APUSH Review: Video #12: Events Leading To The American Revolution

Summary

This educational video delves into the events leading up to the American Revolution, focusing on British attempts to assert imperial authority post-Seven Years War, which led to significant debt and the implementation of taxes like the Stamp Act of 1765. It discusses the colonial response, including boycotts and the First Continental Congress, emphasizing the cry for 'no taxation without representation.' The video also covers the influence of Enlightenment ideas, the role of key figures like Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Paine, and the significance of documents like the Declaration of Independence, which formalized America's break from Britain.

Takeaways

• 📚 The script discusses the events leading up to the American Revolution, focusing on the British attempts to assert imperial authority and the colonial responses.
• 💷 After the Seven Years' War, Britain was in significant debt and sought to raise revenue from the colonies through various taxes.
• 🚫 The Proclamation of 1763 restricted colonial expansion beyond the Appalachian Mountains, which was a precursor to the taxes imposed on the colonies.
• 📜 The Stamp Act of 1765 was a significant tax on printed materials, leading to widespread discontent among the colonists.
• 🏛️ The Stamp Act Congress was a response to the Stamp Act, where the colonies boycotted taxed goods and tarred and feathered tax collectors.
• 🛑 The Townshend Acts of 1767 placed taxes on items like tea, glass, and paint, which were met with colonial boycotts, leading to the repeal of all but the tea tax.
• 🍵 The Tea Act of 1773 was an attempt by Britain to help the British East India Company by selling tea directly to the colonies, but it was opposed due to the lack of colonial representation in Parliament.
• 🗣️ The slogan 'No taxation without representation' emerged from the colonists' frustration with being taxed without having a say in British Parliament.
• 🌊 The Boston Tea Party was a protest against the Tea Act, where the Sons of Liberty dressed as Native Americans and dumped tea into Boston Harbor.
• 🇬🇧 In response to the Boston Tea Party, Britain enacted the Coercive Acts, which closed the port of Boston until damages were paid, further escalating tensions.
• 🏛️ The First Continental Congress was formed to address colonial grievances and seek reconciliation with Britain, indicating that many still wished to remain under British control.

Q & A

What was the main reason for Britain's financial troubles after the Seven Years' War?

Britain was in major debt after the Seven Years' War and needed to raise revenue.

What was the Proclamation Line of 1763, and how did it affect the colonies?

The Proclamation Line of 1763 was an attempt by Britain to limit colonial expansion by forbidding expansion past the Appalachian Mountains.

What was the Stamp Act of 1765, and how did the colonists respond to it?

The Stamp Act of 1765 was a tax on 50 commonly used goods made from paper, affecting nearly everyone. The colonists responded with boycotts and the Stamp Act Congress, leading to the Act's repeal.

What were the Townsend Acts, and what was their outcome?

The Townsend Acts of 1767 were taxes on tea, glass, and paint. After colonial boycotts, all but the tax on tea was overturned.

How did the Tea Act of 1773 contribute to the growing tensions between the colonies and Britain?

The Tea Act of 1773 allowed the British East India Company to sell tea directly to the colonies, bypassing colonial merchants. Colonists opposed it because it was a tax they had no representation in deciding.

What significant event occurred as a result of the Tea Act of 1773?

The Boston Tea Party occurred as a result of the Tea Act, where the Sons of Liberty dressed as natives and threw tea into the Boston Harbor.

What were the Intolerable Acts, and how did they impact the colonies?

The Intolerable Acts were punitive laws passed by Britain in response to the Boston Tea Party, including the closure of the port of Boston until damages were paid.

What was the purpose of the First Continental Congress?

The First Continental Congress was formed to redress grievances and seek a resolution with Britain, showing that most colonists did not initially seek independence but rather fair treatment.

How did colonial leaders justify their resistance to British rule?

Colonial leaders justified their resistance by asserting their rights as British subjects, rejecting the concept of virtual representation, and citing Enlightenment ideas such as the right to consent of the governed.

Who were some key figures in the American independence movement, and what were their contributions?

Key figures included Benjamin Franklin, who co-wrote the Declaration of Independence and helped gain French support; Thomas Paine, who wrote 'Common Sense' advocating for independence; and Thomas Jefferson, the primary author of the Declaration of Independence.

What was the significance of the Declaration of Independence, and when was it issued?

