AP US HISTORYM. CARTER

Events Leading to the American Revolution

French and Indian War

Seven Years War in EuropeDetermined which imperial power would

control the region between the Appalachian Mtns and the Mississippi River

Laid the groundwork for the conflict between the British and colonists

Albany Conference

Included a delegation from the Iroquois Confederacy

Convened by British officials who wanted a collective colonial response to the ongoing conflict with New France and Natives

Negotiations w/ natives go poorly Angry about colonial encroachment of land Believed they were being taken advantage of

Franklin’s Plan of Union was adopted by the delegates but the colonies were not yet ready to commit to a single congress

B Franklin DID become the postmaster general of the colonies Worked to improve communication and commerce

between the colonies Recognized the need to unite for a common cause

Treaty of Paris (1763)

France lost all possessions in North AmericaFrance ceded all land claims east of the

Mississippi to Britain (except New Orleans)New Orleans- transferred to Spain- Roman

CatholicSpain ceded Florida to Britain in exchange

for the return of all their colonies in the Caribbean and Pacific

End of imperial rivalry in N America- Britain is the only country left

Native Response

Angry that French gave away their land- no right to do so

Starvation resulted from the British policy of not “gifting”- said they needed to live without “charity”

The Delaware Prophet (Neolin)- taught Indians had been corrupted by Europeans, need to purify and to reclaim what was rightfully theirs

“Drive them out!”Attack was planned on the British

Pontiac’s Uprising

Pontiac- chief, political and religious leaderIndian confederacy simultaneously attacked

all British forts in the West Failed to take key forts Battle ended as a stalemate

First case of germ warfare- General Amherst @ Fort Pitt delivered blankets to Indians that were infected with smallpox

Indians feared the destruction of their villages

Proclamation of 1763

British government set terms for continuing British policy toward Indians

“Indian country” was the land west of the ridge of the Appalachian Mountains

Purchase of Indian land required authorization from the crown

Indians were pleasedBackcountry farmers were outraged- claimed

it was unfair

Speculators upsetColonists thought the removal of France

opened the land for migrationAngry that land was given away to “savages”Paxton BoysBritish were UNABLE to prevent westward

expansionIndians were weakened and were no longer

able to play colonial powers against each other Chose compliance- signed away their land

British Colonists

Colonial volunteers were “riff raff”

Had a poor opinion of colonial army

Never recognized the impact the war had on the colonists

Called colonists Yankees

Shocked at the lewd behavior and language of the British soldiers

Upset by cruel punishments doled out by the British soldiers

Called British Lobsterbacks

Contrasts between the Colonists & British

American Nationalism

Colonists began to see themselves as separate

Beginning of an American identityIntercolonial cooperationDeveloping a nationalist perspective (rather

than sectionalist)Trade within the colonies increasesImproved roadsWeekly newspapers focusing on intercolonial

affairs “continental perspective” and “American”

Republicanism

Fear of a conspiracy to end liberty and institute tyranny

Fight this with constant vigilanceA truly “just” society provided the greatest

possible liberty to individualsGovernment power must be limited to avoid

encroaching on freedomsBest government- broad distribution of

power to the people

John Locke

The power of the leaders should be conditional, not absolute

The people have the right to choose their government and to severe those ties if necessary

***Important ideas later written into the Declaration of Independence

Economic Pressures

British troops stayed in the colonies following the F&I War- help with Indian uprisings and malcontent settlers from France and Spain

Britain’s war debt (FI and 7 yrs Wars) is huge!!1. Raise taxes within England2. Raise money to pay the debt from the colonists

Sugar Act- placed a tax on sugar imported into the colonies, strengthened laws for ships, added more customs officials, increased the jurisdiction and power of Vice-admiralty courts

Colonial Response- Sugar Act

Boston town meeting- protested and planned a boycott of certain English imports

Movement for nonimportation began and spread throughout the colonies

James Otis, Jr- “no taxation without representation”

Stamp Act

Followed the Sugar ActRequired the purchase of specially embossed

paper for all newspapers, legal documents, licenses, insurance policies, ships’ papers, dice and playing cards

Affected ALL colonistsLed to an economic depression

Colonial Response to the Stamp Act

“No taxation without representation” All males could elect their own assemblies but they

could not vote in British elections “virtual representation”- members of Parliament

represent all British subjectsVirginia Stamp Act Resolutions

Patrick Henry Supported “no taxation” Similar resolutions passed by other colonies

