Road to Revolution

Struggle for Control of N. America

• Spanish and Dutch are non-factors

• France & England are left– Minor conflicts amount to little change

Albany Congress - 1754• Albany Plan - First attempt at Union• Conceived by Ben Franklin• Why form a confederacy?

– Protection• Natives• France

– Inter-colonial expenses

• Seven of the colonies attend and support this measure– The state governments reject the Plan– Unwilling to give up their colonial power

French & Indian War (1754-1763)

• Seven Years’ War - Fought in Europe and the Americas

• Ohio Territory – both sides laid claim– French had forts– British began to settle there in 1740s

How it started

• Virginia land claims in Ohio Territory

• George Washington the messenger – 1753– Ft Duquesne

• Washington returns in 1754 – First blood – Fort Necessity– Return to Virginia

The War

• British start poorly– French use guerrilla tactics

• William Pitt takes command in 1758– Replaced British commanders with Americans– Concentrated efforts in the New World– Took the offensive

• British take Quebec in 1759 - the lifeblood of New France

• French surrender in 1760 in Canada

Treaty of Paris - 1763

• Why is the treaty signed 3 years after the war?

• What were the terms of the Treaty of

Paris – 1763?

• Many French stayed in North America and became British citizens

Post-War Tensions Between British and Americans

• American military was not respected • Attitude of arrogance that infuriated colonials• View over contribution to victory• Americans traded with the French

Additional Tensions

• Taxes• Military presence in America remained high• Britain clamps down on colonies

1763

• George Grenville (Prime Minister) – 1763-1765 – Passed the Sugar Act & Stamp Act

• Proclamation Line of 1763

Proclamation Line of 1763

• What was it?– Protection problem– King George III reserved this

territory to Native Americans

• British construct forts

• People upset

1764

• Sugar Act (American Revenue Act)

• Vice Admiralty Courts Established

Taxation

The Americans had been taxed throughout the F&I War, but not to the extent of people in England However, tax on Americans is at an all-time high

Britain needed the money to service the debt on the F&I War

Sugar Act – (American Revenue Act)

• Issued Spring, 1764• What

– Placed a 3 pence duty on sugar and molasses imported into the colonies

– Add customs officials and more officers for ships– Increased jurisdiction of vice-admiralty courts

• Why – Protection– Help pay for war

Effects of Sugar Act

• Would sting the American colonists pocketbook and would reduce smuggling which was a lucrative business.

• James Otis, colonial orator from Mass claimed

“no taxation w/o Representation”– British claimed virtual representation

• James Otis also suggests a united colonial response to the taxation

• Protests were relatively mild

Committees of Correspondence

• An organized means of communication between the colonies– June 1764 – Massachusetts house of reps

organized a C of C to communicate grievances about the Sugar Act with the other colonies

Non Importation Movements (Boycotts)

• Organized boycotts - pledge to not buy imported goods from Britain

• Effective

• 1st was in Aug 1764 - reaction to the Sugar Act– Started in Boston and

moved South

Signing a boycott

1765

• Stamp Act

• Quartering Acts

• Sons of Liberty

• Stamp Act Congress

Stamp Act• Issued Spring, 1765 – took effect in Nov.• Must purchase a stamp and affix it to printed documents• Why?

– Brits hoped to help pay for the cost of maintaining a military force in the colonies• Problems

1. Vice-admiralty courts2. Direct taxation3. Economic recession4. Affected many prominent colonists

Stamp Act Response

• Argued taxation w/o representation again

• Patrick Henry argued George III was becoming a tyrant– No precedent to directly tax

• Sam Adams organized protests against the Stamp Act– Mob Action– Stamp collectors resigned

Sam Adams

Patrick Henry

Quartering Acts

• Colonial assemblies had to provide barracks and some supplies for British soldiers stationed in America.

• Issued Spring, 1765• Problems?

– American jobs– Superiority complex– Military presence

Circular Letter

• June 1765 – Massachusetts General Court sends a circular letter to the other colonies – A measure proposed by James Otis to plan a

meeting to get inter-colonial buy-in on opposition to the Stamp Act

Sons of Liberty

• Formed in response to the Stamp Act

• All classes – Upper class – made speeches– Mid- to Lower – mob actions

• Stamp agents all over country begin to resign under threats of violence

Faneuil Hall - Boston

Stamp Act Congress• Oct 7-25, 1785 - Delegates from nine of the 13 colonies met in NYC

to come up with a unified colonial response to the Stamp Act.

