The Road to Revolution Chapter 7
Mar 22, 2016
The Road to Revolution
Chapter 7
Mercantilism Wealth and trade =
limited Wealth and power =
having more gold and silver than other nations
“Favorable Balance of Trade”o Exporting more than
importing Encouraged nations who
accepted the theory to become self-sufficiento Colonies helped secure
that
Role of the Colonies Colonies provided:
o Powerful merchant fleet
o Source of raw materials for the manufacturers in the mother country
o Market for the manufactured goods to be sold
Navigation Acts Britain responded to
illegal colonial trade by passing “Acts of Trade and Navigation”
Beginning in 1651, these acts restricted colonial trade in various ways
Enforcing the Acts Colonial merchants,
particularly in Massachusetts, frequently tried to bypass the Navigation Acts
King Charles II removed corporate charter of the colony and it was made a royal colony, under his strict control
More Rebellion from Colonial Merchants
Colonists, as required, sent large amounts of raw materials to Britain and purchased a substantial amount of manufactured British goods
Discovered that other countries were willing to pay more for the same products
Salutary NeglectWhat it wasThe period after
the Glorious Revolution in
which Parliament strengthened the Navigation Acts and toughened regulation of
colonial trade.
How it worked
Smuggling trials were held in stricter Royal Courts and a
Board of Trade was established to monitor trade.
The realityBritish control actually decreased. As long as raw materials went to England and colonists bought British goods,
the British did not enforce the Navigation
Acts.In fact the policy
benefited both parties which is why it was
given the name “salutary neglect”.
Reasons it Worked Loyalty to the
British Crown People considered
themselves “British Subjects”
Lack of communication especially over great distances
Societal and cultural differences
The Sugar Act 1764 Revenue raising from
colonists Required transshipping
through UK ports Nit-picking
paperwork/requirements Guilty until proven
innocent Vigorous enforcement
ordered by Grenville Real effects (revenues,
etc)
Colonial Response to the Sugar Act
Rejected virtual representation
Protests Hit hard by Sugar act
Definitions Virtual Representation - concept
employed by Prime Minister George Grenville to explain why Parliament could legally tax colonists even though colonists could not elect any members of Parliament. The theory held that the members of Parliament did not only represent their specific geographical constituencies, but rather that they took into consideration the well being of all British subjects when considering legislation
Loyal Nine - A group of Boston merchants and artisans that formed during the Stamp Act crisis to lead the public in attempts to drive the stamp distributors from the city. This was one of the first steps toward political organization in the colonies.
Sons of Liberty: A secret organizations formed in the American colonies in protest against the Stamp Act (1765). They were organized by merchants, businessmen, lawyers, journalists, and others who would be most affected by the Stamp Act. The leaders included John Lamb and Alexander McDougall in New York, and Samuel Adams and James Otis in New England. The societies kept in touch with each other through committees of correspondence, supported the nonimportation agreement, forced the resignation of stamp distributors, and incited destruction of stamped paper and violence against British officials
The Stamp Act Stamp Act Congress
o NYC 1765 - statement of united opposition to Stamp Act
o Boycott of English products• 40% of English revenue
from sales in NA• Merchants push for
repeal• Grenville dismissed
Stamp Act repealed, March 1766
Declaratory Act Declaratory Act of 1766
o passes same time as Stamp Act repealed (almost unnoticed by most colonials, who saw repeal as a victory)
o stated absolute British power to legislate for Colonies in “All cases whatsoever”
o fundamental disagreement between England and Colonies
Enlightenment Influences
General change in political thought in England and colonies
Locke - natural rights, obligations of government to governedo British oppositionists - claimed
parliament served self first, people second
o General shift by many in view of Crown/Parliament motives
American Protestant clergy influence
Quartering Act - 1766 Indirect tax, resented,
especially in New York (many troops there)
The Tea Act Removed all import tariffs on tea
imported by the Govt. Chartered British East India Company
Britain in dire financial straitso Needed to be able to control
colonial marketo Tea can be directly shipped from
India to N. America (no longer has to go through England)
Reduced cost of tea below all competitors, but.....o colonists saw it as means to raise
money to pay colonial governorso would make colonists accept
principle of Parliamentary right to tax to accept cheap tea (In other words accept the spirit of the Declaratory Act of 1766)
Committees warned that tea cargoes should not be landed
Boston Tea Party
Hutchinson (Mass Governor) ordered tea landed in Boston
50 or so men disguised as Indians dump tea into harbor November 1773 (45 tons, 1 million pounds)
British Response to the Boston Tea Party
Outraged, Parliament responds with the Coercive (Intolerable) Acts.o Boston Port Bill - closed port of Boston until tea paid for (still waiting)o Mass . Government Act - revoked Mass charter, removed elected
upper house, governor to name all sheriffs, judges, only one town meeting per year
o Administration of Justice Act - persons enforcing British justice in colony could be tried only in England
o Quartering Act - any empty building could be taken to house British troops
o Replaced Mass governor with British military commander for North America, General Thomas Gage
o Quebec Act - also passed at same time as Coercive Acts, perceived by colonists as part of them.
