III. The Rebellion Era

A. I have no idea what that word means…

Rebellion Vocabulary1. Salutary Neglect – A

disinterest in enforcing laws. England’s pre-French & Indian War policy towards the colonies in which trade laws were weakly enforced in order to keep the colonies on the British side during the war.

2. Proclamation of 1763 - A royal proclamation that became law

after the French & Indian War that banned colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains

3. Pontiac’s Rebellion – A failed uprising led by the Ottawa chief Pontiac that attempted to stop colonial settlement

a. It became necessary to enforce

these trade laws (Navigation Acts) after the war because of the enormous debt the British had from defending the colonies during the war

4. Loyalist - A colonist who remained loyal to the British during the Revolutionary War; also known as a Tory

5. Duty – A tax on imports

6. Civil Disobedience – Breaking the law and accepting the punishment in order to bring public attention to a questionable rule or law

7. Parliament – The lawmaking body in England, similar to Congress in the current United States

8. Patriot -- A colonist who supported independence during the American Revolution

9. Democracy – A government in which power is in the hands of the people either directly or indirectlyB. You Started It…Causes of the Revolution

1. King George III was viewed as a tyrant. The revolution was designed to overthrow tyranny and establish a democracy in America.

2. An attempt to return to the policy of salutary neglect. The first fighting was not for independence. *Most popular historical thought.

3. Colonial merchants did not like mercantilism, or British control of colonial trade.

4. Americans did not want to help pay for the costs of the F& I War.

5. Taxation without representation. Colonists wanted a voice in the government that taxed them.

6. Rebellious acts of the colonists, Boston

Tea Party and Boston Massacre for example.

7. British underestimated how badly colonists wanted Independence.

8. British reactions to colonists growing demand for independence were too harsh. C. I Don’t Want to Fight…Ways the Revolution Could Have Been

Avoided1. Grant colonists representation in

Parliament2. Remove British soldiers from American soil3. Stop radical colonial activity4. Respond to colonial petitions5. Colonists help pay the British war debt

6. Fewer laws and taxes by Parliament7. Continue salutary neglect 8. Less trade restrictions in colonies which would

end smuggling

D. Heck No We Won’t Go – Colonial Methods of Protest1. Boycotts2. Intimidating government officials3. Petition the government4. Rioting5. Holding rallies6. Hanging/Burning effigies7. Letters of protest8. Organize protest groups (Sons of Liberty)9. Destroying private property10. Civil Disobedience

E. New British Laws1. Sugar Act (1764) – Tax on

sugar, wine, and coffee and set a plan to collect taxes on molasses

a. Colonists caught smuggling would be tried in naval courts instead of civilian courts

2. Stamp Act (1765) – Required colonists to purchase a stamp in order to buy all newspapers, pamphlets, contracts and all other printed materials

a. The first direct tax, a tax not passed on in the price of the good

b. Most hated of all the British taxes

and colonial boycotts eventually forced its repeal in 1766

3. Declaratory Act (1767) – Passed

after the repeal of the Stamp Act

a. Stated Parliament had the

right to pass laws for the

colonies in all cases

4. Townshend Acts (1767) – Named

for Charles Townshend, the

Chancellor of the Exchequer, as

a way to raise money

a. Placed a tax on lead, paper, paint, glass, and tea

b. Authorized writs of assistance, search warrants that allowed British officials the right to search anywhere for suspected goods

c. As a result, the Sons of Liberty

were formed to enforce boycotts and intimidate British officials

F. Boston Massacre (March 5, 1770)

1. British soldiers guarded the Customs House in Boston on King’s Street (now State Street)

a. Customs House was a sign of British tyranny since it was the place where the British added taxes to their products

2. By 7:00 an angry mob began to form, led by former slave Crispus Attucks, and began to shout insults and throw snowballs at the soldiers, led by Thomas Preston

3. By 9:00 a few hundred people gathered and as the situation grew worse Attucks yelled, “Fire and be damned!”

4. Preston yelled in reply, “Don’t Fire!” The officer, only hearing “fire”, shot his musket killing Attucks instantly

a. Five other soldiers then fired into

the crowd killing two more instantly and two died the following day5. A total of eight officers were charged

and defended at trial by John Adamsa. Six were found not guilty

however, two were charged with manslaughter, punished and returned to their regiment

G. Tea…anyone? The Boston Tea Party1. By 1773, all the Townshend Acts had been repealed except for the tax on tea2. Because the cost of British tea was so high

colonists were buying cheaper smuggled tea3. Parliament passed the Tea Act (1773) to help the British East India Company, which was about to go

bankrupta. Lowered the cost of British to below the

price of smuggled teab. Would give the British East India Company

a monopoly on tea sales in the colonies 4. Three ships, the Dartmouth, Eleanor, and Beaver

were to deliver the first shipment of cheap British tea

5. December 16, 1773, about 50 Sons of Liberty members dressed as Mohawk Natives boarded the ships and threw 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor

H. The British Response – The Coercive (Intolerable) Acts1. Boston Harbor would be closed until Boston paid

for lost tea 2. The Massachusetts charter was canceled. The

governor would decide if and when the legislature would meet.

3. Royal officials accused of a crime were sent to Britain for trial where they would face a friendlier judge and jury

4. Quartering Act forced colonists to quarter, house and supply British soldiers

5. Massachusetts would be ruled by a military governor, Thomas Gage

I. What Do We Do Now? The First Continental Congress

1. Passage of Intolerable Acts pushed the colonies to meet at Carpenter’s Hall in 1774

a. Every colony showed except Georgia

2. Sent a letter of grievances (complaints) to George III

3. Forced a colonial boycott until Intolerable Acts were repealed and formed a Continental Association

J. The Final Break1. Early April 1775 General Gage learned

colonists were keeping guns and ammunition at Concord

2. On April 18, Gage sent 800 soldiers to seize the guns

3. When the Sons of Liberty find out they send Paul Revere and William Dawes to warn the patriots at Concord

4. At dawn British troops arrive at Lexington, between Boston and Concord, where eight minutemen are killed (“The shot heard around the world”)

5. British continued to Concord where the British were turned back

K. The Second Continental Congress1. Met at Pennsylvania State House (now

Independence Hall) on May 10, 17752. Sent King George III one last

petition for peace – Olive Branch Petitiona. It is denied; the colonists are declared

rebels and in a state of rebellion3. The Second Continental Congress would

become the government of the colonies throughout the American Revolution

a. George Washington is appointed commander-in-chief of the Continental Army