UNIT 2 CAUSES OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

Yes, the Revolution began because colonists wanted independence but where did the feeling come from?

The imperialistic foreign policy adopted by the British long before the revolution began.

Consider: 2 types of revolution anti-imperialist social such as democratization of society

UNIT 2 CAUSES OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

Key Concepts Prior to 1763, the British subordinated American capital to

British capital The British success in the French and Indian War transformed

the relationship between British and the American colonies British policies after 1763 were designed to raise revenues to pay

for the cost of the empire The American colonists were divided over what course of action

to take in response to the British policies The Americans created a gov’t, the Continental Congress, to

address the deteriorating relationship between Britain and the colonies

European Colonies in the New World

1750 French and British imperialistic rivalry

The World Wars in Europe in America1688-1697 War of the League of Augsburg King Wm’s War 1689-16971701-1713 War of Sp. Succession Queen Anne’s War 1702-17131740 -1748 War of Austrian Succession King George’s War 1744-17481756-1763 Seven Years War Fr & Indian War 1754-17631778-1783 The American Revolution American Revolution 1775-17831793-1802 Wars of the French Revolution Undeclared Fr. War 1798-18001803-1815 Napoleonic Wars War of 1812 1812-18141914-1918 World War I World War I 1917-19181939-1945 World War II World War II 1941-1945

North America in North America in 17501750

French and Indians

BritishBritish FrenchFrench Fort Necessity Fort DuquesneFort Necessity Fort Duquesne ** George Washington George Washington ** Delaware & Delaware & ShawneeShawnee Indians Indians

The The Ohio ValleyOhio Valley

1754 1754 The First The First ClashClash

FORT DUQUESNE

This compact Vauban style (the original death star!) fort was built partially of horizontal, squared, oak and chestnut timbers laid in criblocked walls with tamped earth and rock fill on the land side and

upright stockade walls on the sides abutting the rivers.

FORT NECESSITY

"Join or Die"

 This is Benjamin Franklin's 1754 cartoon emphasizing the need for the various colonies and regions to work together. While this became a potent message during the revolutionary period of the 1770s, the cartoon was actually intended to unite colonists against the Indian

threat.

Ben Franklin à representatives fromBen Franklin à representatives from New England, NY, MD, PA New England, NY, MD, PA

Albany CongressAlbany Congress failed Iroquoisfailed Iroquois broke off relations with broke off relations with Britain & threatened to Britain & threatened to trade with the French. trade with the French.

The French & Indian War 1755 British reaction - eliminate Fr.

presence in N. AmericaGen. Edward Braddock evict the French from the Gen. Edward Braddock evict the French from the OH Valley & Canada (Newfoundland & Nova Scotia)OH Valley & Canada (Newfoundland & Nova Scotia)

A Attacks OH Valley, Mohawk Valley, & Acadia.A Killed 10 mi. from Ft. Duquesne by 1500 French and Indian forces.

• Fr and Indians rampage across frontier from Pa. to NC

The French & Indian War (the next slides…) 1756 British reaction - full scale assault against Fr. in Canada and in the world

1757 William Pitt - The Great Organizer 1758 Louisbourg victory 1758 Quebec 1760 MontrealLord Lord LoudouinLoudouin

Marquis Marquis de Montcalmde Montcalm

Native American tribes exploited both sides!

British

• March in formation or March in formation or bayonet charge. bayonet charge.

• Br. officers wanted toBr. officers wanted to take charge of colonials. take charge of colonials.

• Prima Donna Br. Prima Donna Br. officers with servants officers with servants & tea settings. & tea settings.

• Drills & toughDrills & tough discipline. discipline.

• Colonists should payColonists should pay for their own defense. for their own defense.

• Indian-style guerillaIndian-style guerilla tactics. tactics.• Col. militias servedCol. militias served under own captains. under own captains.

• No mil. deference orNo mil. deference or protocols observed. protocols observed.

