American Revolution: Road to Revolution

American Revolution: Road to Revolution:

Intro:
French and Indian War
Effects: (reminder)
France out of North America (keep islands off Newfoundland and West Indies)
Treaty of Paris (1763)
Great Britain claimed all of North America east of the Mississippi River including Florida which was owned by Spain (an ally of France)
Spain gained the French lands west of the Mississippi including the city of New Orleans
Helps create sense of Colonial Identity
British incur huge debts; look to colonies for help
(TROUBLE)
It was, in a major way, a warm-up for the revolution. Let’s see how
The colonists participated in this war in a major way. First time that a large percentage of colonists involved in an imperial war.
Ex. George Washington, how he initially becomes famous (though he stunk it up!)
Colonial Unity?
The Colonies were not unified because they had different identities
Different cultures, economies, religions, geography, transportation issues
Albany Plan of Union -Benjamin Franklin comes up with an idea to unite the colonies- meet in Albany
Representatives of 7 out of the 13 colonies showed up and all the colonies north of VA unify (first time anything like this happened in colonies)
They then become allies with the Iroquois tribe
Join or Die!
Franklin drew this image to encourage people in the colonies to unite
The cartoon was inspired by superstitions that a sliced snake would revive if the pieces of the body were joined before sunset
Colonial gains from the war:
Self confidence
The need for colonial unity
No need for English protection from the French b/c they’re gone
They no longer see British as invincible
Interactions between English and Colonists:
The English viewed the colonists as back woodsy, hicks, uncivilized
The Colonists viewed the English as mean, snobby, dumb
British stationed troops in territories to control Native Americans
Colonist thought the Native Americans might turn on them
This cost them a lot of money
Pontiac’s rebellion and The Proclamation of 1763:
Native Americans feared that the growing number of British settlers crossing the Appalachian Mountains
would drive away the game they depended on
Spring 1763, Pontiac (Ottawa leader) rebels and captures 8 British forts
To avoid further conflict, British gov’t issued the Proclamation of 1763: banned all settlement west of the Appalachians.
British colonists resented being told they could not settle in land they had just fought for and they largely ignored the law.
Changes in British Policy:
Remember: The 7 Years war cost Britain a TON of money. Need to make it up somehow.
The colonists were left too much on their own
Britain is regretting Salutary Neglect
Colonists are creating their own gov’t, religion, and economy apart from Britain
The colonists didn’t help enough with the war effort
Taxed the colonists for the war effort
Salutary Neglect comes to an end.
Pattern of Britain imposing new taxes to raise funds to:
Protect the colonists (keeping troops in Americas)
Make up for debt incurred from 7 Years’ war.
Lessen tax burden on those of mother country
In response, colonists protested through:
Crowd action/peaceable protests
Mob violence
Boycotts
Outright refusal
Taxation and Representation:
From the colonists’ perspective (some of them at least) it wasn’t about paying taxes, it was about the right to tax. They didn’t have adequate representation in Parliament, so Parliament did not have the right to impose taxes/new rules on them. It should be the colonial legislatures that do.
American leaders viewed the British empire as an association of equals in which free settlers overseas enjoyed the same rights as Britons at home.
To the British government, Colonies still part of the British Empire!!As such, Parliament still has their interests at heart, but they do not have the right of representation.
Britain change policy, but often impose new rules or taxes (Still have to make up money!!)
Sugar Act- 1764:
British imposed a tax on importing sugar-based products (molasses and sugar), in order to restrict trade between NE and Mid-Atlantic colonies with French, Dutch and Spanish in the West Indies (Mercantilism)
threatened the profits of colonial merchants (greatly impacted Rum manufacturing in colonies) and aggravated an economic recession.
Restricted free trade
In response the colonists began to smuggle in goods and those accused of smuggling would go to court without a jury trial and almost always found guilty
Also would protest (through various ways) this act. Boycotts, peaceably assembling, and threating of tax collectors through crowd action.
Quartering Act (1765):
Colonist were forced to house and feed British troops
From the British perspective the troops were there so they could “protect boarders” and help collect taxes.
To the Colonists: this was a show of force and a way of suppressing the population (potential for martial law)
Protest this act by the aforementioned methods and refusing to house and feed troops. England then suspended those colonial governments that protested the act by not supplying food or housing to soldiers.
Stamp Act 1765:
A direct tax on all sorts of printed materials, including wills, newspapers, playing cards, marriage licenses
The act was wide-reaching and offended virtually every free colonist.
Opposition to the Stamp Act was the first great drama of the Revolutionary era and the first major split between the colonists and Great Britain over the meaning of freedom.
The Sons of Liberty were organized to resist the Stamp Act and to enforce a boycott of British goods.
Led (in Boston) by Samuel Adams
Where crowd violence was much more common and wide spread
Stamp Act Crisis:
Crowd action against tax collectors, would often turn violent.
Case in point: Boston
The tax collector in Boston, Andrew Oliver (appointed by the Royal governor Thomas Hutchinson), faced the wrath of crowd action as a result of the stamp act. I group of artisans and other working and lower class people took the protests started by the middle and upper class Sons of Liberty to a new level. They created an effigy of Andrew Oliver and hanged it on a tree just outside of Boston on August 14 1765. That evening, the crowd cut down the effigy and carried it to the Town House (where the tax collector worked). They then burned the building to the ground, collected the ashes, took the ashes to Oliver’s mansion where they started a bon fire. Outside his house, they beheaded the effigy of Oliver, and then destroyed his stable house and carriage. The next day Oliver resigned.
