Lecture Objective
• The impact the Seven Years War had on the
British colonies in North America.
• The emergence of American nationalism and its
importance.
• The impact taxes/duties had on American
colonists.
• Contributing factors that resulted in the outbreak
of the American Revolution.
The Seven Years’ War (17541763)
• Why?: control of North America
• Great Britain v. France
• War (initially)
a) Disaster for Britain
1) Natives attacked
2) No colonial coordination
The Seven Years’ War (17541763): Final Stages
• British invade: Cuba and Philippines
• Treaty of Paris (1763)
a) French
1) Lost: east of Mississippi
2) New Orleans ceded to Spain
b) Spain lost Florida
“The Death of Gen. James Wolfe,”
by Benjamin West (1770).
Emergence of American
Nationalism
• Seven Years’ War
• Differences: British and American soldiers
a) British soldiers: lewd and profane
• Name calling: a) Yankees b) lobsters
Emergence of American
Nationalism
• Colonists’ war contribution ignored
• Sense of identity
a) Farmers from diff. colonies
1) Fighting together
2) See similarities
The Press and Nationalism
• By 1760: + 20 newspapers (focus)
a) Political theorists
1) threats to liberties
2) unchecked exercise of power
b) internal affairs
1) War information
2) Term used: American
New England
Courant
By the Franklin
brothers
Republicanism
• Political view
a) greatest liberty to citizens
b) Distribution of power
c) Power to people
* Influenced political views
After Seven Years’ War
• 10,000 troops in colonies
a) Protect colonies
• Maintain troops (costly)
b) Taxes imposed
Sugar Act
• Sugar Act (1764)
a) Imported sugar taxed
b) Stricter registration procedures
• Reaction
a) Public protests
b) Boycott
Stamp Act
• Stamp Act (1765)
a) Internal tax
b) Embossed paper
1) Newspapers
2) Legal documents
Resistance to Taxes
• Sons of Liberty (moderate protest)
a) Circulated petitions
b) Published pamphlets
• Political implications (Am. view)
a) No representation
1) British can’t tax
Impact: Resistance to Taxes
• Tax collectors and stamp distributers
a) Resigned (end 1765)
• Growth of non-importation movement
a) Boycott British goods
b) Significant
1) Sense of common identity
“Samuel Adams,” by John S.
Copley” ca. 1772 (oil on canvas).
Parliament’s Reaction
• Sugar Act: duties reduced
• Stamp Act repeal (March 1766)
• Declaratory Act (1766)
a) Parliamentary supremacy over colonial
matters
Townshend Revenue Acts (1767)
• Duties
a) Lead
b) Glass
c) paper
d) Tea
Protests and Boycotts
• Non-importation
a) Boston and New York
• Artisans
a) Took to streets
1) Pressured merchants
* impact: British imports 41% down
Women’s Political Participation
• Daughters of Liberty
a) spinning and weaving sessions
b) Homespun for local consumption
• Women: stopped serving tea
Discussion Question: Some Americans did
not perceive women’s political participation
as a threat, why do you think this was the
case?
“A Society of
Patriot
Ladies,”
British
cartoon
How does this
image mock
women’s
political
participation?
Boston Massacre (March 5,
1770)
• Tensions: soldiers and colonists
a) Job competition
b) Troops bothered women
• Soldiers taunted
a) Stones and snowballs
b) Frightened soldiers fired
1) 7 total dead
Print issued
by Paul
Revere
Three days
after the
incident
Colonial Cooperation (June
1772)
• Officials
a) Crown paid salaries
• Conspiracy theory
a) Letters (Hutchinson and British ministry)
1) Curb liberties
The Tea Act (1773)
• Tea Act
a) No duty/taxes
b) impact: reduce price
1) goal: increase tea sales
• Why: British East India Company
a) Brink of bankruptcy
The Boston Tea Party
• American refused to buy
• Refused shipments
• Dec. 16, 1773
a) 50-60 men
1) Dumped 45 tons of tea
2) Where: Boston Harbor
Lithograph
Intolerable Acts (1774)
•
•
a)
•
•
a)
Town meetings: once a year
Trials in England
British officials
Quartering Act: housing of troops
Boston Port Bill (1774)
Boston Harbor closed
First Continental Congress
• Sept. 1774 (Philadelphia)
• Chosen: colonial assemblies
• 13 acts
a) violate rights
1) No British imports
2) Boycott of British good
Tensions
• Thomas Gage (Sept. 1, 1774)
a) Seize ammunition stores
1) Boston
• Colonial response
a) Minutemen (Oct. 15, 1774)
• Gage (April 14, 1775)
a) Orders to attack
Escalation
• 700 British troops (April 18, 1775)
a) Ordered to Concord
• Paul Revere and William Dawes
a) Alert militia
1) British in Lexington: met by 70 armed
minutemen
Fighting Begins
• Minutemen: don’t lay down weapons
• Shots fired
a) 8 killed and 10 wounded
• Militia companies: Concord
a) British (3 dead)
1) On route to Boston (73 dead)
“Lexington and Concord” by Ralph Earl
Second Continental Congress
• When: May 10, 1775
• Colonies: state of alert
• Continental Army
a) Militia forces
b) Commander-in-chief
1) George Washington
Battle of Bunker Hill
• June 1775
• First bloodiest battle
• 140 dead Americans
• 226 dead British
• Olive Branch Petition (Aug. 1775)
a) Rejected by King George III
1) July 4, 1776: Declaration of Independence
“The Battle of Bunker Hill,” by
John Trumbull 1785
“Pulling Down the Statue of
George III,” by William Walcutt