Ch. 5, “Crisis in the Colonies”

1745-1775

European Rivals in North America

NEW SPAIN

FRENCH TERRITORY

13 COLONIES

Ohio River

Valle

y

FLORIDA(owned by Spain)

Conflict in the Ohio Valley

France was determined to stop the English from expanding westward

Native Americans chose sides French – built strong alliances with

Hurons and Algonquins English – allied with the Iroquois by

playing on tribal rivalries and offering trade goods at low prices.

1754 – French & Indian War Begins

Washington led 150 men against 700 at Ft. Duquesne (Ft. Necessity)

He was only 22 years old!

Had to surrender, was eventually released

Fort Duquesne

Fort Necessity

Albany Congress

Ben Franklin’s Albany Plan of Union

His plan was rejected

www.michaeldeas.com/

String of British Defeats under British General Braddock – Take off those red uniforms!!!

1755 1757

General Pittturns the tide,captures Ft. Duquesne, changed name to “Pittsburgh”

1759

British practice rock climbing at the Battle of Quebec

1763

Treaty of Paris ends war

Death of Wolfe by Benjamin West

Turmoil over taxation

Pontiac’s War

Pontiac, an Ottowa chief who had fought for the French, led an attack on British troops at Fort Detroit

Thought French would come to their aid

Sorry….the war’s over…! Resulted in the Proclamation of 1763

10,000 British Soldiers to the Rescue!

King George III sent troops to enforce his proclamation

Most didn’t care for the backcountry so they hung out in the cities

Stationing British troops in the colonies proves to be very costly

Turmoil over Taxation

The French & Indian war plunged Britain deeply into

debt.Prime Minister George

Grenville figured that the colonies should have to share

the burden of taxes.

Taxes, Taxes

Sugar Act – tax on molasses actually lowered the existing tax but was enforceable

Stamp Act – tax on legal documents 9 Colonies signed a petition saying that

Parliament had no right to tax the colonies. American’s boycotted British goods so the

Stamp Act was repealed Townshend Acts – new taxes on certain

goods

Issue?

No taxation without representation

The colonies had no representation in Parliament and therefore had no voice

Colonial Protests Grow

Writ of Assistance (right to search a ship without reason)

Sons of Liberty hang tax collectors in effigy

Daughters of Liberty started a boycott of British cloth

http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/related/sons.htm

Samuel Adams

Organized rallies, stirred up public support

Started a letter writing campaign called the “committee of correspondence”

John Adams

Schoolteacher then lawyer

Knowledge of British law made people respect him

Abigail Adams

The wife of John Adams, the first Vice President, and second President, of the United States, and the mother of John Quincy Adams, the sixth President of the United States. She was the first Second Lady of the United States and second First Lady of the United States.

Her letters provide an eyewitness account of the American Revolution.

Mercy Otis Warren

Wrote plays making fun of the British officials

Boston Massacre

Temporary Calm

British merchants harmed by the colonies’ boycott pressured Parliament to end the taxes.

“There must always be one tax to keep up the right [to tax]” – King George

Boston Tea Party (1773)

Reaction – Intolerable Acts (1774)

Boston harbor was shut down until colonists paid for the tea

Massachusetts colonists were forbidden to hold meetings more than once a year

Customs officials and officers had to be tried in England

Colonists would have to house officers in their own homes.

Quebec Act

Set up a government for Canada Gave complete freedom to French

Catholics Extended borders of Quebec to

include some of the Ohio River Valley

Angered the colonists even more

First Continental Congress (1774)

12 colonies represented Agreed to boycott all British goods

until Intolerable Acts were repealed

Set up militia

Lexington and Concord (April 18, 1775)

British marched to seize the colonists stash of weapons and gunpowder

Paul Revere’s ride “The Shot heard round the world”

Old North Church, Boston“one if by land, two if by sea….”