Pd. 3. Tenuous peace between France and Britain falls apart 1753- French built forts in the Ohio valley British sent militia headed by George Washington,

Pd. 3Pd. 3

• Tenuous peace between France and Britain falls apart

• 1753- French built forts in the Ohio valley

• British sent militia headed by George Washington, but pushed back

• Albany Plan of Union--- no colony would give up taxing rights

• France/England at peace until 1756

• General Braddock- try to take Fort Duquesne in Ohio---July 9, 1755 ambushed--- 90% died

• French allied Ohio Indians- attack MD/PA/VA

• French took Fort Oswego-1756; Fort William Henry-1757

• 1758- natives abandon French• PM William Pitt took control of military---gained volunteers• Brits Take--- Fort Duquesne/Louisbourg-1758• September 1759 Quebec taken; • Montreal surrendered 1760

Death of General Wolfe by Benjamin West

(after the Battle of Quebec)

• France attack Newfoundland last ditch attempt in June 1762• Treaty of Paris-1763; French out of America---

discriminated against. Acadian removal to new Orleans & France

• British strategic error changes the Anglo-American alliance at its apex: Heavy taxes in America to pay for war despite Pitt’s promise.

• Colonists against taxes and quartering of soldiers---English against paying for war

• England-132 million debt• Colonies-2 million

• 1763 Pontiac’s Indian rebellion---Pontiac sacked 8 British forts---Dependence on English forced peace

• Proclamation of 1763 by George III

• Angered colonists who wanted good lands in Ohio Valley that they fought to gain.

• Before the end of the Seven Year’s War Britain tried to prevent trade with the French by issuing the Writs of Assistance to confiscate illegal goods.

• Lawyer James Otis was hired to challenge the constitutionality of the writs, although he lost the case, he clearly identified Parliament’s role under British Constitution.

• Sugar Act-1764---3-pence tariff on molasses and forced export to Britain

• Bypassed English protections to a fair trial smugglers sent straight to vice-admiralty courts

• British lowered tariff to a penny in 1766, bringing in 30 million

• Stamp Act – 1765 –required colonists to buy and use special watermarked paper

• British Prime Minister George Grenville argued tax a small price to pay for benefit of country.

• William Pitt in England objected an internal tax because they had never been subject to British revenue bills and they already taxed themselves.

• Grenville argued “virtual representation”

• Colonists angered : taxed w/o representation!

• 1765-Patrick Henry urged Virginia House of Burgesses to deny parliament’s tax power

• Middle class took up Henry’s protests and in Boston joined to make the Loyal Nine.

• Destroyed Andrew Oliver’s home, after which he resigned

•Bostonians destroyed Thomas Hutchinson’s home, who secretly opposed Stamp Act

•Sons of Liberty tried to limit violence (Sam Adams)

•1765 nine colonial leaders met in New York in the Stamp Act Congress

•Merchants agreed October 31, 1765 to boycott all British goods

• Marquis of Rockingham became prime minister in mid-1765

• William Pitt in 1766 said “I rejoice that America has resisted.”

• Declaratory Act- to save face

• Sons of Liberty disbanded

• Americans loyal to England again

• Enlightenment philosophers and religion

• John Locke- rights to life, liberty, and property ; justified protests

• Some turned to ancient “public virtue”

• Samuel Adams linked Christian piety and republican ideals.

• Anglican priests- neutral/opposed

• Quakers- neutral

• George III removed Rockingham/ told William Pitt-to form a new cabinet

• The Quartering Act required colonial legislators to pay for needed items for soldiers stationed in their borders.

• Inexpensive but British taxes clashed with assemblies’ power

• New York Suspending Act- by Charles Townshend- cancel all laws if didn’t provide money for the soldiers

• The Gentry reduced their taxes by 25% - Townshend increased

• Townshend Act of 1767 – “Townshend Duties”

• Taxed glass/paint/lead/paper/tea imported from England (ALL GOODS!)

• Revenue Act governor’s salary is paid by gov’t– Colonies saw that they were losing

the “power of the purse”

John Dickenson published Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania.

• regulate trade by laws that gave them “incidental revenue”- not on purpose!

• James Otis’ No taxation without representation

• Most colonial govt’s were indifferent• 1676 Lord Hillsborough replaced

Townshend-• non-importation- 40% Brit. Imports

crippled• Boycott as successful colonial

economic weapon

• Hancock inspired rejection of rule by Parliament

• 1774 Parliament believed could only regulate imperial commerce and had no authority to propose laws over the colonies.

• Provoked British to send 4000 troops to Boston in 1768.

• Brit. troops poorly paid, seek employment in colonies- adds to unemployment

• February 22, 1770- customs officer shot/killed 11 yr. old boy

• Ciprus Attucks and his crowd broke out at guard post protecting the customs office, flinging objects at them.

• Soldier shot/killed 11 people • All but two of the soldiers were

convicted/branded on the thumbs

• Lord North- British prime minister- stabilize relations

&wanted to eliminate Townshend Duties

• April 1770-repealed most of the Townshend duties but tea, the most lucrative item for Britain, was still taxed.

