THE ROAD TO REVOLUTION

I. Changing Policies:
(ending “salutary neglect”)

A. Navigation Acts:
B. Sugar Act (1764)
George Grenville

C. Stamp Act (1765)
D. Townshend Duties (1767)

II. Escalation:
A. The Boston Massacre

In spite of each parasite, each cringing slave
Each cautious dastard, each oppressive knave
Each gibing ass, that reptile of an hour
The supercilious pimp of abject slaves in power
We are met to celebrate in festive mirth
The day that gave our freedom second birth
That tells us, British Grenville never more
Shall dare usurp unjust, illegal power
Or threaten America’s free sons with chains,
While the least spark of ancient fire remains

B. Burning of the Gaspee
C. The Boston Tea Party, 1773

Revolutionary Tea, ANONYMOUS SONG

There was an old lady lived over the sea
And she was an island queen.
Her daughter lived off in a new country
With an ocean of water between.
The old lady’s pockets were full of gold
But never contented was she,
So she called on her daughter to pay her a tax
Of three pence a pound on her tea,
Of three pence a pound on her tea.

“Now, mother, dear mother,” the daughter replied,
“I shan’t do the thing you ax.
I’m willing to pay a fair price for the tea,
But never the three-penny tax.”
“You shall,” quoth the mother, and reddened with rage,
“For you’re my own daughter, you see,
And sure ’tis quite proper the daughter should pay
Her mother a tax on her tea,
Her mother a tax on her tea.”

And so the old lady her servant called up
And packed off a budget of tea;
And eager for three pence a pound, she put in
Enough for a large family.
She ordered her servant to bring home the tax,
Declaring her child should obey,
Or old as she was, and almost full grown,
She’d half whip her life away,
She’d half whip her life away.

The tea was conveyed to the daughter’s door,
All down by the ocean’s side,
And the bouncing girl poured out every pound
In the dark and boiling tide;
And then she called out to the island queen,
“Oh, mother, dear mother,” quoth she,
“Your tea you may have when ’tis steeped quite enough
But never a tax from me,
But never a tax from me.”

D. Intolerable Acts
(1774, also called The Coercive Acts)
1. Boston Port Bill
2. Massachusetts Bay Regulating Act
3. Impartial Administration of Justice Act

--RELATED BUT NOT CALLED INTOLERABLE EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE INTOLERABLE--
The Quartering Act
The Quebec Act

III. Events plus Ideas=
Revolution
A. EVENTS:
Lexington and Concord

B. IDEAS:
1. Thomas Paine,
“Common Sense” 1776

“But where says some is the King of America? I'll tell you Friend, he reigns above, and doth not make havoc of mankind like the Royal Brute of Britain...let it be brought forth placed on the divine law, the word of God; let a crown be placed thereon, by which the world may know, that so far as we approve of monarchy, that in America THE LAW IS KING.”
“Small islands not capable of protecting themselves, are the proper objects for kingdoms to take under their care; but there is something very absurd, in supposing a continent to be perpetually governed by an island. In no instance hath nature made the satellite larger than its primary planet, and as England and America, with respect to each Other, reverses the common order of nature, it is evident they belong to different systems: England to Europe- America to itself.”

2. Thomas Jefferson:
Declaration of Independence