Revolutionary America

Change and Transformation 1764-1783

1,200,000 British vs. 100,000 French

War and Contest Over Empire

• Rise and Fall of the Middle Ground – Native American resort to

“mourning wars” against each other that would help replenish their own dwindling numbers.

– Trans- Atlantic trade resulted in tribes fighting for the lucrative trade “beaver wars”.

– Middle Ground • Cultural and geographical region in

which Indians and the French negotiated with each other for goods and neither side could impose its will on the other by force

• Indians traded furs for guns, metal, tools, and cloth

• Coureurs de bois “runners of the woods”

– French govt. never really established in frontier

– French traders and Indian women promoted cultural exchange and understanding

– British had visions of expanding colonies into area and eliminating Indians

• Struggle for North America

– King Williams War (1689-91) Britain vs. France

– Queen Anne’s War (1702-13) Britain vs. France & Spain

– War of Jenkins Ear (1739-1748) Britain vs. Spain

– King George’s War (1744-1748) Britain vs. Spain & France

• Most important victory from Colonial point of view

– Capture of Louisbourg by New England militia

» Later returned to France after the conflict/ Victory was a HUGE source of pride

War and Contest Over Empire

British French

Fort Necessity Fort Duquesne * George Washington * Delaware & Shawnee Indians

The Ohio Valley

1754 The First Clash

War and Contest Over Empire

– French & Indian War (1754-1763) Britain vs. French

• Conflict between British Colonist desire of Ohio River Valley Land that French controlled

• Series of forts built to secure territory (Fort Duquesne)

• VA Gov. sent militia under command of young George Washington to take fort

– Washington forced to surrender to French

– Starts the War!!!!

• Gen. Braddock w/ Washington sent again to take Fort Duquesne

– Braddock killed , 70 % casualty rate, and Washington survives

• Full scale war breaks out among the Native Americans and British colonist along the frontier- pay back time!!!!!

– Turning Points of War • Goal to root out France from N.A. and

direct assault on Quebec and Montreal

• Gen. Jeffery Amherst (BR) captured Louisbourg 1758

• Gen. Wolfe (BR) captured Quebec 1759 & Montreal 1760

The Death of General Wolfe

West cast the dying Wolfe in the same pose artists used to depict Jesus after the crucifixion. The messenger arriving with the news

of victory enters the scene from the light-filled area of the painting, symbolizing the bright future of North America after the British victory.

War and Contest Over Empire

– Treaty of Paris 1763 • Britain controls ALL of Canada

(not New Orleans) France no longer Empire

• Native American relations still tense a.k.a. Pontiac Rebellion

• Proclamation Line of 1763: to pacify nervous Indians on western fringe of English settlements

– Forbids English colonist from settlement west of line

– Angers those who needed land or stood to profit from speculation in these areas and felt not protected

» Paxton Boys – VERY POORLY ENFORCED – Prior to French and Indian War Indians

could play one colonial power against another…now they can only deal with Britain…they lose their advantage

» No more gifts

• Britain has 130 Million pounds of debt

• Salutary Neglect is OVER!!!!!! – Who pays for the debt and

protection????

Hey, that’s not fair. I spotted a lot

great land while getting chase d

out of the woods

I know that you boys are mad, but you did

murder 12 Conestoga Indians. What are your grievances?

1607-1763:

• Salutary Neglect-policy of avoiding strict enforcement of parliamentary laws meant to keep the American colonies obedient to Great Britain

• S.N.= produced a beneficial effect

As long as you make the crown wealthy and don’t

cause any problems, I can ignore the rules you

break.

As long as you make the crown wealthy and don’t cause any problems, I can

ignore the rules you break. Plus, I will lose my

head soon!!!

As long as you make the Commonwealth

wealthy and don’t cause any problems, I

can ignore the rules you break. Cause I’m

dealing with a Civil War

As long as you make the crown wealthy and don’t cause any problems, I can

ignore the rules you break. Because our family is back in power and I like

fancy pants.

As long as you make the Crown wealthy and

don’t cause any problems, I can ignore

the rules you break. Cause I’m living large

and have no clue that a revolution is in the

mail…

As long as you make the crown wealthy and don’t cause any problems, W can ignore the rules you break. Because we just got invited to be K & Q

and Parliament is really in power.

As long as you make the Crown wealthy and

don’t cause any problems, I can ignore

the rules you break. Cause I’m Queen Anne

and I have bigger problems than the

colonies.

As long as you make the

crown wealthy and don’t cause any problems, I can ignore the

rules you break. France is a

bigger problem.