• Resistance to risingResistance to rising taxes. taxes.

• Casual, Casual, non-professionals. non-professionals.

Methods ofMethods ofFighting:Fighting:

MilitaryMilitaryOrganization:Organization:

MilitaryMilitaryDiscipline:Discipline:

Finances:Finances:

Demeanor:Demeanor:

1756 British-American Colonial Tensions

Colonials

A He understood colonial concerns.

A He offered them a compromise: -- col. loyalty & mil. cooperation-->Br. would reimburse col. assemblies for their costs.. -- Lord Loudoun would be removed.- appoints James Wolfe to commandRESULTS?RESULTS? Colonial morale increased by 1758.

1757 1757 William Pitt William Pitt Becomes Foreign MinisterBecomes Foreign Minister

** By 1761, Sp. has become an ally of Fr.By 1761, Sp. has become an ally of Fr.

1758-1761 The Tide Turns for 1758-1761 The Tide Turns for EnglandEngland

The French & Indian War

Battle of Quebec Sept. 1759Wolfe’s strategy - hit the roots

not the branchesMontcalm’s mistakeTreaty of Paris 1763

BATTLE ON THE PLAINS OF ABRAHAM

France --> France --> lost her Canadian possessions, lost her Canadian possessions, most of her empire in India, and claims to most of her empire in India, and claims to lands east of the Mississippi River.lands east of the Mississippi River.

Spain -->Spain --> got all French lands west of got all French lands west of the Mississippi River, New Orleans, but the Mississippi River, New Orleans, but lost Florida to England.lost Florida to England.

England -->England --> got all French lands in got all French lands in Canada, exclusive rights to Caribbean Canada, exclusive rights to Caribbean slave trade, and commercial dominance slave trade, and commercial dominance in India.in India.

1763 1763 Treaty of Treaty of ParisParis

North America in North America in 17631763

Worksheet Fr. & Ind. War Transforms Colonial Relations in N. America

The first four years saw nothing but severe reverses for the British regulars and American colonials, primarily because of superior French land forces in the New World. Lack of colonial assistance to the war effort compounded British problems. By the end of 1757, however, the course of the war began to be altered by three major influences.

1. One was the dynamic leadership of the British prime minister, William Pitt the Elder, who saw that victory in North America was the supreme task in the worldwide struggle and who has been truly called the organizer of victory in the Great War for the Empire.

2. The second was the increasing superiority of British financial and industrial resources, food supplies, and naval equipment, as opposed to growing national bankruptcy and economic paralysis faced by France.

3. Finally, both the British and Americans were becoming seasoned wilderness fighters.

http://concise.britannica.com/ebc/article-9035340/French-and-Indian-War

Jot this on the top of your page.Quickly list the 5 major causes that follow

1. English-French rivalry worldwide

2. World War b/w two powerful empires

3. English, w/ colonial help, fight Fr. And their Native American allies

4. Fr. Finally lose war & are expelled from N. America

5. Eng. Inherit vast new land holdings in N. America

1. It doubled the size of Britain’s North American territory and it must be governed

2. It greatly enlarged England’s debt. They will have to pay to maintain and control this vast empire. To make matters worse, citizens in Great Britain were already heavily taxed.

3. Britain’s contempt for the colonials created bitter feelings. Intractable American colonists were not about to accept restrictions on their activities. Some colonists, in fact, were beginning to compete effectively with British capitalists and refused to subordinate their economic interests to those of British manufacturers.

4. Hostile NA in the Appalachian region, who felt threatened by American westward expansion into the Ohio River Valley, needed to be controlled. - Pontiac’s Rebellion

Therefore, England felt that a major reorganization of her American Empire was necessary!

Effects of the War on Effects of the War on Britain?Britain?

1. It united them against a common enemy for the first time.2. It created a socializing experience for all the colonials who participated.3. It created bitter feelings towards the British that would only intensify.