• non-consumption to limit the revenue Britain would gain from tea.

• Samuel Adams- every MA community appoint people to defend colonial rights. – "committees of

correspondence" • Confirmed plot to take over

colonial freedoms • March 1773- Thomas

Jefferson/Patrick Henry/ Richard Henry Lee suggested colony- committees.

• In 1774- colonial leaders linked for the first time since Stamp Tax responses. Most did not want war!

• Increased violence toward Indians for land

• Treaty of Fort Stanwix -1768 – Ohio R. land to VA/PA from Six Nations Iro.

• Lord Dunmore's War -1774 – in the West against Indians

• New England conflict with New York

• NH settlers estb. independent gov’t- became VT gov’t

• NC weakened by ‘the Regulators’

• May 1773- Tea Act- British East India Company could sell tea directly to consumers, lowering cost.

• Made taxed tea same price as smuggled

• November 28, 1773- Boston – ship in the harbor… request of removal blocked by Thomas Hutchinson

• December 16 – dumped the tea cargo of the ship into the harbor Tea Party 1773 style

• Merchants/artisans hardest hit by exclusion of imports

• 1760’s John Wilkes- opposed George III’s policies- jail 1763!

• 1768 reelected to Parliament– Rearrested

• In London Massacre of St. George’s- police killed 11 protesters after his arrest

• Supporters made Society of the Supporters of the Bill of Rights

• 1760’s- Daughters of Liberty formed– Women as activists

• Spinning bees/boycotted tea

– Ran house/plantation/

business in the absence of husband

• Navigation Act- raised # of port officials/made coast guard/money to secret informants of smuggling– Led to American Board of

Customs Commissioners

• “Customs Racketeering”- legalized pirating

• June 1768 John Hancock’s ship Liberty= seized– He was wealthiest

merchant/opposed Brit. taxes

• 1772 – James Somerset – MA slave – sued for freedom in England

• ruled that since slavery wasn’t officially estb, he couldn’t have his liberty deprived.

– ONLY IN ENGLAND! (petitioned for in colonies)

• 1775 – Gov Dunmore- VA- offered freedom to any slave fighting for royal authority

The Coercive Acts: the final straw…

• Boston Port Bill—April 1, 1774

• Massachusetts Gov’t Act

• Administration of Justice Act, “Murder Act”

•  Quartering Act

The Quebec Act

• Official relig. (Roman Cath.), no legislature, no jury

• 6 of 27 reasons for breaking w. England

Sept. 5, 1774; Philadelphia; response to Intolerable Acts; each colony represented

• Suffolk Resolves Principle—MAin a state of rebellion

• Continental Association – boycott British goods/stop exporting to Britain/W.Indies unless there is reconciliation

• John Galloway; PA; calls for a “Grand Council”…

• Had to coerce the unsure/loyalists (“Tories”)

• April 19, 1775 – MA gov. Gage sent 700 British troops to Concord to seize supplies

• April 20- 20,000 NE’s besieged Boston Brit. garrison

• Olive Branch Petition- John Dickenson

• May 1775 est. American Continental Army Led by G.

Washington

• Battle of Bunker Hill/Breed’s Hill- 1,154 of 2,000 British soldiers killed, only 311 patriots killed

• Dec. British declared all colonies rebellious– stopped trade and legalized seizure of ships

• Many thought “evil ministers”, not King, enforced unconstitutional measures

• Common Sense; Thomas Paine; Jan. 1776

1.monarchy = dangerous

2.King= “the royal brute”

3.no economic need for Britain

4.England too small to control American ‘continent’

• Printed in English/German; sold 100,000 copies in 3 months (1 for every 4 or 5 males)

• JULY 2, 1776, CREATED THE USA

• 5 people (incld. Adams/Franklin/ Thomas Jefferson) wrote “Declaration of Independence”

• 27 injuries by George III (tyranny!)

• John Locke- social contract

1. they had right to replace government

2.Right to equality… who? (women/slaves/indians… )

• 1763- France eliminated from N. America

• Taxed colonists to pay for war – the build up…

• African Americans looked to Britons to liberate them; Indians look to Britons for land protection

• American= RELUCTANT REVOLUTIONARIES!

• Only after Paine’s Common Sense did they completely rebel!

• Location of the Continental Congress

• City where Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence in the Graff House

• Provincial Congress met in 1773

• Declaration of Independence adopted

• The Committee of five that drafted a suitable declaration included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Livingston and Robert Sherman

• It was signed on July 4, 1776 at Pennsylvania State House.

• Jefferson wrote it using Locke’s ideas for inspiration

• 56 delegates eventually signed • There are no hidden messages on

the back

•Britain and France struggling for power in America --- William Pitt helped Britain gain control and French lost most colonies•Exhausting of treasury caused Britain to turn to taxing America (Stamp Act, Sugar Act, etc.)•Violations of rights such as fair trial caused colonists to resist due to enlightenment thinking•The First Continental Congress was held in which the members agreed to boycott all British goods --- resistance became rebellion and then a declaration of independence

1775Original 13 Colonies

Other British Territories