As long as you make the

crown wealthy and don’t cause any problems, I can ignore the

rules you break. France is a

bigger problem.

SALUTARY NEGLECT IS

OVER!!! Time you begin

paying for some of the benefits of being British. Plus, we are in debt over our fancy capes…

Too bad no bailouts in 1763.

Tightening the Reins of Empire

• Taxation without Representation

– Britain felt an urgency to raise funds to pay off the debt

– Prime Minister Grenville was determined to enforce existing laws and enact new laws

• Molasses Act (existing law) brought only 2,000 sterling should have brought in 200,000 sterling

• Revenue Act 1764 (Sugar Act)

– Lowered the duties on Molasses but taxed other sugar imports and increased penalties for smuggling

– Violators would be tried in vice-admiralty courts (courts w/o jury trials in Nova Scotia)

» Colonists believed this violated two long-held beliefs (English Bill of Rights 1689)

• 1. Could not be taxed without their consent

• 2. Right as Englishmen to a trial by jury of their peers

– Purpose of this duty was to raise revenue…not regulate trade (mercantilism) as previous acts had.

– FRAGMENTED COLONIAL OPPOSITION: MOSTLY IN NY, MASS, PA…WHY HERE?

“The very act of taxing exercised over those who are not represented appears to me to be depriving them of one of the most essential

rights as freemen.”

James Otis, The Rights of the British Colonies Asserted and

Proved 1764

“must and ought to yield obedience to an act of

Parliament, though erroneous, till repealed.”

James Otis

Tightening the Reins of

Empire

• Stamp Act Crisis – Stamp Act 1765- An internal, direct tax to raise

revenue on a variety of documents, papers, cards, etc.

• Had to be paid in gold/silver…very difficult for most • Violators to be tried in Vice-Admiralty courts (not a

trial by peer jury)

– A similar tax existed in Britain, Stamp Act was lower and only just according to Parliament

– Most burdened by tax were lawyers and printers

• Colonial Newspapers and pamphlets defending colonial rights (taxation w/o representation)

– Stamp Act Congress – 9/13 Colonies met in NYC “Declaration of the

Rights and Grievances of the Colonies – Attempt to forge representatives from

different colonies to work together for a common goal

– LOYAL Nine: vigilante citizen groups who sometimes maintain the peace and sometimes terrorized representatives of the British government in the colonies

• Sam Adams was instrumental in bringing the different social classes together for the cause.

August 1765: Boston crowd burned and stole belongings of Lt. Governor Thomas Hutchinson

“When did the American Colonies

become sovereign? ”

George Grenville

“And when did they become slaves?”

William Pitt

– Sons/Daughters of Liberty : attempted to infuse more moderate resistance

– BOYCOTT: Most effective form of protest…British imports to colonies fell by 14% between 1764-1765

– Declaratory Act 1766 • Under pressure from colonists and British merchants, the

Stamp Act is repealed

• Simultaneously, Parliament passes the Declaratory Act: announcing Parliament right to tax the colonies in “…all cases whatsoever…”

• Parliament thought they won….Colonist thought they won – Colonial politics is the most important issue in parliament

– New groups formed to defend American rights

George Greenville carrying the Stamp Act in the coffin

Tightening the Reins of Empire

• An Assault on Liberty

– Townshed Duties (1767)

• New taxes on glass, paint, paper and tea imported in colonies to pay the salary of the governors

– Colonist would lose the “purse” and colonial Governors would be paid by Parliament not Colonial Legislatures

***What is power? (purse) Who has it? (Colonials/Parliament)***

• Parliament believed that Colonist were only against internal trade (among colonies) not external trade (among colonies and Britain)

– Americans clarify stance on taxes NO TAX W/O REPRESENTATION

– John Dickinson’s pamphlet Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania (1767-1768)

» Parliament could regulate trade among the empire, but only people’s rep could raise revenue

» Colonist were not represented under “virtual representation” so the tax was unlawful

Tightening the Reins of Empire

• Nonimportation movement, an organized boycott against anything from Britain

– Women took an active role in boycott

• Daughters of Liberty: – Led non-consumption movements of tea

– Non importation appealed to the traditional values of rural communities self-sufficiency and independence and or the first time brought country folk into the growing community of resistance.

– Held spinning bees which imbues traditional women's work with political virtue…and gives us the famous BETSY ROSS and her Flag!