• John Dickenson writes - Declaration of Rights and Grievances:– We have no representation – We already tax ourselves, so now we’ll be double taxed– Vice-admiralty court jurisdiction is challenged

• Indirect taxes v. Direct taxes • Demanded the repeal of the Stamp Act

Stamp Act Reactions

• Oct 1765, Non-importation movement in New York City later in Philly and Boston– Steep decline in British exports to America

• British merchants begin to demand the repeal of the Stamp Act

• Nov 1, 1765 – Stamp Act takes effect.– Business around the colonies is virtually suspended– Colonial Courts shut down.– Riots in NYC

1766

• Stamp Act Repealed

• Declaratory Act

Stamp Act Repealed

• March 1766 – Couldn’t keep customs officials– Non-importation was taking a toll on Britain:

15% drop in imports

• Non-importation movements are lifted

Declaratory Act

• March 1766

• Parliament has full authority to make laws binding in the colonies in all cases whatsoever

• It was important for America to know that they were subjects of the empire and they could not make demands upon the Parliament

• Colonies paid little attention

1767

• Townshend Duties– Writs of Assistance

• American Response – non-importation

Townshend Duties

• Economic issues of debt and unemployment in England

• To alleviate financial pressures in England …– England placed a series of external taxes (duties) on

popular imports like tea, paper, paint, lead, and glass– New custom officials hired– Writs of assistance – Vice admiralty courts

• Issued Summer 1767, effective Nov 1767

American Response to Townshend Duties

• 2nd Non-importation Movement in Boston -

• Daughters of Liberty make Homespun clothes

1770

• Boston Massacre

• Townshend Duties Repealed

• Quartering Act is not renewed

Boston Massacre

• March 5, 1770• British fire on Bostonians• John Adams defends

• It became famous from the Paul Revere print of soldiers firing upon colonists

Paul Revere’s Print

1773

• Tea Act

• Boston Tea Party

Tea Act

• April - Tea Act – What is the Tea Act?

Boston Tea Party – Dec 1773

• Tea ships are not allowed to leave harbor until Boston pays the duty for the tea on board

• Colonists do not want to set precedent

• This same activity was done in other colonies once word spread.

1774

• Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts)

• 1st Continental Congress

Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts) • British response to the Tea Party – Spring 1774 – terminated self

rule in Massachusetts

• Boston Port Act • Massachusetts Government Act• Administration of Justice Act

• June – amended Quartering Act - Legalized the housing of British troops in colonial homes– Get the troops closer to Boston

Quebec Act

• Gave Ohio Valley to Quebec

• British tyranny attempting to remove their rights as British citizens

1st Continental Congress

• Carpenter's Hall - Philadelphia 1774 – Sept 5 – Oct 26

• What happened?– Massachusetts wanted Revolution, but…– The delegates favored a policy of economic coercion

rather than provoking war

• Determined they would reconvene in the Spring for the 2nd Cont Congress

1775

• Lexington/Concord

• 2nd Continental Congress

• Bunker Hill

Tensions Build

• Feb – Parliament declares Massachusetts in a state of rebellion

• March – Patrick Henry gives a speech denouncing arbitrary British rule.. says "Give me liberty or give me death"

• April – Thomas Gage is given orders from England to enforce Coercive Acts and prevent any military buildup of colonials

Lexington/Concord–Apr 18, 1775

• British march to Concord

• William Dawes and Paul Revere alert the countryside

• Lexington – “shot heard round the world”

• The Brits marched to Concord

2nd Continental Congress: May 10, 1775

• Independence Hall – Philadelphia

• Delegates from 12 colonies went to Philly• What they did:

– Placed colonies in a state of defense

– Raised 6 companies of riflemen for the colonial army and appointed George Washington commander

– July 1775 – John Dickenson (Penn) wrote Olive Branch Petition… begged the King to prevent further hostilities. George III received it in Aug and responded coldly. He declared the colonists to be ‘in open and avowed rebellion” he called on colonial loyalists to bring the “traitors to justice”

Battle of Bunker Hill - 1775

• Why do British attack here?

• What happened?

1776

• Spring, 1776 – Ports open to European trading but closed to British ships

• Jan 1776 - Common Sense is published – Thomas Paine• May 1776 – France and Spain begin to provide money

and supplies to the colonial army• June 12, 1776 – Congress appoints a committee led by

John Dickinson to prepare a draft for the constitution of the new confederacy - The Articles of Confederation of Perpetual Union – July 12 – Dickinson presented his plan– Approved by 2nd Cont Congress in Nov 1777, sent to states for

ratification

Declaration of Independence

• Declaration of Independence –– TJ authored, John Adams and Ben Franklin

suggested changes– June 28 – presented to Congress after

revision are made– July 2 – Congress ratifies this document– July 4 – Congress formally endorsed the DOI,

copies are distributed to the people– Aug 2 - Signed by most of the 55 delegates