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boston tea party
the british government refused to withdraw its tax on tea,
a constant reminder to colonists that they were subject
to british taxation. on the night of December 16, 1773,
some patriots dressed as Mohawk warriors boarded tea ships
in boston Harbor and threw the tea overboard as a protest.battle of lexington
the british army set out from
boston on april 19, 1775, on a
secret mission to capture arms
and gunpowder stored at
Concord. but patriot minutemen,
already warned about the british
advance by paul revere, met the
redcoats at lexington. a shot
rang out—poet ralph Waldo
emerson later described it as
the “shot heard round the
world”—and the fighting that
followed was the first battle
of the american revolution.paul revere’s riDe
on the night of april 18, 1775,
boston silversmith paul revere
took his famous ride through
nearby Concord, Massachusetts,
to warn the people that the
british were coming.tHe uniteD states of aMeriCa was born amidst the upheaval of the
american revolution. from the first shots fired in 1775 to the final surrender
in 1781, the war was a fierce and brutal struggle between the undisputed
superpower of the day, great britain, and the people of britain’s 13 north
american colonies. the colonists, who were not represented in the british
parliament, resented the taxes imposed on them and established their own
Continental Congress to negotiate with britain. skirmishes led to war, with
famous battles in new york, philadelphia, and boston. as in the Civil War,
the conflict divided communities, as many colonists
chose to remain loyal to the crown rather than
defy the mother country. the american
revolution inspired people all over the
world and led them to fight for
their own political freedom.American Revolution 21-
staMp aCt
to raise money to pay for
stationing troops in the
colonies, the british
parliament passed the
stamp act in 1765. a
stamp, or seal, had to
appear on newspapers, bills
of sale, wills—even dice and
playing cards. Merchants had
to stamp all goods before
selling them. this tax
enraged the colonists.lafayette anD tHe frenCH
from the early days of the war,
france gave the colonists money and
arms. benjamin franklin helped
persuade the french to increase
aid, and in 1778, the colonists signed
a treaty of alliance with the french
government. the Marquis de
lafayette, the 21-year-old son
of a french aristocrat, served
as a general alongside george
Washington and fought bravely
for the rebels.This cartoon depicts
the repeal of the
Stamp Act in 1766.US_021_American_Revol.indd 21 20/01/16 4:32 pm