Effects of the War on Effects of the War on the American the American

ColonialsColonials

Complete the Worksheet Road to Revolutionas I continue in the notes

http://homepage.mac.com/john.see/VMC/links/RevolutionaryWar/us_independence.jpg

Mercantilism Was the period from 1650 to end of Fr. Ind. War 1763 a period of “salutary

neglect?” Some historians question this view especially given that mercantilism was

the prevailing economic system It emphasizes that a nation’s economic power expands by maintaining a

favorable balance of trade and controlling hard currency-specie. The American colonies were Britain’s reliable source of raw materials and a viable market for British goods. Ex: lg swaths of British deforested and for its massive navy it needed N. America for lumber supply.

British mercantilist policies were not generally challenged by the colonists, in part b/c they were difficult to implement and often infrequently enforced

As long as competition from the Americans wasn’t significant and Britain wasn’t experiencing an economic or fiscal crisis, there was little need or incentive to abandon the policy of salutary neglect.

Major British mercantilist policies in the pre-1760 period Navigation laws 1660, 1663, 1673, 1696- designed to promote English

shipping and control colonial trade in regard to important crops The Wool (1699), Hat (1732), and Iron (1750) Acts- designed to

thwart American business men from turning raw material into finished commodities - obviously the merchant class will disdain these laws

The Molasses Act (1733) - rum Overseeing all: British Board of Trade OK until post 1763

– King George III put George Grenville as Prime Minister - his solution: fundamentally change British economic, trade, political relationship with Americans

– Abandoned salutory neglect as a policy– Begin: Proclamation of 1763

1763 Pontiac’s Rebellion

Fort Detroit

British “gifts” of smallpox-infected blankets from Fort Pitt.

The Aftermath: The Aftermath: Tensions Along the Tensions Along the

FrontierFrontier

Pontiac’s Rebellion Pontiac’s Rebellion (1763)(1763)

Br. Gvt. measures to prevent smuggling:

James Otis’ case Protection of a citizen’s private property must be held in higher regard than a parliamentary statute.

A 1761 1761 writs of assistancewrits of assistance

He lost parliamentary law and custom had equalweight.

Rethinking Their Rethinking Their EmpireEmpire

British British ProclamationProclamation Line of 1763. Line of 1763.

Colonials Paxton Boys (PA)

BACKLASH!BACKLASH! Paxton Boys descended on Philadelphia where NA (Pontiac’s men?) sought refuge. Paxton Boys wanted funding to support safety on frontier. Ben Franklin negotiated for funding. What happened @100 years earlier that echoed this armed insurrection?Colonial perception: colonial gov’ts favored the aristocracy over the needs of the masses?Carolinas in 1771 - Regulators- asserted taxation w/out representation = tyranny

1.1. Sugar Act 1764 - replaced ineffectual Molasses Act 1733; reduced tariffs but enforced & punish smugglers

2.2. Currency Act 1764 - forbad colonists from printing their own money; had to use hard currency

44.. Stamp Act 1765 - direct tax on all printed material; vociferous reactions. Didn’t question right to tax (they were, after all, British citizens)but needed rights as other British citizens and as Patrick Henry said - “no taxation w/out representation”

3.3. Quartering Act 1765 - food and supplies

George Grenville’s George Grenville’s Program, 1763-1765Program, 1763-1765

The fall out follows…

Real WhigsQ->Q-> What was the extent of Parliament’s authority over the colonies??

Absolute? OR Limited?

Q->Q-> How could the colonies give or withhold consent for parliamentary legislation when they did not have representation in that body??

Theories of Theories of RepresentationRepresentation

Loyal Nine - 1765

Sons of Liberty – began in NYC:Samuel AdamsNon-complianceNo tax collectors

Stamp Act Congress – 1765 * Stamp Act ResolvesDeclaratory Act – 1766

Stamp Act Crisis

1767William Pitt, P. M. Charles Townshend, Secretary of the Exchequer (Champagne Charlie).