The Declaration of Independence was significant as it formally declared the colonies' intention to break away from Britain. It was issued in July 1776, a year after the fighting at Lexington and Concord began.

Outlines

00:00

📜 Colonial Resistance to British Authority

This paragraph delves into the events leading up to the American Revolution, focusing on British attempts to assert imperial authority after the Seven Years War. The British, burdened with debt, sought to raise revenue by imposing taxes on the colonies, such as the Stamp Act of 1765, which taxed a variety of paper goods. The colonists, viewing these taxes as detrimental to their economy, responded with boycotts and the Stamp Act Congress. They tarred and feathered tax collectors and successfully forced Britain to repeal the Stamp Act. This emboldened the colonists, leading to further resistance against the Townsend Acts and the Tea Act, culminating in the Boston Tea Party. The British retaliated with the Intolerable Acts, prompting the formation of the First Continental Congress. The colonists justified their resistance by asserting their rights as British subjects, rejecting the concept of virtual representation, and advocating for self-rule and individual rights.

05:00

🗽 The Path to American Independence

The second paragraph explores the influence of Enlightenment ideas on the American independence movement, emphasizing the significance of John Locke's philosophy on the right to life, liberty, and property. It highlights key figures in the movement, such as Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, and their roles in advocating for American rights and eventual independence. The Sons and Daughters of Liberty, Patriots, and Loyalists are discussed, illustrating the diverse participants in the struggle for independence. Thomas Paine's 'Common Sense' is highlighted as a pivotal piece of literature that challenged British rule and inspired the Declaration of Independence. The paragraph concludes with a recap of the key acts and events that led to the formal break with Britain, including the Declaration of Independence, which was issued a year after the commencement of hostilities at Lexington and Concord.

Keywords

💡Imperial Authority

Imperial authority refers to the power and control exerted by a central government, in this case, Britain, over its colonies. The video discusses how Britain attempted to assert this authority after the Seven Years' War by imposing taxes and restrictions to raise revenue and control colonial expansion. This is central to understanding the video's theme as it sets the stage for the American Revolution.

💡Debt

Debt, in the context of the video, refers to the significant financial obligations incurred by Britain after the Seven Years' War. The video explains that this debt led to Britain's need to raise revenue from its colonies, which in turn sparked resistance and was a catalyst for the events leading to the American Revolution.

💡Proclamation Line of 1763

The Proclamation Line of 1763 was a British policy that forbade colonial expansion past the Appalachian Mountains. It is a key concept in the video as it represents one of the first instances of Britain's attempts to control the colonies, which was met with resistance and contributed to the growing tensions leading to the Revolution.

💡Stamp Act

The Stamp Act of 1765 was a direct tax imposed by the British on the American colonies, requiring them to pay a tax on printed materials. The video highlights the Stamp Act as a pivotal event that sparked widespread discontent among the colonists, leading to protests and boycotts, and was eventually repealed, demonstrating the power of colonial resistance.

💡Stamp Act Congress

The Stamp Act Congress was a meeting of representatives from several colonies in response to the Stamp Act. The video uses this term to illustrate the colonies' organized resistance to British taxation without representation, which was a significant step towards unity among the colonies and a precursor to the American Revolution.

💡Townshend Acts

The Townshend Acts, named after Charles Townshend, were a series of taxes imposed by Britain on the colonies in 1767. The video explains that these acts, particularly the tax on tea, were met with further colonial boycotts, showing the continued resistance to British taxation and the escalating tensions.

💡Boston Tea Party

The Boston Tea Party was a political protest by the American colonists in 1773, where they destroyed a shipment of tea from the British East India Company. The video emphasizes this event as a significant act of defiance against British taxation policies, further fueling the movement towards independence.

💡No Taxation Without Representation

The phrase 'no taxation without representation' encapsulates the colonists' belief that they should not be taxed by a government in which they have no say. The video highlights this as a rallying cry and a core principle behind the American Revolution, as it reflects the colonists' desire for self-governance.

💡First Continental Congress

The First Continental Congress was a gathering of delegates from the colonies in 1774 to discuss their response to British policies. The video mentions this event as a key moment in the colonial push for unity and coordinated action against British rule, which was a precursor to the formal declaration of independence.

💡Common Sense

Common Sense is a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1776, advocating American independence from Britain. The video discusses this influential work as it played a crucial role in swaying public opinion towards the cause of independence, providing intellectual justification for the Revolution.

