Micaela Leon Perdomo
US History, Period 2
9/16/16
Marlin Kann
Crash Course #6
-Seven Years War ended with treaty of Paris in 1763→Colonists could no longer take
land from Indians.
-In order to pay for war, British decided to raise taxes and so did Americans (on wool,
hats, molasses, etc.)
-Americans avoided taxes by smuggling.
-American colonists were angry because they did not have a say in these taxes.
-Importing taxes were cut to abolish smuggling.
-The Act gave the British the right to try colonial smugglers→power was taken from
colonial courts, who were lenient because they themselves smuggled rum.
-The Stamp Act- All printed material had to carry a stamp to gain revenue for
Britain→newspaper printers and lawyers were angered by it.
-Protesters→Stamp Act Congress decided to boycott British goods
-First major unification of colonies.
-Committees of correspondence spurred street actions that lead to violence→Sons of
Liberty.
-British Parliament repealed Stamp Act.
-Declaratory Act was passed to show the colonists that the government still had power.
-Chancellor Charles Townshend passed new taxes in 1767→ “Townshend Act” said to
stop smuggling.
-More boycotts, Daughters of Liberty.
-Boston Massacre of March 5, 1770, when British soldiers shot at a crowd.
-John Adams, lawyer, let most of the soldiers off the hook.
-Acts were repealed, leaving only a tax on tea.
-Boston Tea Party was based on principle and how the British could tax whatever they
wanted.
-British responded by passing the “Intolerable Acts”→Beginning of American
Revolution.
-Colonists began to disobey Intolerable Acts, stop paying taxes and prepare for war.
-Twelve of thirteen colony delegates met in 1774 to coordinate resistance of Intolerable
Acts→First Continental Congress→Immutable laws of nature.
-American Revolution and American War for Independence were NOT the same thing.
-War between colonists and Britain began in 1775 at Concord and Lexington.
-British then left Boston but acquired New York.
-Not everyone wanted America to be an independant nation.
-Thomas Paine’s pamphlet of 1776: Common Sense, widely read, introduced many
arguments for why America should be independent.
Crash Course #7
-British Revolutionary War strategy was to capture all cities and force colonists to
surrender.
-Battle of Trenton: Washington crossed Delaware on Christmas morning.
-Battle of Saratoga: British lost because of terrible generalling.
-French bankrupted themselves helping us→we named French fries after them.
-Battle of Yorktown 1781: Lord Cornwallis tactic caused British to lose war.
-Continental Soldiers suffered a lot when they went to war.
-Quakers: Pacifists who lost rights when they were kicked out of their homes for not
wanting to fight.
-In 1775 Lord Dunmore granted freedom to any slave who fought for British: 5,000 took
the offer.
-Many Iroquois joined British and Americans did not want them to get involved.
-Deborah Sampson dressed as a man and fought in several battles while other women
stayed at home to serve family.
-American Revolution: Wider range of voters, true religious freedom.
-North earned money from paid labor while South earned money from slavery.
-People began to actually fight for freedom for ALL men, including slaves.
-From 1777-1804 all states North of Maryland abolished slavery.
-Idea that we are all equal founded the American Revolution as well as many others to
come.
The Empire in Transition: pgs. 107-125
Consequences of the Seven Year’s War (p. 107):
• 1750s: Americans viewed themselves as part of a “people’s army”
-British imperial policies→colonists viewed British as arrogant and greedy
• Indians of Ohio Valley were allies of French in French and Indian War
-Those tribes were crushed by English
• Iroquois Confederacy were allies of British in war
-Iroquois were pacifist in war and peace settlement unraveled→Iroquois
crumbled from within.
• Treaty of 1763 finally brought peace to England for the first time in 50 years.
• However, French and Indian War made it difficult for British to get involved in
New World.
-William Pitt had been forced to relax his policies in 1758
-Colonists defied many British demands like taxes, imperial trade, etc.
