Chapter 06 - from Empire to Independence

Chapter 06 - From Empire to Independence

The Seven Years’ War in America

The Albany Conference of 1754

oBritish officials wanted the colonies to consider a collective response to the continuing conflict with New France and the Indians of the interior.

oThe conference adopted Benjamin Franklin’s Plan of the Union, which proposed that Indian affairs, western settlement, and other items of mutual interest be placed under the authority of one general government for the colonies, consisting of a president-general appointed by British rule and a Grand Council, legislative body that makes laws and raises money. This plan was rejected.

Colonial Aims and Indian Interests

oThere were three flash points of conflict in North America

Northern Atlantic Coast

Fortress of Louisburg (France) reinforced subsequently; known as the Gibraltar of the New World.

Border region between New France and New York (Niagara Falls to Lake Champlain)

Canadians and New Yorkers were competing for the Indian Trade; the French could not match the superior English goods so the attacked. The Iroquois Confederacy held the advantage.

Ohio Country (the trans-Appalachian region along the Ohio River)

The Ohio River was important for France’s Mississippi trade empire and the expanding English population was fast approaching.

oThe British made the port of Halifax in Nova Scotia to counter the French Louisburg.

oThe Iroquois were hoping to play off one European power against the other, because if either of the European powers had an overwhelming victory their position would be greatly undermined.

Frontier Warfare

oColonel George Washington lost to a French Force near the Monongahela River atFort Necessity.

oThe British then sent two Irish regiments led by General Edward Braddock to attack that area while the colonial militia attacked New York frontier.

Both offensive strikes failed completely and Gen. Braddock was killed.

oAfter Braddock’s defeat Britain and France went into full-scale warfare.

The war in Europe was called the Seven Years’ War and the war in NA. was called The French and Indian War.

oThe lack of cooperation between the colonies was catastrophic, because it hindered Britain’s ability to mount a successful counterattack. When British commanders did try to take control they only angered the local commanders.

oThe British got made at the Acadians, because they would not fight against France, and as a result kicked them out and sold their land for cheap prices to immigrants from New England. Many of the Acadians ended up in Louisiana under Spanish rule where they became known as Cajuns.

The Conquest of Canada

oIn 1757 William Pitt became Prime Minister of Britain.

oPitt used Prussia to fight the war in Europe so that he could focus British troops in NA. He told the colonists that the King’s money would now fund the war, which won him their support.

oHe then amassed a North American force of over 50,000 men to fight against Canada, 20,000 were British troops.

oTo get rid of the threat that the Indians posed they promised the m some land and specific boundaries after the war.

oPitt’s plan was successful. In 1759 the British attacked Quebec and were successful although both side’s commander (Brits=James Wolfe, French=Marquis de Montcalm) died.

oMontreal fell the very next year and so ended the NA Empire of France.

oBritain then destroyed the French ships in NA, invaded Havana, and took Cuba as well as several other Spanish and French colonies in the Caribbean Sea.

oThe Treaty of Paris gave Britain all of France’s land in NA east of the Mississippi except NO, and Spain gave them Florida. NO and the rest of the stuff Britain did not take from France went to Spain.

The Struggle of the West

oIndians were mad that France gave away their land and Britain was harsh and uncaring for the Indians whose lands they were taking.

oThe Indian Chief Pontiac and his followers attacked the British. The British decided that biological warfare would be the best way to go and “graciously” gave small pox infected blankets to the Indians.

oPontiac’s Rebellion as it came to be known ended in a stalemate.

oThe Royal Proclamation of 1763 set aside an “Indian Country” where the Native Americans would live.

oThe colonists were outraged by the fact that Britain would set aside land for the Indians and some like the Paxton Boys turned to violence against the Indians.

oBritain gave up and let the colonists move west.

oBritain asked the Indians for land in Indian Country and the Indians gave them lands that were either already being settled or lands that were away from their own settlements to avoid another conflict that in their weakened state they could handle.

oDespite the Indians best efforts the colonists grew impatient, greedy, and aggressive and started conflicts with the Indians for more land.

The Imperial Crisis in British North America

The Emergence of American Nationalism

oThe end of the Seven Years’ War left the colonists proud of their place I the British Empire.

oFrom 1735 to 1775 trade with Britain double and commerce in the colonies improved by a factor of 4.