o Established Catholicism as official religion of Quebeco Extended Quebec’s territory South to the Ohio and West to the
Mississippi (several colonies claimed lands in this region which had now become part of Canada
Colonial Reaction to the Intolerable Acts
Although aimed at Mass as punishment, the acts inflamed all colonies
Many of the provisions of the Acts are listed as grievances by Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence
Virginian upper class and lower class join in opposition to crown and in support of Mass
Boston Massacre 1700 troops into Boston
1768, resented by Bostonians
“Occupied city” 1770 - troops fire into
angry, threatening crowd surrounding customs office
Crispus Attuckso A leader of crowd, free man
of color (African/native American descent)
o usually conceded to be first casualty of the Revolution
Soldiers tried (defended by John Adams)o All but two acquitted
Townshend Acts Intended to raise revenue,
tighten customs enforcement, and assert imperial authority in America
Sponsored by Chancellor of the Exchequer Charles Townshend and enacted on June 29, 1767
Key statute levied import duties on glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea
Purpose was to provide salaries for some colonial officials (such as Judges and Governors) so provincial assemblies could not coerce them by withholding wages
First Continental Congress
Philadelphia, 1774 All but Georgia attend (remember
that Georgia had only been a colony 35 years, many still felt English, compared to Carolinas, New Englanders)o Endorsed Suffolk Resolves (Mass
statement that no colony owed obedience to any of the Coercive Acts)
o Voted to boycott all British imports after Dec. 1, 1774 and even harsher, stop all exports to British Caribbean islands after Sept 1775 unless reconciled
o Appealed direct to George III to dismiss ministers responsible for the Coercive acts
o Many colonies began forming volunteer militias
First Continental Congress (continued)
Agreement not unanimouso Some upper class still sided with
British, feared irreparable damageo Feared mob ruleo Called Tories (after the majority
party in Parliament, whom they supported) or Loyalists , because the did not favor confrontation
o Frequently harassed by patriotso During the entire course of the
Revolutionary war, the new nation was split about evenly three ways. About a third favored independence, a third opposed and a third cared little as long as they did well financially
Lexington and Concord April 1775 - Mass militia rumored to be stockpiling military
supplies at Concord Ma. Gage sends 700 British regulars to seize supplies, arrest
Hancock and Adams if able Dawes and Revere ride, warn “minutemen” the redcoats are
coming At Lexington 70 militia skirmish with 700 Brits (first firefight of
Revolutionary Waro Brits win, 8 militia dead, one Brit wounded, press on to Concordo Battle begins continues all the way back to Boston, 273
redcoats killed, British understand that the game has changed By April, 20,000 New Englanders surround Boston
o Green Mountain Boys under Ethan Allen seize Fort Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain, take cannon for siege of Boston
Common Sense Tract by Thomas Paine,
immigrated in 1770s Radical revolutionary,
wrote “Common Sense”, promoting cause and reasons for American Independence
Spoke of new kind of nation, government, model for the world
Sold 100,000 copies in three months, convinced many who had hoped for reconciliation with England
Independence July 2, Continental congress announces the United States of
America July 4th approved draft of Declaration of Independence
(written by Jefferson) o Like Paine, aimed at King George III never mentions
Parliamento Jefferson acknowledged debt to John Locke for ideas,
spirit of a man created Govt and natural rights of citizenso Stressed that England had violated the “social contract”
with its citizens in the colonieso Typical enlightenment philosophyo Aim - to convince the Americans to be willing to die for
liberty, masterful political propaganda