Commercial versus Territorial Imperialists (p. 109):
• By mid-eighteenth century, British and American leaders had decided that more
land was more valuable to empire compared to just trade.
-More land→more population, more taxes.
• Mercantilists wanted England to return Canada to France in exchange for most
commercially valuable “sugar island” in West Indies (Guadeloupe).
-English territorialism did not accept offer because they thought land itself
would be more valuable than commerce.
• English New World territory grew twice as big as it had been after 1763.
-They feared that spreading too quickly, though, would spark conflict with
Indians.
• British came to disagreement over what to do with new territory.
Britain’s Staggering War Debt (p. 109):
• British raised taxes to pay for war debt
-Stationed British troops on Indian border added more even debt
• George III became king in 1760.
• George III removed power from coalition of Whigs, who had governed for
centuries and
the king mistrusted.
• King created his own coalition and gained uneasy control of Parliament.
George III’s Shortcomings (p. 109):
• King had intellectual and psychological difficulties.
-King’s personal issues contributed to instability of British government.
• George Grenville became prime minister in 1763
• Grenville thought that Americans had to obey the British law and he decided to
create a
new system of control upon the American colonists.
• After the French and Indian War, the English settlers began to spread Westwards
into
Ohio Valley, but Indian tribes struck back.
• Proclamation of 1763 forbid settlers from advancing beyond a line drawn over the
Appalachian Mountains in case they came across more conflict with Indians.
Proclamation of 1763 (p. 110):
• With the Proclamation, London could control Westward movement in an
organized and
slow fashion to prevent any more costly wars against Indian tribes.
• Indians also agreed with Proclamation because they wished to end white
encroachments.
• John Stuart and sir William Johnson were in charge of Indian affairs and were
very sympathetic.
White Encroachment (p. 110):
• Proclamation was ineffective and white colonists continued to press further and
further
Westward.
• Grenville made changes to promote more direct contact with Americans:
-Grenville sent British troops to America and under Mutiny Act of 1765,
colonists
were responsible for maintaining army.
-British ships were sent to patrol American waters for smugglers.
-Royal officials were sent to supervise colonies
-Colonial manufacturing was restricted to prevent competition against
British.
Sugar, Currency and Stamp Acts (p. 110):
• Sugar Act of 1764 prevented sugar trade between continental colonies and
French/Spanish West Indies.
-Sugar Act established new courts in America that weren’t as sympathetic
as local juries.
• Currency Act of 1764 required colonial assemblies to stop issuing paper money
and to
live with the money already in circulation.
• Stamp Act of 1765 imposed a tax on all printed material (newspaper, wills,
licenses, etc.)
• These new policies were awarding British officials with more than ten times as
much
annual revenue from America as before 1763.
Paxton Boys (p. 112):
• “Paxton Boys” were considered outlaws by the assembly in Philadelphia because
of their unauthorized attack on Conestoga Indians.
-They retreated when Benjamin Franklin promised them more
representation in the legislature.
Regulator Movement (p. 112):
• 1771 small-scale civil war broke out as a result of Regulator movement in North
Carolina.
• Regulators (farmers in North Carolina) armed themselves and resisted colonial tax
collectors by force.
• Governor William Tryon organized army that defeated 2,000 Regulators in the
Battle of
Alamance.
Postwar Depression (p. 113):
• Because England still remained in war debt, they contemplated taking colonial
money.
• Americans grew anxious about English depression and economic instability;
especially big cities like Boston.
Political Consequences of the Grenville Program (p. 113):
• Movement to resist new imperial policies was at the same time democratic and
conservative; it was to conserve liberties Americans thought they already had.
• Because the colonies had become so independent of the mother country and
Grenville
wished to reconnect with the colonies in order to make revenue, the English Empire in
America was soon shattered.
Effects of the Stamp Act (p. 113):
• Stamp Act of 1765 unified colonies against British powers.
• Americans believed that taxes was to regulate commerce, not to raise money.
