From Empire to Independence

Out of ManyChapter 6

The Seven Years’ War in America 1754, first attempt at cooperation among

leaders of the Colonies (N.England, NY, PA, MD)

War would put Britain & Prussia against France, Austria, & Spain

Known as the French & Indian War in the Americas

Decided the future of the vast region between the Appalachian Mtns & MS River

Laid the groundwork for the conflict between the British

Beginning of the War

From the Brits P.O.V, the French provoked the war Built a chain of forts in the OH River Valley Halted the westward growth of the British colonies

Hoping to stop the building of Fort Duquesne (Pittsburgh), the governor of VA sent a militia Under control of colonel George Washington Washington surrendered on July 3, 1754

More attacks from the British 1755, General Edward Braddock, near Ft. Duquesne,

lost 2,000 troops Invaded French Canada in 1756 & 1757

unsuccessfully

Albany Conference of 1754 Attempted to create an alliance with

the Iroquois Confederacy Had strategic place between the French &

British colonies Could not afford to have discontent with such

a large power Iroquois Confederacy walked out of the

conference Plan of Union

Developed by Ben Franklin Provided for an intercolonial gov’t & a system for recruiting

troops & collecting taxes from the various colonies for their common defense

Each colony was too jealous of its own taxation powers to accept the plan – never took effect

Importance – set a precedent for more revolutionary congresses in the 1770s

Absence of cooperation among the colonies would be the greatest weakness of the British empire

British Victory & the Conquest of Canada

In London, William Pitt, the new British prime minister, concentrated the gov’ts military strategy on conquering Canada

Subsidized the Prussian forces to fight the war in Europe & sent the British forces to the colonies

The objective accomplished: 1758, retook Louisbourg 1759, surrender of Quebec to

General James Wolfe 1760, taking of Montreal

In the final 2 years, the British swept French ships from the seas, invaded Havana & conquered Cuba

Treaty of Paris

Also called the Peace of Paris Signed in 1763 France lost all of its possessions on the

N.American mainland Great Britain acquired French Canada Ceded (gave up) to Spain its huge western territory

(LA) as compensation for their loss of FL Only maintained its port in New Orleans

Spain lost territory as well Great Britain acquired Spanish Florida Given back their Caribbean & Pacific colonies by the

British

Immediate Effects of the War Great Britain had unchallenged

supremacy in North America Great Britain established as dominant

naval power Colonies no longer faced the threat of

concerted attacks from the French, Spanish, or their Native American allies

Fundamental change in the relationship between the home gov’t & the colonies

Viewpoints of the WarBritish View Colonial View Generally low opinion of

the colonial military effort Poorly trained, disorderly

Some colonies refused to contribute either troops or money to the war effort

Convinced colonists were unable & unwilling to defend the new frontiers of the vastly expanded empire

Proud of their record in all four of the wars (the fourth being the French & Indian War)

Developed confidence that they could successfully provide for their own defense

Not impressed with British troops or their leadership Methods seemed badly

suited for densely wooded terrain

Struggle for the West

Indians shocked by French cession “had no right to give away

[our] country” British did not continue

the custom of winning over the Indians with gifts Stopped supplying them

with ammunition Many Indians required that

for hunting – many starved

Royal Proclamation of 1763 Before the Indian uprising in

the West, the British had been at work on a policy they hoped would help to resolve frontier tensions

Royal proclamation setting the boundary known as the Proclamation Line Set the region west of the crest of

the Appalachian Mtns. as “Indian Country”

Colonist did not understand how the British would just give territory to the Indians Defying the prohibition,

thousands streamed westward beyond the imaginary boundary line drawn by the British

Emergence of American Nationalism

During the war, many had begun to note important contrasts between themselves & the mother country

Those who witnessed the treatment of the British soldiers by their officers found it easy to believe in the threat of Britain enslaving colonists

Strengthened a sense of identity among the colonies

Many had travelled far distances to fight & saw new lands Reinforced a developing nationalist perspective

1735-1775, trade among the colonies increased by a factor of 4

The Press, Politics, Republicanism

Zenger trial Although freedom of the press was still illegal, the case set a

precedent for newspapers to take more risks with their writings

Press began to focus more on intercolonial affairs Papers often reprinted the writings of the radical

Whigs Name used by advocates of colonial resistance to British

measures during the 1760s & 1770s John Trenchard & Thomas Gordon – pamphleteers John Locke – political theorist Alexander Pope & Jonathan Swift – essayists Views came to define the political consensus of the British

colonies – “republicanism” A complex, changing body of ideas, values, and assumptions,

closely related to country ideology, that influenced American political behavior during the 18th & 19th centuries

“Your Sugary Quarter Stamp will Declare your Townshend Tea to be Intolerable.”