💡Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence is the document in which the thirteen American colonies declared themselves independent from British rule. The video notes that this document, inspired by Enlightenment ideas and works like Common Sense, articulated the colonies' grievances and their assertion of natural rights, marking the formal beginning of the United States.

Highlights

British attempts to assert imperial authority post Seven Years War

Debt from the Seven Years War led to Britain seeking revenue from colonies

Proclamation of 1763 restricted colonial expansion beyond the Appalachian Mountains

Introduction of the Stamp Act in 1765, taxing printed materials

Colonial response to the Stamp Act through boycotts and the Stamp Act Congress

Repeal of the Stamp Act due to effective colonial resistance

Townsend Acts of 1767, imposing taxes on goods like tea, glass, and paint

Colonial boycotts led to the repeal of most Townsend Acts except the tea tax

Tea Act of 1773 aimed to help the British East India Company at the expense of colonists

Boston Tea Party as a response to the Tea Act

Formation of the Sons of Liberty to protest British taxes

British retaliation with the Intolerable Acts following the Boston Tea Party

First Continental Congress convened to address colonial grievances

Colonial leaders justified resistance based on rights as British subjects and Enlightenment ideas

Patrick Henry's 'Give me liberty or give me death' speech reflecting colonial sentiment

Diverse participants in the independence movement, including leaders, Sons and Daughters of Liberty, Patriots, and Loyalists

Thomas Paine's 'Common Sense' influencing the push for independence

Declaration of Independence, inspired by Enlightenment ideas and 'Common Sense', was drafted