Loyall Nine Massachusetts Upper and middle class men Led protests in Boston Included Samuel Adams

Liberty Tree Tied effigies of stamp distributors and other British

officialsDestroyed Lt. Governor Hutchinson’s home

Sons of Liberty Encouraged moderate forms of protest Circulated petitions, published pamphlets, and

encouraged crowd action only as a last resortMost colonies sent delegates to the Stamp

Act Congress in NYC

Stamp Act Congress

Met in NYCPassed resolutions denying Parliament’s right

to tax the colonists Based upon the theory of no representation

Agreed Parliament had the right to pass laws regarding colonial commerce

Helped to defuse radical protest

Stamp Act Repealed

British merchants were being affected by nonimportation- petitioned to Parliament to repeal the Stamp Act

Repealed in March 1766Led to celebrations throughout the coloniesNon-importation endedColonial resistance to the Stamp Act was

stronger in urban areas than in rural communities. Stronger among craftsmen, merchants and planters, than farmers and frontiersmen.

Declaratory Act

Parliament passed the Declaratory ActParliament has the full authority to make

laws binding the colonies “in all cases whatsoever” Absolute Parliamentary supremacy over colonials

mattersConflict was not resolved, only postponed

Townshend Acts

Charles Townshend became PM faced with national debt, unemployment, rioting over

high prices and tax protests Proposed a new tax for the colonies

Tax on lead, glass, paint, paper and tea 1767 Taxes were imposed at the colonial ports before entering

the colonial market (external vs. internal tax) Believed an external tax would curb colonial protest

Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania

John DickinsonArticles printed in newspapers throughout

the coloniesActually a wealthy Philadelphia lawyer-

posed as a poor farmerConceded that Parliament had the right to

regulate trade with duties, but it had no constitutional authority to tax goods in order to raise revenue in the colonies

Believed taxes would be used to pay the salaries of royal officials in America Independent of colonial assemblies Not answerable to anyone within the colonies

Townshend Acts

Many believed these were created as part of a British conspiracy to suppress American liberties

Heavily enforced by new vice-admiralty courts in Boston, Charleston and Philadelphia

Suspended the NY assembly because they refused to use public funds for British troops in the colonies

Some colonists wanted to use violent resistance

**At this point colonists were NOT looking for independence from Britain, but were protesting what they considered to be unconstitutional.

Colonial Response to T.Acts

Revival of non-importation Associations cropped up in NY, Boston, Newport &

Providence List of boycotted goods Resistance movement

Conflict between artisans and merchants Merchants did NOT want to comply with nonimportation

because they were making money. Artisans saw nonimportation as a way to increase personal

sales Printed lists of merchants who continued to import British

goods. Merchants became the target or protest and violence Coercion was a part of the resistance movement

Colonial Response continued

Women’s Involvement Daughters of Liberty supported the boycott Organized spinning and weaving bees to produce

homespun goods for local consumption Renounced luxury fabrics such as silk & satin Stopped serving tea Sang songs supporting the movement

Rural movement Supported the idea of self-sufficiency Supported the reduction in use of luxury items

(religious connection) Supported frugality

Virginia- House of Burgesses Banned importation of goods enumerated in

Townshend Acts, slaves and luxury commodities All colonies except New Hampshire followed suit

Impact of Colonial REsponse

Import of British goods declined Dramatically dropped in large port cities

English merchants began protesting to Parliament (in England)

Massachusetts Circular Letter

Written by Samuel Adams (Boston) and approved by the Massachusetts House of Representatives

PropagandaDenounced the Townshend Acts

Attacked the British plan to make royal officials independent of colonial assemblies

Urged colonies to cooperate with each otherMass. Governor condemned the document for

trying to cause a rebellion and dissolved the legislature

British Secr of State demanded each royal gov in America dissolve their legislatures (endorsement)

Massachusetts House of Reps was ordered to rescind the letter Voted 92-17 to ignore the order Immediately dissolved

“Glorious Ninety-Two” were celebratedIncreased resistance to the T. Acts and to

British handling of colonial affairsBoston town meeting- called everyone to arm

themselves but resisted armed resistanceBoston was occupied by British infantry

British occupation of Boston

Growing hostility between colonists and Britain

Conflict over competition for jobsBoston Massacre

March 5, 1770 First bloodshed- a few dead, several wounded British were armed Paul Revere- the “Bloody Massacre”- propaganda

