How Boston started the American Revolution

So far this year I’ve been feeling uninspired by our homeschool history lesson.  I couldn’t figure it out, and then a light bulb went on.  Most of what we’ve done has been paper and pencil stuff, and that’s not my kids.  They need to move and do stuff.  So I give you “How Boston Started the American Revolution,” as acted out by our American Revolution soldiers* set and a few random zombies*.

It all starts with a small protest, you might have heard of it, The Boston Massacre.

{The links marked with an * are affiliate links}

How Boston started the American Revolution

The British soldiers were guarding the town from rowdy colonists.  Also known as the people who lived there.

The colonists didn’t like all of the extra soldiers, so a mob of them came and started crowding the soldiers.  The soldiers panicked and shot into the crowd wounding and killing several people.  This led to more anger in the colonies, particularly after the famous wood cutting made by Paul Revere.
In response to other things as well as this (which I won’t go into here) the British government raised taxes on several different things, including tea.

The colonists (accidentally played here by Redcoats) were infuriated and boycotted tea, and one night protested by storming one of the ships in the harbor and throwing all of the tea overboard.

Well, Britain couldn’t let this stand, so they imposed the Intolerable Acts which was yet more taxes and more things to make everyone angry.

The British were tired of all of this American rabble-rousing, so they planned to secretly go out at night and arrest several of the leaders of this crowd and take away the guns of suspected rebel towns.  Paul Revere and others heard about this plan and rode off to warn the people.

Paul Revere was arrested by the British soldiers and was forced to stop for the night, but not before word got out.  His friend, who did not get a poem written about him and therefore is not a household name, was able to warn everyone else about the British plans.

Stay Tuned for the ensuing battle…….. Lexington and Concord and then whether America agrees or not, the colonies are at war with Britain.

While you’re waiting head on over to All Things Beautiful for more history/geography posts.