Founding Mothers – Cokie Roberts Names Referenced in Selection: Deborah Franklin: wife of Benjamin Franklin, ran Franklin’s businesses and home while he served over seas. Thomas Pinckney: part of American independence movement, involved in S. Carolina politics, mother named Eliza Patrick Henry: Revolutionary patriot, politician (Virginia – House of Burgesses), “Give me liberty or give me death!” Thomas Paine: Revolutionary propagandist, most famous pamphlet Common Sense calling for immediate independence (1776) Mercy Otis Warren: Revolutionary pamphleteer (political propaganda), brother James Otis – called for repeal of Stamp and Sugar Act
Events Referenced in Selection: French and Indian War/Seven Years War: (1756-1763): war between British and French (with Indian allies), over control of western lands (PA and Ohio); ended with Treaty of Paris (removed French treat on British colonies, Britain gained significant amount of land); needed to tax colonists to pay off war debt (protecting colonists) Stamp Act (1765): tax stamp required on most printed material, stamp must be purchased in sterling, which was difficult to come by; repealed in 1776 Sugar Act (1764): tax on imports on certain goods, specifically sugar from French West Indies; hoped to increase demand of British sugar (pay off war debt) Quartering Act (1765/1774): forced private citizens to house British troops, particularly enforced in Boston (center of rebellion/independence movement) Townshed Act (1767): tax on various goods imported from Britain, pay salaries of royal officials who were previously paid by local taxes (no longer collected); repealed in 1770 except for tea Boston Massacre (1770): British troops stationed in Boston fired on American throwing snowballs; becomes symbolic of British unfair treatment of colonists Tea Act (1173): passed in an attempt to save the East India Company; East India Company tea was the only tea to be legally sold in colonies and sold by specific agents, sold at smugglers’ prices making tea cheaper for colonists but tea still taxed under Townshed Act; seen by colonists as another inappropriate tax Boston Tea Party (1773): Bostonians keep Tea Act tea from being unloaded from the British ships; dumped the tea into Boston Harbor in protest of Tea Act; in response, Britain passed Coercive/Intolerable Acts Intolerable Acts (1774): series of four acts to limit Boston and Massachusetts’ political power and rebellious efforts Continental Congress (1774): Philadelphia, Declaration of Rights and Grievances adopted stating that despite obey crown will resist unfair taxation
Questions Based on Selection:
1) After years of benign neglect, why was the British crown enforcing the acts listed in the reading?
2) How did the colonists react to the enforcement?
3) What role did colonial women play in the resistance movement?
4) At first, what were the colonists asking for from the crown?
5) Why did the colonists’ view towards the crown change?
Names Referenced in Selection:
Deborah Franklin: wife of Benjamin Franklin, ran Franklin’s businesses and home while he served over seas.
Thomas Pinckney: part of American independence movement, involved in S. Carolina politics, mother named Eliza
Patrick Henry: Revolutionary patriot, politician (Virginia – House of Burgesses), “Give me liberty or give me death!”
Thomas Paine: Revolutionary propagandist, most famous pamphlet Common Sense calling for immediate independence (1776)
Mercy Otis Warren: Revolutionary pamphleteer (political propaganda), brother James Otis – called for repeal of Stamp and Sugar Act
Events Referenced in Selection:
French and Indian War/Seven Years War: (1756-1763): war between British and French (with Indian allies), over control of western lands (PA and Ohio); ended with Treaty of Paris (removed French treat on British colonies, Britain gained significant amount of land); needed to tax colonists to pay off war debt (protecting colonists)
Stamp Act (1765): tax stamp required on most printed material, stamp must be purchased in sterling, which was difficult to come by; repealed in 1776
Sugar Act (1764): tax on imports on certain goods, specifically sugar from French West Indies; hoped to increase demand of British sugar (pay off war debt)
Quartering Act (1765/1774): forced private citizens to house British troops, particularly enforced in Boston (center of rebellion/independence movement)
Townshed Act (1767): tax on various goods imported from Britain, pay salaries of royal officials who were previously paid by local taxes (no longer collected); repealed in 1770 except for tea
Boston Massacre (1770): British troops stationed in Boston fired on American throwing snowballs; becomes symbolic of British unfair treatment of colonists
Tea Act (1173): passed in an attempt to save the East India Company; East India Company tea was the only tea to be legally sold in colonies and sold by specific agents, sold at smugglers’ prices making tea cheaper for colonists but tea still taxed under Townshed Act; seen by colonists as another inappropriate tax
Boston Tea Party (1773): Bostonians keep Tea Act tea from being unloaded from the British ships; dumped the tea into Boston Harbor in protest of Tea Act; in response, Britain passed Coercive/Intolerable Acts
Intolerable Acts (1774): series of four acts to limit Boston and Massachusetts’ political power and rebellious efforts
Continental Congress (1774): Philadelphia, Declaration of Rights and Grievances adopted stating that despite obey crown will resist unfair taxation
Questions Based on Selection:
1) After years of benign neglect, why was the British crown enforcing the acts listed in the reading?
2) How did the colonists react to the enforcement?
3) What role did colonial women play in the resistance movement?
4) At first, what were the colonists asking for from the crown?
5) Why did the colonists’ view towards the crown change?