The Press, Politics, and Republicanism

oA case against a New York printer in 1735, John peter Zenger, led to freedom of speech.

oIntercolonial coverage increased six-fold in the four decades before the revolution; Newspapers brought together the colonies.

oNewspapers printed papers of the radical Whigs of 18thcentury England. They warned of the threat to liberty posed by the unchecked exercise of power.

These ideas came to define the view point called republicanism, a view point that had increasing popularity in the colonies.

The Sugar and Stamp Acts

oThe cost of troops in NA led Britain to seek new revenue in the form of more and higher taxes.

oThe sugar act was passed in 1764 and it lowered the duty from 6pence to 3 pence per gallon on foreign molasses and increased the restrictions on colonial commerce.

oOpponents of the taxes linked it them to larger issues of political rights.

oSome argued against them on the basis that the taxes were much lower in the motherland.

The Stamp Act Crisis

oThe Stamp Act was passed in 1765 and it put a tax on stamped paper, publications, playing cards, etc.

oColonist argued against taxation without representation, but the British argued that colonists had virtual representation (meaning that the members of parliament represented the colonies as well as their own districts). The colonists responded saying they wanted actual representation (meaning they would actually elect people for their representation).

oThe Stamp Act led to numerous protests in the form of pamphlets, boycotts, etc.

Repeal of the Stamp Act

oTo put pressure on Britain the colonist began a Nonimportation movement where they would stop buying goods from Britain.

oThis pressure led to Britain’s repealing of the Stamp Act.

oThe Declaratory Act was coupled with the repealing of the Stamp Act and it gave Parliament the authority to legislate for the colonies.

oThis act made it clear to the colonists that the conflict had not been resolved, but only postponed.

“Save Your Money and Save Your Country”

The Townsend Revenue Acts

oCharles Townshend, Chancellor of the Exchequer, took Pitt’s place as Prime Minister when Pitt became sick and retired.

oEngland faced problems such as unemployment, price riots, and tax protests. Townshend passed the Revenue Acts, putting taxes on tea, lead, paint, paper, and gas in the colonies to bring in revenue without further angering citizens in the motherland.

oA lawyer in Pennsylvania, John Dickenson, posed as a farmer in his articles about the taxes,Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania.

oThe colonists’ fears of oppression were strengthened when Townshend began to enforce the new Revenue Acts strictly.

oDespite colonial outrage at this time to sentiment for independence existed.

Nonimportation: An Early Political Boycott

oNew York and Boston merchants launch nonimportation and nonconsumption movements in response to the Revenue Acts.

oIn 1768 and 1769 newspapers put a great deal of focus on women’s support of the boycott.

oThe nonimportation movement was strengthened when the Virginia House of burgesses enacted the first provincial legislation banning the importation of goods enumerated in the Townshend Acts

oResponse to the revenue Acts was intense and overwhelming.

The Massachusetts Circular Letter

oMassachusetts was at the center of the agitation over the Townshend Revenue Acts; The MA House of Representatives approved a letter drawn up By Samuel Adams, second cousin of John Adams. The letter served as a call to action for the colonies to Harmonize with each other.

oSome of the other colonies (NJ, NH, and CT) commended Massachusetts and Virginia even issued their own Circular Letter.

oJohn Hancock, who was the wealthiest merchant in the colonies and spoke against the British measures, was targeted by customs officials for not paying duties. The customs officials that seized Hancock were attacked by colonists.

oAs a response to assaults such as this the British occupied Boston with infantry and artillery regiments on Oct. 1, 1768.

The Politics of the Revolt and the Boston Massacre

oThe Sons of Liberty were a group of radicals that would erect “liberty poles” and had many conflicts with soldiers.

oAfter the NY assembly bowed to Townshend and voted to support the soldiers the Sons of Liberty erected a large Liberty Pole. The soldiers chopped the pole down, cut it into pieces and left in front of a tavern frequented by members of the Sons. This led to a large riot in which several men were wounded.

oConfrontations also happened in Boston; an 11 year old boy was killed by a customs officer that fired on a group of rock-throwers. That heightened tensions.

oThe Boston Massacre: On March 5, 1770 a crowd of people started calling a soldier names in front of the Customs House and so a captain and seven soldiers came to his rescue, but were pelted with snow balls and rocks. In response the soldiers began to fire without orders. Five of the crowd fell dead, and six were injured, two of which died later.

oOn the same day as the Boston Massacre many of the Townshend Revenue Acts were repealed. As a show of Parliament’s supremacy the tax on tea was not removed.