↳Stamp Act, however, was a direct attempt by England to raise revenue without
consent of colonial assemblies.
• House of Burgesses came up with “trumpet of sedition”
-The “trumpet” was the voice of a group of Virginia aristocrats.
-They challenged power of tidewater planters who dominated their
politics.
-Patrick Henry, a leader of the group, made a speech in the House of
Burgesses in May 1765, stating that if there was no change, George III might lose his
head.
Virginia Resolves (p. 114):
• “Virginia Resolves”- A document of Virginia stating that Americans possessed
the right
to be taxed only by their representatives and that anyone advocating the right of
Parliament was an enemy.
↳In 1765, James Otis of Massachusetts convinced Stamp Act Congress to meet in
New York with delegates from nine colonies
↳Petition conceded that Americans owed Parliament “all due
subordination” but
the colonies could only be taxed by their own assemblies.
Sons of Liberty (p. 114):
• Riots broke out during summer of 1765, especially in Boston.
-“Sons of Liberty” burned stamps→sale of stamps in colonies ceased.
-Protestors broke into pro-British “aristocrat” Thomas Hutchinson’s house
and destroyed it.
• England repealed Stamp Act on March 18, 1766 because of economic pressure;
New
Englanders had stopped buying English goods to protest Sugar Act of 1764.
Parliament Retreats (p. 114):
• Parliament passed Declaratory Act, establishing Parliament authority over
colonies “in all cases whatsoever.”
• English did not like Rockingham policy of appeasement (repealing Stamp Act) as
much
as Americans→English landlords feared that not taxing colonies would increase tax on
them.
• King dismissed Rockingham ministry and William Pitt formed a government, but
due to
mental illness and age, chancellor Charles Townshend took charge.
Mutiny Act (p. 115):
• Mutiny Act of 1765 required colonists to provide quarters and supplies for British
troops.
-Colonists viewed it as another form of taxation without consent.
-Massachusetts and New York refused to vote mandated supplies to
troops.
Internal and External Taxes (p. 115):
• Townshend disbanded New York until they agreed to obey Mutiny Act.
“Townshend Duties”- New taxes on goods imported to colonies (lead, paint,
paper & tea).
• Benjamin Franklin wanted to make distinction between “internal” and “external”
taxes.
↳Townshend did not care, he kept imposing external transactions (to colonists: no
more acceptable than Stamp Act).
• Massachusetts sent a circulating letter to all colonial governments to stand up
against
every tax imposed by Parliament.
↳Vote in Assembly was 92 to 17→ “ninety-two” became patriotic rallying cry.
• Townshend established new board of commissioners in America that ended
smuggling in
Boston, but not in other colonies.
•
Colonial Boycotts (p. 116):
• In 1768, merchants of Philadelphia, New York and the South joined Boston
merchants in
nonimportation agreement→Colonists boycotted British goods and bought American
ones instead.
• Charles Townshend died in 1767→New prime minister, Lord North, ended
nonimportation agreement by repealing Townshend Duties except for tax on tea
in 1770.
Competition for Scarce Employment (p. 116):
• Boston commissioners felt threatened by “redcoats” and since British soldiers
were poorly paid, they often competed with locals to find jobs in their off-duty
hours.
• “Boston Massacre”:
↳On March 5, 1770, “liberty boys” started throwing rocks and snowballs at
customs house.
↳Captain Thomas Preston lined up several soldiers in front of building.
↳One of the soldiers was knocked down and soon all of them were firing into the
crowd, killing five people.
Samuel Adams (p. 116):
• Samuel Adams, born in 1722, was a leading figure in fomenting public outrage
over
Boston Massacre→Famous voice against British oppression.
• In 1772, Adams created the “committee of correspondence” in Boston to
publicize
England’s sinful acts against the colonists, and other colonies soon followed his lead.
• Many philosophers like John Locke framed a powerful argument against the
British
government.
England’s Balanced Constitution (p. 117):
• Both England and America considered the English constitution the strongest
governmental system; power was distributed among the monarchy, aristocracy and the
people, so everyone had their authority checked by another.
