The Road To The American
Revolution, 1750s - 1776
Deep Roots & Growing Divisions
I. “Salutary Neglect”
II. Ideology and Indians
III. Losing Control
A. Identity and Colonial Nationalism
B. Taxation and Resistance
IV. Protest to Revolution
A. Self-governance and independence
Underneath “Salutary Neglect”
I. Glorious Revolution
A. Reaction to absolutism
of King James, 1680’s
B. “Rights” and liberty
C. Colonists gain confidence
II. “left colonists alone”
III. Divergent ideas of
equality and
representation
Social Differences
I. Weak Aristocracy
A. Less hereditary power
II. More “open” land
A. Geographical mobility
Imperial Conflicts
I. French, Spanish and British Empires
A. Power, land and wealth
B. Constant warfare
1. King William’s War, 1688-97
2. Queen Anne’s War, 1702-14
3. King George’s War, 1739-48
4. French and Indian War, 1754-60 (7 Year’s War)
C. Angered colonies and Indians
D. Funded wars by increasing colonial taxes
Grand Settlement of 1701
Iroquois neutrality
1701-1750s
Play off Fr vs. Br
Keep trade
Protect Great Lakes
to the Ohio Valley
Country Ideology “Whig”
Reaction to taxes and Br Military
Feared power of the state
Threat to liberty and property
Blended with debates over taxation and
representation
Elitist
French and Indian War, 1754-1760
French and Indian War
I. Colonists in Ohio Valley
A. Fr & Indians attack west frontier
B. Albany Congress, 1754 failed
C. 1756 became “7 Years War”
II. Iroquois Confederacy
A. Refused to give up land
B. Neutral since 1701
C. Iroquois ally w/ Br in 1760
III. William Pitt, Sec. State
A. Crushed French
Battle of Bushy Run, PA (1763)
Treaty of Paris, 1763
I. Ends War
A. French eliminated
B. Lost land east of Mississippi River
C. Kept New Orleans
II. Sp. gets land west of Miss.
III. Br. gets Florida
Proclamation of 1763
I. Line down the
Appalachians
II. No growth
III. British Troops
V. Angered colonies
Significance of French and
Indian War
I. French influence declined
II. British power expanded
III. Direct taxes for war debt
IV. Br. increased military presence
V. Conflicts between Br. and colonists
Native Responses & Views
I. Excluded from Treaty
II. Pan-Indian Response
A. Neolin
B. Pontiac (Ottowa)
C. Pontiac’s Rebellion
1763-6
D. Attack from G.L. to VA
E. Sir Jeffrey Amherst
III. Centralize Indian Policy
Growing Tensions
Colonists resent taxes
Want to expand
Dislike “interference” from Crown
End of “salutary neglect”
Different political ideologies
Colonial “Nationalism”
I. Nationalism
A. Common
experiences
B. Military service
C. Print media
D. Political beliefs
E. Becoming
“Americans”
Protest to Revolution
I. Quartering Act 1765
A. Troops
II. Sugar Act 1765
A. Raise revenue
B. External, trade
III. Stamp Act 1765
A. Internal tax
B. Direct tax
C. Angered colonists
Tar and Feathering a Tax Collector
Inching Towards Revolution
I. Taxation without representation
II. Sons of Liberty, Sam Adams
III. Crown increased colonial administration
IV. Townsend Revenue Acts 1767-A. Non-Importation/boycotts
B. Personal-political-nationalistic
Boston Massacre, 1770
I. Sons of Liberty
II. British troops
III. Public protests
IV. Shots erupt into
“massacre”
V. Exaggerated
Committees of Correspondence
1772-4
I. Local political organizations
II. Reaction to royal abuses
III. Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson
IV. Inter-Colonial cooperation & communication
V. Leadership until Continental Congresses
Tea Tax 1773
Monopoly for British East Indian Tea Co
Taxed tea purchases
Boston Sons of Liberty stopped ships
December 1773 dumped tea
Boston Tea Party 1773
First Continental Congress 1774
I. Growing Br. Control
A. Intolerable Acts, esp. Mass Charter
II. Philadelphia, 1774
A. Did not want war
B. Committed to Br. crown
C. Boycotts & Unity
III. Committees of Observation and Safety
A. “Local governments”
Verge of Revolution, 1775
I. Lexington and Concord, MASS
II. Second Congress, 1775
A. Colonial army
B. General Washington
C. Olive Branch Petition to King George III
III. Thomas Paine, Common Sense
A. Rational argument for rebellion and independence
IV. British seized American ships