Sugar Act AKA the Revenue Act of 1764 Placed duties on foreign sugar & luxuries Chief purpose was to raise money for the crown

Quartering Act Required colonist to provided food & living quarters to

British soldiers Stamp Act

Purpose was to raise funds for the British military forces 1765, required that revenue stamps be laced on most

printed paper in the colonies Included legal document, newspapers, pamphlets &

advertisements First direct tax – collected from those who used the goods –

paid by the people in the colonies, instead of the merchants

Protests to the Stamp Act Reacted with fury & indignations Patrick Henry (VA), stood in the House of Burgesses &

declared that the king’s gov’t recognize the rights of all citizens – including no taxation w/out representation British parliament argued that they could “virtually

represent” the colonies because it was for the best interest of the empire

James Otis (MA) called for a cooperative protest Formation of the Sons & Daughters of Liberty

secret society who imitated tax agents Members sometimes tarred & feathered officials &

destroyed revenue stamps Boycotts against British imports became the most

effective form of protest


Declaratory Act 1766, Parliament voted to repeal the Stamp Act

Widespread rejoicing in the colonies Declaratory Act was designed as a face-saving act

Asserted that Parliament had the right to tax & make laws for the colonies “in all cases whatsoever”

Townshend Revenue Acts Charles Townshend – newly appointed chancellor of the

exchequer Britain still needed more tax revenues 1767, enacted new duties to be collected on colonial

imports of tea, glass, & paper Required that the revenues raised be used to pay crown

officials in the colonies Provided for the search of private homes for smuggled

goods All an official needed was a writ of assistance (a general

license to search anywhere) rather than an official warrant from the courts


Colonial Reactions to the Townshend Act Did not strongly protest at first Taxes were still being paid by merchants After many pamphlets & circulars protesting the act,

the colonists once again began to boycott British goods Repeal of the Townshend Acts

Lord Frederick North became the new prime minister Urged Parliament to repeal because their effect was

damaging trade & generated a small amount of revenue

Repealed in 1770 A small tax on tea was retained as a symbol of

Parliament’s right to tax the colonies For the most part, ended the colonial boycott


The Boston Massacre

The people of Boston typically resented the British troops who had been quartered in their city to protect customs officials from being attacked

March 1770, a crowd of colonists harassed the guards near the customs house

Guards fired into the crowd, killed 5 people Included 1 African American named Crispus Attucks

Went to trial, but was acquitted John Adams was their colonial lawyer

Samuel Adams denounced it as a “massacre” Episode often used by colonial leaders to

inflame anti-British feeling

PART 1 STOP

Tea Act The colonists were still boycotting

British tea Hoped to help out the British East

India Company Passed in 1773 Made the price of the company’s tea

– even with tax included – cheaper than that of smuggled Dutch tea.

Boston Pamphlet Written by Samuel Adams Concluded that British

encroachments on colonial rights pointed to a plot to enslave Americans


Renewal of Conflict Correspondence

Samuel Adams & a few others were trying to keep alive the idea that British officials were conspiring against the colonies

Committees of Correspondence, 1772 In Boston & other MA towns Practice of regularly exchanging

letters about suspicious or potentiallythreatening British activities

The Gaspee British custom ship that had been

catching smugglers 1772, the ship ran ashore Colonists disguised as Native Americans ordered the

ship’s crew on shore & destroyed the ship by setting it on fire

The Boston Tea Party Many Americans refused to

buy the cheaper British tea – to do so would recognize Parliament’s right to tax the colonists

December 1773, a shipment arrived in Boston, but there were no buyers

Before the tea could be unloaded, a group of colonists, again disguised as Native Americans, boarded the ship

Dumped 342 chests of tea into the harbor Colonial reaction to this was mixed

Many applauded the Tea Party as a justifiable defense of liberty Others thought the destruction of private property was far too

radical

Intolerable Acts During the Spring of 1774, an angry Parliament

passed a series of acts called the Coercive Acts The Port Act – closed the port of Boston, prohibited

trade in & out of the harbor until the tea was paid for The Massachusetts Governor Act – reduced the

power of the MA legislature while increasing power of their royal governor

The Administration of Justice Act – allowed royal officials accused of crimes to be tried in England rather than the colonies

Quartering Act – expansion of the previous act; enable British troops to be quartered in private homes; applied to all colonists


Intolerable Acts Quebec Act

Passed at the same time as the Coercive Acts This law organized the lands in Canada gained from France Established Roman Catholicism as the official religion of

Quebec Set up a non-representative gov’t assembly Extended Quebec’s boundary to the Ohio River

Accepted by most French Canadians, but rejected by many in the colonies viewed it as a direct attack because it took away lands Afraid that Britain would begin to take away their

representative gov’ts Protestant Americans also resented the recognition of

Catholicism Confirmed the prediction of the Committees of Correspondence

that there was a British plot to destroy American liberty

“Your Sugary Quarter Stamp will Declare your Townshend Tea to

be Intolerable.”