The Declaration of Independence marked America's formal break from Britain

Transcripts

what's going on a push piece we got a

good one for you today this is video

number 12 events leading to the American

Revolution as I mentioned in the last

video this information will focus on a

topic that has been asked many times na

push exams especially in short answer

question and essay formats so make sure

you are familiar with this material

before we begin I want to give a huge

shout out to ms Brown's class in Florida

thank you for watching best of luck you

will do awesome this year let's begin by

talking about British attempts to assert

imperial authority but we need to do a

quick recap to fully understand this

video if you remember after the Seven

Years War Britain was in debt major debt

then they needed to raise revenue Bryn

wanted to seek to limit colonial

expansion so they did so by the

proclamation line of 1763 which forbid

colonial expansion past the Appalachian

Mountains remember that is the second P

in peep so friends and debts are they're

gonna pass a bunch of taxes on the

colonies one of the most important taxes

is the Stamp Act from 1765 this was a

tax on 50 commonly used goods such as

newspapers playing cards marriage

certificates you name if it was made

from paper chances are it was taxed and

this will affect nearly everyone and

comets are not going to be happy they

will view this as the death to their

economy into the colonies and they will

respond with the Stamp Act Congress now

we're gonna talk about a couple of

congresses in this video when you see

Congress I want you to think this is the

colonies Congress colonies Congress

colonies when I say Congress you say

colonies very good so Stamp Act Congress

was an example of Claudia boycotts of

the Stamp Act the colonists would turn

feather stamp collectors they would

boycott or refuse to buy goods that had

the stamp tax on it and as I mentioned

they tarred and feathered tax collectors

now they did such a good job of

boycotting and throwing up as think

about the the Stamp Act that Britain

will repeal the Stamp Act and this will

embolden the colonists they will realize

that if they protest if they make it big

enough stinked Britain will probably

peel taxes so this is a good learning

experience for the colonists two years

later in 1767 we have the Townsend Acts

named after Charles Townsend this was a

tax on tea that glass in paint and after

colonial boycotts again all but the tax

on tea was overturned

so goodbye lad goodbye glass goodbye

paint taxes tea will still remain and

we'll come back to that the Tea Act of

1773 was passed by Britain to bail out

the British East India Company this was

a private company and the cost of tea

from the British East India Company was

actually cheaper than smuggled tea so

the colonists could buy this tea cheaper

directly from the company but they were

against it because it was a tax and

colonists did not have representation in

Parliament so began the very famous

quote no taxation without representation

and this will lead to can you guess what

it is if they're protesting tea yeah you

got evil genius it's the Boston Tea

Party same year the Sons of Liberty a

group that was formed to protest British

taxes they dressed as natives and threw

the tea into the Boston Harbor now

Britain is not going to take this lately

and they will respond with a coercive or

the Intolerable Acts they will close the

port of Boston until damages were paid

about a million dollars worth and this

led to the countess forming what are

count it's gonna form you know it yep

it's a Congress so when I say Congress

you say colonies they're going to form

the First Continental Congress it's

called the first because there will be a

second very good look at you you genius

today so they sought to redress

grievances and go back to solitary

neglect it's very important to

understand most people were not calling

for independence during this time they

still wanted to remain under the control

of British they just wanted to go back

to salutary neglect being left alone so

those are some major acts on what we

want to figure out is how did colonial

leaders justify the resistance to the

British well they said we have rights as

British British subjects and they

rejected the virtual representation

argument by Britain that said that hey

Parliament is going to make laws that

are in the best interest of all British

subjects but the

you're gonna say listen we want

representation in Parliament they also

made arguments based on the right of the

individual taxation writs of assistance

Rhett's of assistance were open-ended

search warrants that the British would

use to search cargoes of ships to make

sure that taxes were being paid local

traditions of self-rule remember

colonists could elect their legislators

but not British representatives so the

Virginia House of Burgesses for example

was elected by the countess least some

of them who were qualified to vote in

Virginia but there was no representation

in Parliament for the colonists and of

course Enlightenment ideas the big theme

we talked about from period to the idea

of consent of the governed by John Locke

that people have the right to life

liberty and property and they can choose

their own form of government those ideas

were very influential during this time

and here is Patrick Henry giving his

very famous speech give me liberty or

give me death when he was referring to

the British actions during this time so

who took part in the independence

movement a wide range of people you have

colonial leaders people like Ben

Franklin he argued America contributed

significantly to the seven years of war

victory and they should not be punished

he was a co-writer of the Declaration of

Independence with John Adams and the

most famous author Thomas Jefferson he

helped gain support of France during the

American Revolution he was instrumental

in that popular movement you have the

sons and daughters of Liberty groups of

men and women who resisted the actions

of the British they would boycott goods

and the homespun movement is making for

example clothes in the colonies instead

of buying them from Great Britain

Patriots the that is a term for those

that were loyal to the independence

movement unlike loyalists who were loyal

to Great Britain an example of a popular

woman during this time was mercy Otis

Warren she was a writer that urged

independence during the 1770s okay

Thomas Paine's Common Sense holy cow

notice that specifically mentioned

circle this bad boy right now you need

to know it so t-pain he was an author he

was originally born in England moved to

the Americas he wrote common sense in

1776 which is one of the most

influential writings in American history

he challenged King George the third kg3

or

it was common sense to break away from

the corrupt monarch he basically wrote a

pamphlet calling kg3 out and said yeah

now what what are you gonna do about

we're gonna we should declare

independence and he argued that little

island could not rule a larger continent

if you're following along with an

enhanced video guide we're gonna

actually look at some excerpts from

common sense and take a look at this

reading and this helped inspire what do

you think common sense helped inspire

he's urging people to break away you got

it again declaration of independence

from July of 1776 so we have Ben

Franklin here John Adams and then 33

year old Thomas Jefferson I've never

felt so inadequate in life I'm 36 and I

am three years older than he was when he

wrote the Declaration of Independence I

kind of feel like a failure so this was

inspired by Enlightenment ideas as well

as t-pain's common sense in this

documents found that all men had natural

rights and among them are life liberty

and the pursuit of happiness

so they changed a little from John

Locke's life liberty and property

America is going to formally break away

from Britain in this letter it's a

famous breakup letter basically saying

you know what it's you it's not me

you're the problem here King George the

third so we're breaking up and this has

issued one year after fighting at

Lexington and Concord began and that's

important the war is really going on

already but it's not until one year into

the war that the Declaration is actually

issued that shows how many people still

wanted to reconcile with Great Britain

and avoid conflict for the quick recap

be familiar with text is imposed by the

British people to explain the Stamp Act

the Townsend act in the Tea Act colonial

reactions to the British when I say

Congress you say colonies very good the

very first one is the Stamp Act Congress

the Boston Tea Party you could even

throw in the First Continental Congress

justifications for independence included

the rights of individuals and layman

ideas etc common sense encouraged

America to break away which helped

influence the Declaration of

Independence alright guys thanks for

watching look forward to seeing here for

the American Revolution in the next

video best of luck this year and have a

good day