-However, by mid-seventeenth century, the king and his ministers were becoming
so powerful that their authority could not be checked, leading to corruption.
• English constitution was not documented and British people were open for
change, while Americans had colonial charters and basic principles.
-Principle #1: “No taxation without representation”
-British believed in “virtual” representation while Americans believed in
“actual” representation (English Parliament represented everyone while American
assemblies represented each community).
Virtual versus Actual Representation (p. 118):
• British commissioners in America were arrogant. They harassed colonial
merchants and
seamen with petty restrictions, as well as making money off of illegal seizures of
merchandise.
Revolutionary Discourse (p. 118):
• Men gathered in towns and cities, specifically taverns, to discuss politics and their
disagreement with English policies.
• In 1772, angry Rhode Islanders set British ship of Gaspée on fire and sank it in
Narragansett Bay.
-Attackers were sent to England for trial.
• To save Britain’s East India Company from bankruptcy, government passed Tea
Act of
1773, giving company the right to export tea to colonies without paying navigation taxes
imposed on colonists.
The Tea Act (p. 119):
• Tea Act revived American passions about taxation without
representation→Americans responded by boycotting tea.
• Women became an important part of this boycott; they had participated actively in
anti-British riots and crowd activities in the 1760s.
↳Daughters of Liberty
Boston Tea Party (p. 119):
• On December 16, 1773, three companies of fifty men each, disguised as
Mohawks,
boarded the three East India Company ships that had arrived and dumped all of the tea
they carried into the sea.
-Other seaports soon followed the Boston example.
• In four acts of 1774, Parliament closed the port of Boston, reduced their selfgovernment,
permitted their people to be tried for crime out of state, and made the troop’s quarter’s in
in the colonist’s barns and empty houses.
Coercive Acts (p. 120):
“Coercive Acts” were “Intolerable Acts” to colonists.
Quebec Act extended Canada boundaries to French communities between Ohio
and
Mississippi and gave rights to Roman Catholics.
↳Church of England and Church of Rome were already dangerously close, and
Quebec Act made Americans think that London was planning to subject Americans to
tyranny of pope.
•
•
Consequences (p. 121):
• Each colony seized authority on their own in order to protest English policies.
First Continental Congress (p. 121):
• In 1774, when the royals dissolved the Virginia assembly, a rump session met in
the
Raleigh Tavern at Williamsburg to discuss negative impact of Intolerable Acts→First
Continental Congress.
• In September, 1774, representative from every colony except Georgia met in
Carpenter’s Hall in Philadelphia to establish First Continental Congress. They
decided:
-No colonial union under British authority
-Endorsed statement that concedes to Parliament’s right to regulate
colonial trade, but also an extreme demand for repeal of all oppressive legislations passed
since 1763.
-Organized military preparation against British in case of attack.
-Stopped trade with Britain and formed a “Continental Association” to
enforce agreements.
-Considered Continental Congress a continuing organization.
The Conciliatory Propositions (p. 122):
• Lord North passed Conciliatory Propositions in 1775.
↳Parliament proposed that colonies would tax themselves at Parliament’s
demand, but this news did not reach America until after the war had started.
• General Thomas Gage did not have enough men to battle Americans, but he and
others
convinced himself that the Americans would back down and would never actually fight;
He underestimated American “minutemen” in training.
General Thomas Gage (p. 123):
• When General Gage was told to arrest Sam Adams and John Hancock, he
hesitated.
-He heard that the minutemen had acquired gunpowder from Concord.
↳On April 18, 1775, he sent 1,000 soldiers from Boston to Lexington and
Concord.
• William Dawes and Paul Revere rode from town to town warning the minutemen.
• By the end of the day, the British had lost almost three times as many men as the
Americans.
• No one knows who fired the first shots.
The Revolution Begins (p. 124):
• The skirmishes at Lexington and Concord began the War for Independence.