Overview Pg. 185 in your textbook has an

excellent chart regarding all of the acts that were passed by the British Parliament from 1764 - 1774

The First Continental Congress

The nature of the Intolerable Acts drove all the colonies, except GA, to send delegates to a convention in Philadelphia in Sept. 1774

Purpose of the convention was to determine how the colonies should react to what

At this time, most Americans had no desire for independence Wanted to protest parliamentary intrusions Restore the relationship with the crown

Diverse group whose views about the crisis ranged from radical to conservative

Radicals Patrick Henry (VA), Samuel Adams (MA), John Adams

(MA) Moderates

George Washington (VA), John Dickson (PA) Conservatives

John Jay (NY), Joseph Galloway (PA) The only group unrepresented was that of the

loyalists who would not challenge the king’s gov’t in any way

The First Continental Congress: The Delegates

Joseph Galloway proposed a plan similar to that of the Albany Union Plan – but it failed to passed

Following measures were adopted: The Suffolk Resolves

rejected the Intolerable Acts & called for their immediate repeal

urged colonies to resist the Intolerable Acts by making military preparations & boycotting

Declaration of Rights & Grievances Petition to the king urging him to redress (make right) colonial

grievances & restore colonial rights Recognized Parliament’s right to regulate commerce

The Association Urged the creation of committees in every town to enforce the

economic sanctions of the Suffolk Resolves If these rights were not recognized, they called for the

meeting of a second congress in May 1775

The First Continental Congress: Actions

Fighting Begins The king’s gov’t dismissed the

petition of the First ContinentalCongress Sent British troops to MA to

control the disorders Lexington

April 18, 1775 General Thomas Gage – commander of British troops

– sent his men to seize colonial military supplies Paul Revere & William Dawes warned the militia (or

minutemen) of the coming march; assembled on the village green of Lexington to face the British

Americans were retreating, but keeping their arms. First shot – unknown who fired it. No orders were given.

American’s lost 8 men

Fighting Begins Concord

The British continued their march to Concord where they burned a small quantity of supplies & cut down a liberty pole

On their return march to Boston, the British were fired upon by militiamen who were hidden behind walls

British lost 250 men – humiliating that they were so badly mauled by “amateur” fighters

Fighting Begins Bunker Hill

Two months after Concord, a true battle was fought between the opposing armies in Boston

Militia farmers fortified Breed’s Hill, next to Bunker Hill, for which the ensuing battle was wrongly named

British attacked & managed to take the hill, suffering over a thousand casualties

Americans claimed a victory of sorts – succeed in inflicting heavy losses on the British army

The Second Continental Congress May 1775, Soon after the fighting broke out

in MA, delegates met in Philadelphia Divided on two fronts:

New Englanders – wanted independence Middle Colonists – hoped the conflict could still be

resolved by negotiating a new relationship with Britain

Declaration of the Causes & Necessities for Taking Up Arms Called on the colonies to provide troops George Washington was appointed commander-in-

chief of the colonial army Authorized a force under Benedict Arnold to raid

Quebec in order to draw Canada away from Britain

Peace Efforts Adopted a policy of raging war

while simultaneously seeking peace

July 1775, delegates sent an “Olive Branch Petition” to King George III which pledged their loyalty & asked the king to intercede with Parliament

King dismissed the plea & agreed to Parliament’s Prohibitionary Act (Aug.1775) which declared the colonies in rebellion

The Second Continental Congress

Thomas Paine’s Argument for Independence

January 1776, pamphlet was published

Common Sense Argued in clear & forceful language

for the colonies becoming independent states & breaking all ties with the British monarchy

Argued that it was contrary to common sense for a large continent to be ruled by a small & distant land

Argued it was contrary to common sense for people to pledge allegiance to a king whose gov’t was corrupt & laws that were unreasonable

No Turning Back The Second Continental Congress was rapidly

assuming the role of a new gov’t for all the provinces Reconvened in Sept. 1775 & rec’d news of the king’s

proclamation On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee (VA) introduced

a resolution declaring the colonies to be independent Five delegates (including Tomas Jefferson) formed a

committee to write a statement in support of Lee’s resolution

Declaration listed specific grievances against King George III’s gov’t & also expressed the basic principles that justified revolution

The Congress adopted Lee’s resolution calling for independence on July 2; the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776

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