Inflamed colonistsTownshend Acts repealed on March 5- all

except tax on tea

Committees of Correspondence

Boston appointed to communicated with other towns regarding British actions

Boston Pamphlet- written by Sam Adams and other radicals British encroachments on colonial rights were a sign

of a plot to enslave America- strip colonists of their rights

Virginia appointed an intercolonial correspondence to obtain early and authentic intelligence about British actions; also to maintain correspondence with other colonies Included Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, Richard

Henry Lee

All colonies except Pennsylvania created their own committees

Leaked letters

Franklin gained access to private letters between Mass. Gov Hutchinson and the Parliament Hutchinson called for further infringement of colonial

rights“smoking gun” of a conspiracy theoryFranklin damaged his reputation in London

by publishing the letters Lost his post as Postmaster General

Tea Act

Colonists had already curbed intake of tea Nearly destroyed the East India Company

In an effort to increase tea consumption in the colonies British offered tea at a very low price to make the tax

more palatable and to save the EIC Mass mtg in Pennsylvania denounced the importation of

tea (“an enemy of his country”)- Boston followed Committee for Tarring and Feathering

1st tea ships arrived in Boston

Boston Tea Party

Tea ships arrive Colonists would not allow tea to be unloaded Hutchinson would not allow the ship to leave the port

50+ men disguised as Indians boarded the ship and dumped it into the Boston Harbor

Other tea incidents followed in other portsBritish declared something had to be done

about Boston- rebelliousKing George- “we are now to dispute

whether we have, or have not, any authority in that country.”

Intolerable Acts

1774Laws to punish Massachusetts and

strengthen Britian

Boston Port Bill- prohibited the loading or unloading of ships in any part of the Boston Harbor until the town had fully compensated the EIC and customs officials for the dumped tea

Massachusetts Government Act- annulled the colonial charter Assemblies appointed by the King, rather than elected Town meetings were prohibited more than once a year End of self-rule in the colonies

Quartering Act- legalized the housing of troops at the public expense, including occupied dwellings and private homes

Administration of Justice Act- Sought to protect British officials from colonial courts Those accused of capital crimes were sent to England

for trial

Quebec Act- Britain authorized a permanent government for the

territory taken from France Established an authoritarian, anti-republic

administration for Quebec with a royal governor and appointed council

Roman Catholic Church was granted religious toleration

June 1st Bells tolled, flags flew at half mast and people

flocked to churchesA day of fasting and prayer for Boston

Enduring a “hostile invastion”

First Continental Congress

Philadelphia- September 1774Radicals: Sam and John Adams, Patrick

Henry, George Washington and Christopher Gadsen

Conservatives: John Dickinson, Joseph Galloway, John Jay and James Duane

Delegates wanted to avoid war and favored a policy of economic coercion

Declaration and Resolves

Declaration and ResolvesAsserted that all colonists sprang from a

common tradition and enjoyed the rights guaranteed by laws of nature and the English Bill of Rights

Declared several acts of Parliament in violation of these rights

Until acts were repealed they would impose economic sanctions against Britain

Nonimportation and nonconsumption of British goods

Prohibited export of colonial commodities to Britain or its other colonies

Committees of Observation and Safety

Took over functions of local government throughout the colonies

Organized militia, combined and worked with other colonial committees

Suppressed opinion so LoyalistsScrutinized activities of other citizensPracticed forms of coercionBridge between old colonial admin and

revolutionary governmentBegan to refer to the colonies as “states”

Lexington and Concord

“minutemen”April 18,1775- British troops ordered to

capture a store of American ammunition in Corcord, MA

Boston committee sent Paul Revere and William Dawes to alert the militia

70 armed minutemen met the advancing British troops at Lexington (1/2 way point) Unorganized and outnumbered Some British fired without a signal, killing a few

colonists

British continued to Concord. Burned the store of ammunitions.Attacked by militia in Concord- 1st British

casualties- and several more times along the trip back to Boston

British- 73 dead, 202 missing or woundedForecast: British would be fighting an armed

population who were defending their homes and communities from outsiders.

Surrounding colonies sent their militias to Boston, forcing the British to leave by sea