The Imperial Crisis

1763 - 1775

Developing Crisis

The colonies remained loyal Englishmen, though they continued to be unruly: they are seen on the home island as bordering on disloyal if not out right disloyal.

The colonists began to lobby for representation.

They did not want representation in Parliament.

They knew they would be outnumbered and ineffective as representatives in Parliament.

The colonists wanted the king to consult with their representative assemblies as he did with Parliament putting their assemblies on a equal basis with Parliament.

The New Imperial System

Three goals:

1. Provide for colonies’ security

2. Reassert crown’s authority over colonies

3. Shift financial burden of war debt and colonial defense to colonies

Proclamation of 1763

The New Imperial SystemOpening Moves

Sugar Act 1764 – taxes sugar, coffee and other importsCurrency Act of 1764 – prohibited use of colonial money: only the

British pound was permissibleQuartering Act of 1765 – required the garrisoning of British soldiers at

colonial expenseStamp Act – Required a stamp on newspapers, pamphlets, cards, death

certificates, etc. Problems: tax with the sole purpose of raising revenue for England not

colonies Results VA (led by Patrick Henry [laudanum head]) declared only it had the right

to tax Virginians Mob activity (burning the tax collectors in effigy; liberty poles) tar and

feather Repealed in 1766

George Grenville and his Stamps

The Stamp Act Crisis

Colonial Responses Political Actions Popular Actions

British Responses British Merchants seek relief Parliament Repeals the act in 1766 Parliament passes the Declaratory Act Parliament passes Revenue Act

Lessons Learned

The Townshend Crisis

Townshend Revenue Act of 1766- Duty on lead, glass, paint, paper and tea

Provocative moves- Seeks confrontation

Colonial responses- Sons of Liberty- Circular letter

Parliament’s response- Dissolve Assemblies- Increase British troops strength

The Boston Massacre

The Last Imperial Crisis

Tea Act (1773)

Boston Tea Party (1774)

The Coercive Acts (1774)

The First Continental Congress (1774)

Lexington & Concord (1775)

The Boston Tea Party

Coercive (Intolerable) Acts

Closed port of Boston

Powers of Mass. Assembly & town meetings curtailed

Permitted quartering of troops in private houses

Imperial officers exempted from trial

The Opening Salvos

September 1774 - Congress recommends that the colonies begin military preparations

December 1774 - George III declares the New England colonies to be in a state of rebellion

In early 1775 Gen. Gage ordered to restore royal rule in Mass by:

1. Closing Massachusetts Assembly2. Arrest its leading members3. Capturing arms stockpiled by militia

By spring 1775, colonial leaders and the British commander both expected fighting to break out.

19 April 1775

General Thomas Gage

Commander-in-Chief, North America

Governor, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Order British column to Lexington and Concord searching for John Hancock, Sam Adams and munitions stores.

The midnight ride of Paul Revere & William Dawes

Opening Moves

“The shot heard ‘round the world”

Colonial Response to the New Imperial System

Benjamin Franklin - “Repeal the laws, Renounce the Right, Recall the troops, Refund the money, and return to the old methods”