– Beginning of “Republican Motherhood”

Tightening the Reins of Empire

• 1765-1768 the British transferred bulk of military from frontier to major port cities (most violent opposition to Stamp Act)

• John Hancock's ship Liberty was seized and resulted in large scale rioting in Boston/ 4,000 Redcoats sent to Bean town

• Boston Massacre • A new Finance minister-Lord North-

allows repeal of Townshed Duties…with the exception of the tax on TEA…just to prove a point. (colonials continue to boycott tea)

• Americans enjoyed a brief respite from Parliament’s attention, due to other problems (India). Then another tax…

• Committees of Correspondence begin: letters written by educated elite to educate the public on the ideological need for revolution

Tightening the Reins of Empire

• Intolerable Acts

– Tea Act 1773

• Lowered the price of tea but gave East India Company a monopoly on tea in the colonies

• Colonists feel that to submit to the tax would acknowledge Parliament’s right to tax them

• Revenue would still be used to pay gov. salaries

– Boston Tea Party – Reaction to Party

• Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts) – Closed Port of Boston – Annulled Mass Colonial Charter – Restricted political activities – Quarter troops in Boston – British officials charged of capital crimes

to be tried outside colonies – Colonist Reactions divided over Boston. Radicals or

Law-abiding subjects???

• This convinced many still “on the fence” that Britain intended to destroy colonial governments and end the traditional English liberties of the colonists.

Tightening the Reins of Empire • First Continental Congress in

Philly 1774 (all but Georgia sent reps) – Endorsed Resolves of Suffolk

which denounced Intolerable Acts and asserted their “rights and liberties”.

– Advised colonial citizens to arm themselves (defensive measures)

– Formed a Continental Association to enforce boycott

– Appealed to George III for a repeal of Coercive Acts

Tightening the Reins of Empire

• On to Lexington and Concord MA – Militias purpose was to protect against

Indians, Spanish, and French • Police force, enforce public orders, and put

down rebellions etc… • Colonial leaders sense their

importance/British wanted to disarm them

– Lexington & Concord: April 19, 1775 “Shot Heard Around the World”

• Militia stood their ground forced British to retreat

• 273 British Killed /95 Militia

• Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation – British marines seized Virginia militia’s

weapons in Williamsburg – Patrick Henry and militia demanded

weapons back from VA Gov. • Dunmore threatened to torch the city and

free ALL the slaves • Compromise was reached/ Colonist

concluded a break from Britain was inevitable with the threat of freeing and arming the slaves

Patriots versus Loyalist • Battle of Bunker Hill-June 17, 1775

– British attempt to take colonials who hold Breeds and Bunker Hills just outside of Boston

– Colonials stand their ground through withering attacks…only vacate high ground when they run out of ammo.

– British 226 dead & 800+ wounded/ Americans 140 dead & 271 wounded

• 2nd Continental Congress – “Olive Branch” petition that asked King George III

to intervene on their behalf • King George refused and announced

Colonies in open rebellion & Prohibitory Act-ban ALL trade

– June 11th Appts. Committee to draft a ‘declaration of independence’

– Establishes a Continental Army and appoints Washington as Commander

• Common Sense – Thomas Paine publishes Common Sense: English

gov. is inherently flawed by monarchy and empire…Sold more than 100,000 copies in 3 months

– Awakened American nationalism in layman’s terms

– Forcefully argued for American independence, attacked the institution of monarchy, and defended a democratic theory of representative government

“There is something absurd in supposing a

Continent to be perpetually governed

by an island”

The Death of General Warren at the

Battle of Bunker Hill

Patriots versus Loyalist • Declaration of

Independence – Committee presented the

delegates with the draft • Reduced about ¼ of text

• July 4th 1776 Congressed approved the final text and ordered copies to be sent to colonies

– 1st Reasons for separation

– 2nd Defense of liberty

– List of charges against King

– Both domestic and foreign audience

» Need foreign help

The Colonies Reduced

This image created by Benjamin Franklin plays on the idea of the

dismemberment of the empire as a development fatal to both the

colonies and the mother country. Franklin used this image early in

America’s opposition to British policy. Loyalists later used the

dismemberment metaphor to persuade Americans to oppose

independence.

Benjamin Franklin published this woodcut in the Pennsylvania Gazette, which represents America as a snake severed into various provinces. Prior to the outbreak of the French and Indian War, Franklin hoped to persuade the American colonies to unite their governments to protect themselves from the French and their Native American allies under a plan later known as "The Albany Plan," which was ultimately rejected. The image, the first to address unification of the colonies, would later be used as a symbol of the American Revolution with the motto: "Don't Tread On Me.“