Beftu Sultan
The Great War for The Empire
The Struggle for The Continent: Consequences of The Seven Years War
I.
Americans resented English use of power and arrogance
II.
Volunteered in a “people’s army”
III.
British victory crumbled the Iroquois Confederacy
The New Imperialism: Burdens of Empire
I.
Problems of managing the empire became more difficult after 1763 (peace treaty) due to
shift in Britain’s imperial design
II.
English once viewed its colonial empire primarily in terms of trade
III.
New philosophy: land now of value; taxes, population it can support
IV.
British Empire twice its size as it had been after 1763: problems governing it
V. Idea of restricting settlement is suggested: otherwise risk of stirring up costly conflicts
with Indians and would also keep land available for hunting and trapping
VI.
Britain in vast war debt: leaders believed only a system of taxation administered by
London could effectively meet its needs
VII.
George III active monarch in 1760: immaturity left British government unstable
VIII.
Proclamation of 1763 issued by B. Government to prevent escalation of fighting with
Indians (fighting might threaten western trade): forbids settlers from advancing beyond
Appalachian Mt.
IX.
P. 1763 (cont.): steady colonial expansion, conflicts might be limited, doesn’t threaten
trade
X. P. 1763 (cont.): failed
The Colonial Response
I.
Greenville ministry stations British troops permanently in America
II.
Mutiny Act of 1765: colonists required to assist in provisioning and maintaining army
III.
Limited colonial manufacturing, no more substitutes for Royal officials, American waters
patrolled for smuggling
IV.
Sugar Act of 1764: designed to eliminate illegal sugar trade, strengthen enforcement of
duty on sugar, newly established courts in America to try accused smugglers
V. Currency Act of 1764: no more paper money
VI.
Stamp Act of 1765: imposed taxes on newspapers, licenses, wills, and other printed
documents
VII.
With new imperial program running (reapply mercantilism), British are collecting more
than 10x as much annual revenue from America than before 1763; however created more
problems than solutions
VIII.
Difficult for colonists to resist new regulations effectively although they resented them
IX.
Residents of the “backcountry” felt isolated from and underrepresented in colonial
governments
X.
XI.
XII.
Small scale civil-war breaks out in 1771 due to Regulator movement in NC
Regulators: farmers of Carolina who opposed high taxes that local sheriffs collected
Regulators failed to win then armed themselves and resisted taxes by force but defeated
by militiamen
XIII.
Greenville program to antagonize everyone
Stirrings of Revolt
I.
Stamp Act is a crisis and falls on all Americans
II.
Virginia House of Burgesses opposition rose Americans to action: same rights as
Englishmen
III.
Stamp Act dangerous moment in relationship b/w colonies and British government
IV.
British goods boycotted by New Englanders previously in protest of Sugar Act then
spread: hurt British economy
V. New govt is formed and Mutiny Act still mandatory but opposed now
VI.
NY Assembly is divided and conquered until colonists agreed to obey the Mutiny Act:
aroused resentment from all colonies
VII.
Townshend death then new Prime Minister and all taxes repealed but tax on tea
VIII.
British occupation, then the “Boston Massacre”: in 1770 and graphic symbol of British
oppression and brutality
IX.
Ideas supporting upcoming Revolution: some drawn from religious sources (particularly
Puritan) or from political experiences of colonies or from abroad
X. English “Scots” and “country Whigs” opposed English state
XI.
“No taxation without representation” (the right of people to be taxed only with their own
consent) made little sense to Eng.
XII.
Tea soon to be boycotted by colonists as resistance
XIII.
Boston Tea Party of 1773 results in closure of port of Boston, reducing power of selfgovernment in MA
Cooperation and War
I.
Revolution organized and planned
II.
First Continental Congress makes five big decisions: stop all trade with Britain, rejected a
plan for colonial union under Br. authority, demand for repeal of all oppressive
legislation, preparing for defense against possible attack by Br. troops in Boston: formed
a “Continental Association”
III.
