The Road To Revolution

1763-1775

The Road To Revolution

The war was extremely costly for Great Britain.American colonists were content as English citizens in the New World.They only sought the “rights of an Englishman.”

The French & Indian War Ends

Deep Roots of Revolution

In true republicanism spirit, all citizens willingly give up their private, selfish interests. They devote themselves to the “common good,” or the “good of the whole.”

Republicanism

Colonists who feared that their liberties would be taken away by the monarch and his ministers.Always on guard against corruption in government.

Radical Whigs

Mother EnglandDistance weakens authority.

Great distance weakens authority greatly!

There were no titled nobility in the colonies.

Property ownership and political participation was common.

The American Colonies

Wealth is power and a country’s economic wealth can be measured in the amount of gold and silver in its treasury.

EXPORT MORE THAN YOU IMPORT

Colonies - Raw materialsEngland - reduced need for foreign imports

Mercantilism

Navigation Law of 1650All commerce in and out of the colonies must be transported by British ships.This included colonial vessels.European goods heading to colonies must first pass through England for tariffs

No Hard MoneyGold and Silver were scarce in the American Colonies

Gold and Silver are called hard money

Colonists used butter, nails, pitch, feathers, etc. for exchange

Colonies issued paper notes, which quickly depreciated in value

No Hard Money

English Parliament prohibited colonial legislatures from printing money.

This angered the colonists because there was a shortage of necessary cash.

Currency Act

Parliament’s Hand In America

The British Crown could nullify any law passed by a colonial legislatureOnly used 469/8,563 colonial lawsColonists fiercely resented this right of Parliament

Colonists would disregard or ignore restrictions placed on them by Parliament.

1st American fortunes came from smuggling

John Hancock

Colonial Rebellion

Colonists made a large profit from producing ship parts.Virginia had a monopoly on the tobacco market in colonies and in Britain.Colonies were protected by the world’s strongest Navy and Army of Redcoats.

Colonial Advantages

Colonists felt used in the mercantilism system.Colonists were dependent on British agents and creditors.

Feeling Used…

After The Seven Years’ War, England had the largest empire in the world.They also owed a tremendous debt for protecting its empire.England’s debt was over L 140,000,000Half of which was spent defending the American Colonies.

ENGLAND

George GrenvilleGrenville became Head of the TreasuryIntroduced several taxes on the American colonies.Felt America should shoulder some of the costs of the 7 Years’ War

Increased tax on foreign sugar imported from the West Indies

Sugar Act of 1764

Required certain colonies to provide food and quarters for British troops.

Quartering Act of 1765

Stamped paper that certified the payment of an appropriate tax ex. Playing cards, pamphlets, newspapers, diplomas, bills of laden, marriage licenses.

Stamp Act of 1765

Colonists saw Grenville as an aggressive tax collector. Some colonies refused to comply with the new laws.Colonists wondered why the British Army was still needed in the colonies after the French and Indian War.

Grenville

This becomes the rallying cry of the colonists who disliked Grenville’s taxes.Irony – Not all the colonies allowed representation.Colonies didn’t want members of the House of Commons – they would be the minority and the taxes would be passed anyway.

“No taxation without representation.”

Actual Stamp on Newspapers

The colonists hated the Stamp Act

The Stamp Act Congress met in New York City with 27 delegates representing 9 colonies.Drew up a statement of rights and grievances.Asked King and Parliament to repeal Stamp ActTheir pleas were ignored in England

Stamp Act Congress of 1765

The Stamp Act Congress agreed voluntarily not to purchase imported goods from Great Britain to show disapproval of the tax.

Widespread success

Non-Importation Agreement

The Sons of LibertyThe Daughters of Liberty

Took law into their own hands and violently enforced the non-importation agreement.Mobs destroyed homes of unpopular officialsTAX COLLECTION BROKE DOWN

Taxation without Representation

Mobs forced tax collectors to resign from their posts.There were no agents left on the day the Stamp Act went into effect.Law was openly defied!

Stamp Act Mobs

Colonies bought ¼ of British exports

½ British shipping devoted to colonial trade

Non-importation hurt British economy

Many laborers lost jobs in England

England Hit Hard

The British Parliament repealed the Stamp Act in 1766BUT passed the Declaratory Act of 1766 – declared its “absolute” sovereignty over its North American colonies.

Repeal of Stamp Act

Charles Townshend“Champagne” CharleyBritish Prime MinisterCould give great orations in Parliament while completely drunk!

