Britain pretty upset about Boston Tea Party!
 King George III: Hmm…do we let them go or make them
obey?
 Obey of course!
1774: Coercive Acts – designed to punish
colonies
 Colonists thought they were really bad:
 Called them the Intolerable
Acts
The Intolerable Acts (cont’d)
Intolerable Acts:
1. Close Boston harbor until tea paid for
2. Ban committees of correspondence
3. Colonists must house troops when necessary
4. British officers can only be put on trial (for crimes) in Britain
5. British governor put in charge of Massachusetts
First Continental Congress
September, 1774
 Delegates from all colonies (except
Georgia) meet in Philadelphia
 End all trade with Britain (until they
repealed the Intolerable Acts)
 Each colony would begin to train
troops (just in case)
 Georgia agreed as well (even though
they weren’t there)
1) What British action
caused the first
violence in the
growing conflict
between Britain
and America?
2) How might the
Intolerable Acts be
seen as a reaction
as well as an
action?
Between War and Peace
Parliament’s reaction:
Give up? NO WAY!
 Increase restrictions on colonial trade
 Brought in more troops
Colonists Reaction:
 Train more troops
 Plan for show of force
 Believe any military conflict would be short
The Midnight Ride
 Spies everywhere!
 Both sides had spy networks providing
information
 Patriots vs. British and Loyalists
 British receive news of militia weapons
stored in Concord, MA
 Decide to send troops to capture or destroy
weapons
 British troops sent to arrest Sam Adams and
John Hancock in Lexington
Hanging of Nathan Hale - 1775
The Midnight Ride (cont’d)
 Sons of Liberty were prepared
 Old North Church
 “One if by land, two if by sea”
 Hung lanterns to signal British movements
 Paul Revere, William Dawes, and Samuel
Prescott, spread the news of British troop
movement.
Lexington and Concord
• April 19th, 1775 - British troops
reach Lexington, MA
• Minuteman: One-third of militia
trained to act at a minutes notice.
• British go to disarm militiamen at
Lexington
• Militia refuses
• “Shot heard ‘round the world”
• Colonists retreat
Lexington and Concord (cont’d)
• British troops march to
Concord, MA
•
•
Forced to retreat by Colonial Militia
British forces are almost wiped out.
• Lexington and Concord are the
first two battles of the
American Revolution.
The Revolutionary War has officially
begun.
Will the Redcoats win of will the rebel
colonists finally have independence?
…Stay tuned to find out!