The Stamp Act Congress met in 1765 to endorse Virginia’s House of Burgesses’ resolutions.
Supported by Patrick Henry
Resolutions stated: colonists enjoyed the same “liberties, privileges, franchises, and immunities” as those of the mother country (where we get “not taxation without representation”).
Still careful to admit their subordination to Parliament, but insisted on fairness.
Merchants throughout the colony supported a boycott of British goods. Stamp Act was eventually repealed.
First major cooperative action by the North American colonies.
Declaratory Acts 1766:
Stamp Act repealed, largely due to the colonial resistance as exemplified by the Sons of Liberty
Pass the Declaratory Acts
A Response to the colonists’ assertion that Parliament does not have the right to tax the colonies due lack of representation.
Parliament’s authority is the same in colonies as it is in mother country. British Empire not a confederacy of equals, idea of virtual representation
Largely ignored by colonists too busy celebrating the repeal of Stamp Act. Some were outraged because it indicated that more acts were coming
Townshend Acts -1767:
The 1767 Townshend Act imposed taxes on imported goods.
Also allowed the British to inspect incoming ships for illegal or smuggled goods.
By 1768 colonies were again boycotting British goods. British troops were sent to help enforce the laws, Colonists held public protests- some became violent
Homespun Movement:
A method of boycotting British manufactured goods. Colonists would make products themselves to try to hurt British economically. Increases colonial production.
use of American goods came to be seen as a symbol of American resistance.
Urban artisans strongly supported the boycott.
Textile Weaving groups formed by women in Colonial America.
More than 1600 women participated
Boston Massacre- 1770:
The March 1770 conflict between Bostonians and British troops left five Bostonians, including a mixed-race sailor named Crispus Attucks (a former slave), dead.
Colonists were angry with the British soldiers who were in Boston because of the anti-tax protests
Not clear how the firing started.
The boycott ended after the Townshend duties were repealed, except for a tax on tea.
Paul Revere’s picture of the event stirs colonists anger against Britain. Taxes lowered and some soldiers removed- things calmed down for a bit
Tea Act- 1773:
The East India Company was in financial crisis, and the British government decided to market the company’s Chinese tea in North America.
The Tea Act was intended to aid the East India Company and to help defray the costs of colonial government.
Enraged colonial merchants because it undercut their business
Boston Tea Party 1773:
Colonists refused to unload the British tea from ships in the harbor, British say they must.
That evening, a group of 30 to 130 men, some dressed in the Mohawk warrior disguises, boarded the three vessels and, over the course of three hours, dumped all 342 chests of tea into the water
Britain got Real SALTY this time…..Real Salty
Coercive acts (Intolerable Acts):
In response to the Tea Party (and other colonial protest movements) Britain passed a series of laws:
Makes colonist pay for tea that was lost
Martial law- strengthened Quartering Act
Boston Port Bill: Effective June 1, 1774
This bill closed the port of Boston to all colonists until, the damages from the Boston Tea Party were paid for.
Administration of Justice Act: Effective May 20, 1774
This bill stated that British Officials could not be tried in provincial courts for capital crimes. They would be extradited back to Britain and tried there. This effectively gave the British free reign to do whatever they wished, because no justice would be served while they were still in the colonies.
Massachusetts Government Act: Effective May 20, 1774
This bill effectively annulled the charter of the colonies, giving the British Governor complete control of the town meetings, and taking control out of the hands of the colonialists.
Quebec Act: Established May 20, 1774 This bill extended the Canadian borders to cut off The western colonies of Conn. Mass. and Va.
Also gave freedom of worship to Catholics in Canada.
Other colonies began to help the people of Boston
Organized protest to Acts all over- “if it can happen in Boston, it could happen to my colony”
Committee of Correspondence established colonial unity
First Continental Congress meets
First Continental Congress-1774:
In response to Intolerable Acts and to begin to communicate and work together, colonists from 12/13 colonies meet to support the protests in Massachusetts and organize boycotts and protests across the colonies.
Georgia decided against roiling the waters; they were facing attacks from the restive Creek on their borders and desperately needed the support of regular British soldiers.
They send a letter to Parliament with their complaints (grievances) and Parliament ignores them
This is the FIRST time the colonies had met together as a group to coordinate action. The delegates risked arrest to attend, people in the colonies begin to form militias and prepare to defend themselves
The Congress adopted the Continental Association, which called for an almost complete halt to trade with Great Britain and the West Indies.
Committees of Safety were established to enforce the boycotts.
The Committees of Safety enlarged the political nation.
Lexington and Concord:
British troops marched to Lexington and Concord (towns near Boston) and are surprised by the militia (Minutemen) and fight a small battle-forced to retreat. April of 1775
Goal was to arrest Sam Adams and John Hancock (leaders of the SOL) and to take the militia’s weapons
“Shot heard ‘rond the world”-”start of the Revolution”
Second Continental Congress:
Colonial leaders met again (all present this time) in summer of 1775 in response to the growing crisis.
Still trying to mend ties with Britain, most not eager to break away.
Sent Olive Branch Petition to King George- affirmed American loyalty to Great Britain and appealed to the king to prevent further conflict.
He ignored it. They formed the Continental Army and put Washington in charge
They start to plan for war after Lex. and Con.
Independence?
That the goal of this war was independence was not clear by the end of 1775.
Opinions varied in the colonies as to the question of independence.
Keep in mind, this was after Lexington and Concord, where large percentages of the population desired to remain loyal to Britain or were unsure of what to do.
Would take convincing for many to come to the side of independence…..
Enter….Thomas Paine