The Revolution

We are still working at nailing down the events that started the American Revolution. Today we watched the first part of a dvd series made by the History Channel entitled The Revolution.

We now can list the major events leading up to the conflict:
1. The Stamp Act: King George wanted to make recoup some money lost during the French and Indian War. This tax was on all paper products including playing cards!
2. The Americans were upset about Taxation Without Representation.
3. The English repeal the tax but the Americans think taxation will continue.
4. The Boston Massacre. Some Americans started harassing British troops. It began with throwing snowballs with rocks inside. It ended with the British soldiers killing five Americans. Paul Revere drew a painting that appeared in the local newspapers that made it look as if the British had attacked without provocation.
5. John Hancock ends up defending the British soldiers to ensure they would get a fair trial.
6. The British withdraw their troops from Boston.
7. But then levied a tax on tea. It is just a small tax that would not have imposed a financial burden but for the Americans it was about the principle.
8. The Americans dress like Indians and board a British ship and dumped all the tea off the boat.
9. Britain is mad and revokes Boston's charter and reinstates the troop occupation. The want to confiscate the weapons they know the Americans have been storing.
10. They begin to march towards Concord. Some Sons of Liberty meet them in Lexington. To this day it is not known who fired the first shot. When it was fired, both sides began firing at will.
11. The Americans were able to drive the British back to Boston. But the Revolution had begun.