From Resistance to Rebellion

Intercolonial Cooperation

oThe colonies began forming committee’s to share information and work together with the other colonies.

oIn 1773, a set of letters sent by Hutchinson set off a conspiracy theory that created a torrent of anger from the colonies.

The Boston Tea Party

oThe colonists were a major consumer of tea, but when Britain passed the Tea Act, the colonists stopped buying the tea and the East India Company fell to the brink of bankruptcy.

oTea importers were thought of as enemies of the country in the colonies.

oWhen a tea ship arrived in late November Governor Hutchinson refused to let it leave the harbor. On December 16, 1773 thousands crowded in a church to see the captain report to Sam Adams. Adams signaled a group of 50-60 men, dressed as Indians, to board the ship and dump 45 tons, worth£10000, into the harbor.

oAs word spread of what had happened in Boston other colonies followed their example and had their own “Tea party.”

The Intolerable Acts

oIn response to the BTP parliament passed the Coercive Acts, known to Americans as the Intolerable Acts.

oThe Coercive Acts consisted of:

Boston Port Act- stopped ships from unloading in Boston Harbor until the town compensated the East India Company.

Massachusetts Government Act- delegates of the upper house would be chosen by the King.

Administration of Justice Act- protected British officials from colonial courts.

Quartering Act of 1774- people had to house British shoulders.

oThe Quebec Act was passed in 1774 and it appointed a government for Canada, enlarged the boundaries of Quebec, and confirmed the privileges of the Catholic Church.

oIn response to the Intolerable Acts, the colonists created the Committees of Correspondence to keep Americans informed about British measures that affected the colonists.

oThe replacement of Boston officials with men chosen by the king was a “Hostile Invasion” in the eyes of the colonists.

The First Continental Congress

oDelegates from most of the colonies met in 1774 to respond to the Coercive Acts

oThe Congress endorsed the Suffolk Resolves, adopted the Declaration of Rights and Grievances, and agreed to establish the Continental Association.

oAll of the delegates agreed that the Intolerable Acts were unconstitutional.

oThey sought to impose a set of sanctions against the British.

oThey urged the creation of Committees of Observation and Safety.

Lexington and Concord

oOn September 1, 1774, General Gage sent soldiers to seize stores of the Massachusetts Militia’s ammunition.

oThe Massachusetts committee of safety created special units called minutemen that were ready at a moment’s notice.

oPitt tried to convince parliament not to attack again, but he was overruled.

oOn April 18, 1775 General Gage attacked the ammunition stores in Concord.

oThe colonists brought reinforcements to Lexington and vastly outnumbered the British.

Deciding For Independence

The Second Continental Congress

oOpened on May 10, 1775

oMay15: Congress put the colonies into a state of defense.

oJune 15: George Washington was nominated to be commander-in-chief.

Canada, the Spanish Borderlands, and the Revolution

oThe colonies sent soldiers to Canada to eliminate the possibility of an invasion from that quarter, but this also killed the chance of the Canadians joining them in an anti-British effort.

oThe British Navy prevented the colonists from talking with assemblies in the Caribean.

oMany Spanish Floridans in Cuba supported American independence.

oIn 1775, Spain adopted Havana’s recommendations and declared a policy of neutrality in the coming war.

oHowever the Spanish secretly sought to support the Americans.

oThe ability to do this came when Americans went to Spanish New Orleans and requested that they sell weapons to the patriots.

oHavana and NO became important American supply centers.

Fighting in the North and South

oThe Americans were forced back from Canada.

oThe British were forced out of Boston and were pushed to Halifax.

oThe Americans turned back the British assault in Charleston.

No Turning Back

o2ndCont. Congress formed the American Navy and declared British ships oped to capture.

oThe French joined Spain in supporting America.

oThomas Paine’sCommon Sense, reshaped American thinking and was one of the most important pieces of writings from this era.

oThe Declaration of Independence announced and justified the breaking of the colonies’ allegiance to Britain.

The Declaration of Independence

oWritten by TJ with some changes by other members of the 2ndCont. Congress

oApproved on July 4, 1776 with no dissent.