A Shift from paying taxes for Br. war debts & quartering of troops à paying col. govt. salaries.A He diverted revenue collection from internal to external trade..A Tax these imports paper, paint, lead, glass, tea.A Increase custom officials at American ports established a Board of Customs in Boston & admiralty courts

Townshend Duties Crisis: 1767-1770

1.1. John Dickinson 1768 * Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania. Like most Americans, no argument w/ Britain’s right to regulate colonial trade but he did argue with Britain’s right to tax colonists to raise revenue

2.2. 1768 2nd non-importation movement: * “Daughters of Liberty” * spinning bees

3.3. Riots against customs agents: * John Hancock’s ship, the Liberty. * 4000 British troops sent to Boston.

Colonial Response to the Townshend Duties

The Boston Massacre For enlisted men, serving in the

British army was often an act of desperation; subsistence wages

They often took spare jobs - contributed to tensions

Crispus Attucks John Adams defended British

soldiers; winning acquittals for most

Calm afterwards as Lord North - new prime minister - withdrew all of Townshend Acts except Tea Tax

Sam Adams kept everyone informed through committees of correspondence

http://ns.netmcr.com/~ambro/bm2.jpg

Tea Tax Deceptive period of calm 1770-1773

– Br. Customs schooner Gaspee ran aground in Providance, RI - looters; board of inquiry could come to not conclusions due to ornery RI people

– Most Americans begun to buy tea again but British East India Tea Company facing bankruptcy

• Monopoly• Lower price (indirect tax)

Boston Tea Party 1773 What will the British response be?

– Boston Port Bill– Administration of Justice Act– Massachusetts Gov’t Act

Intolerable Acts (Coercive Acts 1774)

What will the British response be?– Boston Port Bill– Administration of Justice Act– Massachusetts Gov’t Act

Quebec Act 1774– Facilitate incorporation of Fr Canadians and their land into British empire– Quebec’s boundary extended to Ohio River– Catholicism recognized as Quebec’s official religion– *nonrepresentative gov’t estb. for its citizens– This wasn’t just Mass. but larger range– Dissolved jury trials and popular assemblies– Alarmed land speculators that this lg. swath removed

First Continental Congress

Radicals - Va’s Patrick Henry, Ma’s Sam & John Adams, Pa’s Charles Thomson - colonies relationship w/ Br. Has passed point of no return. For them there are only 2 alternatives: force Britain to accede to their demands or declare independence

Moderates - Pa’s John Dickinson and Va’s George Washington - relationship b/w the colonies and Gr. Britain can be repaired

Conservatives - NY’s John Jay and Pa’s Joseph Galloway - mild rebuke of Britain is ok but nothing aggressive - quasi-Albany Plan would be best. A colonial “grand council” would have power to veto British acts. The Galloway plan was narrowly defeated.

http://www.ushistory.org/carpentershall/visit/images/congress.jpg

• Sept 1774 - delegates from colonies meet to discuss response to Intolerable Acts• an advisory board not legislative body

First Continental Congress

Parliament possessed no inherent authority to tax colonists

The British Empire was a compact (or loose union) between the center (the mother country) and its colonies, not one unit dominated by Britain

Each colony possessed its own legislature independent of Britain’s legislative authority

Holding together this loose-knit union was a collective allegiance to the king

http://www.ushistory.org/carpentershall/visit/images/congress.jpg

The more radical delegates used Thomas Jefferson’s A Summary View of the Rights of British America to post the following ideas

They took the following actions:• they declared the Intolerable Acts null & void•They recommended colonists arm themselves•Militias should be formed (Mass. Minute Men)•They recommended a boycott of British goods - A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BOYCOTT •*note: not calling for independence yet

Parliament rejected the First Continental Congress’ petition

April 1775 Br. Commander in Boston sent detachment of troops to nearby Lexington and Concord– Shot heard around the world– British lost 1/3 of their army

Homework: answer 1-6 on your reading questions worksheet.Read Chp 8.Have index cards