Lord North makes conciliatory propositions but too late, first shots fired beginning war
Crash Course #6 & #7
British raised taxes
—British govt. believed only fair if some of burden fell on Americans (beneficiaries), Br. in war
debt
—Not just to pay for war, but also to try to regulate trade in a mercantilist way
—Easy to avoid; smuggling
—Colonists angry b/c no representation
Stamp Act
—All printed material had to carry a stamp, not free
—Mostly affected people who used a lot of paper (e.g. lawyers, newspaper printers)
—Stamp Act Congress organized by protesters and make decision to boycott British goods
—— First time colonies acting in a united way, almost like a government
Sons of Liberty
Groups that organized direct actions such as helping people become aware of their “liberties”
and spurring street actions that occasionally became violent: successful
— British Parliament repeals Stamp Act: seen as big victory
— Declaratory Act: Br. asserts still keeping taxing authority in America as in Br.
— Br. still needs money; Chancellor of Exchequer Charles Townshend gets Parliament to pass
new taxes
—— “Townshend Acts”: new board of customs to stop smuggling
—— Colonists again response with a boycott, now Daughters of Liberty involved
—— Not everyone on board, some making money through boycott (artisans)
—— Boycotts and taxes effective and Br. merchants push for repeal of acts except tax on tea
—— Colonists angry about cheap tea (cuts into profits) and tea taxes, so they dress up as Indians
and dump modern equivalent of 4 million dollars worth of tea into the harbor
—— Br. respond by passing more acts known as “Intolerable Acts”
—— Quartering Act forced colonists to house Br. soldiers in homes when ordered to
—— Quebec Act extended lower boundary of Quebec and granted religious toleration to R.
Catholics
— — Colonial response to acts starts American Revolution: MA passed sets of resolution calling
for colonists to disobey Intolerable Acts, stop paying taxes, and prepare for war
— — First Continental Congress: group of delegates from different colonies to coordinate
resistance of Intolerable Acts and encourage domestic manufacturing and first real colony-wide
govt.
American Revolution occurs more than a year before the Declaration of Independence
— British suffered heavy casualties in battle of Bunker Hill and soon forced to abandon Boston
— British then take over N.Y
— Not all colonists were pro-independence
— America eventually declares independence
— Br. main strategy: capture all cities and force colonists to surrender
—— Captured Boston and New York and Charleston
— Battle of Saratoga: major defeat for British
— French eventually go bankrupt helping America, leading to its own revolution
— British surrender at battle at Yorktown (1781)
— Quakers (pacifists; believe war and violence is unjustifiable) had property confiscated when
they refused to fight
—— Losing property=losing rights
— For slaves, loyalty to Br. in war=could mean freedom
—— Br. governor issued a proclamation that granted freedom to any slave who left his master
and fought for the Br.
—— Slaves saw revolution as chance to escape
-British empire abolished slavery in all of its territory by 1843 w/out a civil war
Native Americans:
— Wanted to stay out of war and remain neutral
— Native Indians joined different sides of war anyway and fought
— Sometimes divisions in tribes
— American troops brutal to American Indians who fought for the British: villages burned and
prisoners enslave
—Slaves and Indians did not get much out of the war: no rights of life, liberty, and pursuit of
happiness
Women during the R. War:
— Some colonial women fought in the war
—Women still considered wards of their husbands
— If not married, women were considered salable assets of their fathers
Republican Motherhood:
—For the republic to survive, necessary to have a well educated citizenry
—War did not change roles of women
Post-war:
—Colonies become states and constitutions are created: opens voting to more people
— True religious freedom
— Church of England becomes Church of America
— New ideas of liberty led to a decline in apprenticeship and indentured servitude
— Split b/w North and South more visible
—— North reliance on paid labor
—— South reliance on slavery
— Ideas of liberty make revolution
——
“All men created Equal”:
— Hypocritical?
— Frequent protests against slavery and voices heard in northern states
—All states north of Maryland abolish slavery b/w 1777-1804 although at a very slow pace
—— Population of free people of color skyrocketed