Light taxes on glass, white lead, paper, paint, and tea.These were indirect customs taxes at the ports, unlike the Stamp Tax.However, colonists did not overlook the tax, and they were rebellious after the Stamp Act victory

Townshend Acts of 1767

Colonists & Teas1,000,000 colonists drank tea twice a dayTownshend Acts – revenue went to pay royal governors and judgesColonists were again angered

Parliament shut down the New York colonial legislature for failure to follow the Quartering ActColonists found that smuggled tea was cheaperSmuggling was high in MassachusettsJohn Hancock

London

BostonBecause of rebellious actions of colonies, Britain sent 2 regiments of troops to Boston to face the breakdown of law and order - 1768

March 5, 177060 Bostonians attacked 10 British soldiers with clubsTroops opened fire and killed 11 “innocent” citizens1st to die – Crispus Attucks – “mullato” African American leader of the mob

Boston Massacre

King George IIIIn 1770, King George III was 32 years oldGood man in private moralsBad rulerStubborn and lustful for power

The Townshend Acts failed to generate any sort of revenueHowever, they did produce near rebellion from the colonistsLord North – King’s “yes man” repealed the Townshend Acts but kept a 3 pence tax on tea…angered colonists

Townshend Acts Fail

Samuel AdamsFrom BostonCousin of John AdamsHis hands trembledLived and breathed politicsZealous, courageous, tenacious, faith in common people

Samuel Adams organized local committees of correspondence to spread resistance to British lawsVirginia followed Adams’ idea in 1773

Soon, every colony had a central exchange system

Adams cont…

TeaBy 1773, colonists were paying the tax on teaLegal tea was cheaper than smuggled teaEven cheaper than tea in England

The government in London awarded the British East India Company a monopoly on American colonial tea trade – 1773This principle of monopoly outraged the colonistsColonists protested and forced all ships with BEIC tea to return to England with a full cargo (Philadelphia and New York City)

Problems with Tea

Gov. Thomas HutchinsonGovernor of Mass.Hated by colonistsOrdered tea ships not to clear Boston Harbor until tea was unloadedColonists refused the ship to unload its cargo

Boston Tea PartyBand of Bostonians load the ship dressed as IndiansThey smash 342 chests of tea and dumped it into Boston HarborHutchinson left MA for England

Parliament passed a series of acts to punish Boston and Massachusetts for the acts of the Boston Tea Party and other defiant actions of the colonists.Many colonial charter rights were taken away from MA – restrictions on town meetings

Intolerable Acts

Closed Boston Harbor until damages were paid and order was restored.

Boston Port Act of 1774

Quebec Act of 1774Boundaries of Quebec were extended South to the Ohio River – trans-Allegheny area was snatched away from the colonists.

A congress was called to meet in Philadelphia from Sept. 5 – Oct. 26, 1774Met to consider ways to address their concerns to the King12/13 colonies – 55 delegates (GA)Sam Adams, John Adams, George Washington, Patrick Henry

Continental Congress of 1774

This was more of a convention than a Congress that makes laws.Congress created The Association – called for a complete boycott of British goods; non-importation, non-exportation, and non-consumptionDELGATES DID NOT CALL FOR INDEPENDENCE !!!!!Congress would meet again May 1775

Continental Congress of 1774

April 1775British troops were sent to Lexington and Concord to seize stores of gunpowderThey were to capture Sam Adams and John Hancock8 Americans killed @ LexingtonRedcoats were forced to retreat from Concord300 dead British soldiers

The fight for America’s Independence

The Revolutionary War Begins

7.5 million British citizens2.5 million American colonistsBritish Army of 50,000 men30,000 Hessian mercenaries50,000 American LoyalistsIndians130,000 + British troops for the war…

War Against A Mighty Empire

British ParliamentParliament was confused and ineptNo more William PittBrits didn’t want to kill American cousinsSome Brits openly cheered the colonists

British Generals in America were 2nd rate and untrainedProvisions for troops were scarce, rancid and wormyOne load of biscuits for the troops had been confiscated from French – 15 year old biscuits – a cannon ball dropped on them to soften them up…

British Army In America

3,000 miles away from homeDelays UncertaintyObvious communications problemsAmerican was HUGE – 1,000 miles X 600 miles

Britain

Parliament and the King rejected all of the Continental Congress’ petitionsColonists began to drill openly in the streets with their militiasA clash seemed certain

Parliament’s Reaction

April 1775 – British troops were sent to Lexington and Concord to seize stores of gunpowder and capture Sam Adams and John Adams to be hanged8 Americans killed and several wounded at LexingtonRedcoats forced to retreat from Concord300 dead British Redcoats

Lexington and Concord

The American Revolution

War Begins

Great American LeadersGeorge WashingtonBenjamin Franklin

Marquis de LafayetteFled from France because of boredomLoved gloryUltimately loved liberty19 years old when he became Major General in American Army

They believed the war was a just cause

BUT, they were badly organized for warLacked unity, states saw themselves as sovereign“Continentals” – paper money printed in great quantity – became worthless

Moral Advantage