Chapter 4: The Empire in Transition
I. Loosening Ties
- After Glorious Revolution of 1688 and collapse of Dominion of New England in
America, Britain made no serious effort to control the colonies for over 70 years
- King had power to appoint governors & other colonial officials in royal colonies
- Parliament supplemented original Navigation Acts and strengthened mercantilism
- Colonies were left to go their separate ways  beginning of Salutary Neglect!!!
A. A Tradition of Neglect
- Due to George I and George II, German born, being unaccustomed to English
rule, Parliament became more powerful
- Robert Walpole refrained from strict enforcement of Navigation Acts to stimulate
Commerce
- Administration of colonial affairs was becoming more decentralized & inefficient
- Few London officials visited America
- Weakness in administrative authority and policy of neglect weakened England’s
hold on colonies
- Character of royal officals in colonies was suspect > tempted by bribes
- By 1750’s, colonial assemblies began to levy taxes, make appropriations, approve
appointments and pass laws for their colonies
- Colonial assemblies were practically as sovereign as Parliament in England
B. The Colonies Divided
- Colonists felt stronger ties to England than one another
- NE and VA viewed each other as foreigners
- Population growth along seacoast produced near continuous line of settlement and
led to construction of roads and rise of intercolonial trade
- Colonial postal service increased communication
- In 1754, colonists faced common threat from France and their Indian allies
- Colonial leaders came together to negotiate treaty w/ Iroquois
- Delegates wanted to form a colonial federation for defense against the Indians
- Benjamin Franklin proposed “one general govt.” in America, Albany Plan of Union
- Each colony would “retain its present constitution”
- Grant new govt. authority to govern relations w/ Indians
- Central govt. would have a “president general” appointed by the king and a
legislature elected by colonial assemblies
- None of the colonial assemblies approved the Albany Plan
II. The Struggle for the Continent
- War in America part of titanic struggle between England and France for dominance
in world trade and naval power
- England’s victory in Seven Years War cemented their role as great imperial nation
- French and Indian War surfaced underlying tensions in colonial relationship w/ England
A. New France and the Iroquois Nation
- Fur trade and missionary work done by the Jesuits expanded France’s presence
- French explorers laid claim to continental interior
- French established many communities, including the fortified city of Quebec
- New Orleans founded to service French plantation economy
- French had better relations with natives than English because of tolerance
- Iroquois Confederacy became most powerful tribe after defeating Hurons
- Formed commercial relationship w/ English and Dutch
- Ohio Valley became potential battleground between French, English & Iroquois
B. Anglo-French Conflicts
- Series of wars known as Anglo-French Wars lasted for nearly 80 years in Europe
- A-F Wars had repercussions in America
- King William’s War in northern NE
- Queen Anne’s War led to border fighting w/ Spain in South and w/ French &
Indians in North
- Treaty of Utrecht transferred French territory to English
- King George’s War led to English capture of French fortress at Louisbourg
- Peace treaty forced English to abandon it
- Iroquois sided with the English, so French built fortresses in Ohio Valley
- English made military preparations and built forts of their own
- In 1754, governor of Virginia sent militia led by George Washington to build a
stockade called Fort Necessity, near Fort Duquesne
- Virginians unsuccessfully attacked French fort and GW forced to surrender
− Started the French and Indian War!
C. The Great War for the Empire
- British experienced a major defeat when Gen. Braddock failed at forks of Ohio River
- William Pitt transformed war effort by bringing it fully under British control
- Pitt planned military strategy, appt. military commanders & issued orders
- To replenish army, British forced enlistment of colonists  impressments
- Officers seized supplies from farmers & tradesmen and forced colonists to
shelter British troops w/out compensation
- Colonists resisted  violently in NY City
- Pitt relaxed policies as a result
- British Generals Amherst & Wolfe captured fort at Loiusbourg, then Fort Duquesne
- Quebec captured by Gen. Wolfe and marked the beginning of the end of the war
- French army surrendered to Gen. Amherst in Montreal in Sept. 1760
- Peace of Paris made French surrender all title to mainland of North America
- Effects of the French and Indian War
- Expanded England’s territorial claims in New World
- Greatly enlarged Britain’s debt
- Generated resentment towards Americans
- American military ineptitude during the war
- Angry colonists made few financial contributions
- American colonists acted in concert for the first time against a common foe
- Confirmed illegitimacy of English interference in local affairs
- Disastrous for Indians in Ohio Valley > demise of Iroquois Confederacy
III. The New Imperialism
A. Burdens of Empire
- Unwilling to be taxed by Parliament for war, colonists were reluctant to tax themselves
- Territorial annexation of 1763 increased British Empire 2x
- Governing the lands was complex
- Risked stirring up conflicts w/ the Indians
- Wanted to keep land available for hunting and fur trapping
- Staggering war debt lead to landlords and merchants objecting to high taxes
- Stationing British troops along Indian border added more to the cost
- System of taxation administered by London could meet England’s needs
- King George III ascended to the throne in 1760 and he was determined to:
- Be an active and responsible monarch
- Create a new coalition w/ patronage & bribes to gain control of Parliament
- George III shortcomings included insanity, immaturity and insecurity
- Grenville appointed prime minister in 1763 and believed colonists should obey the
laws and pay part of the cost of defending and maintaining the empire
- Imposed new system of control over loose collection of colonial possessions
B. The British and the Tribes
- When Britain got new lands it was hesitant to allow settlers across the Appalachian
Mountains, resulting in the Proclamation of 1763
- Proclamation of 1763 was appealing to British for several reasons:
- Allowed London to control westward movement of white population
- Conflicts w/ Indian tribes were limited
- Slowed population exodus from coastal colonies to preserve markets &
Investments
- Reserved opportunities for land speculation and fur trading for the English
- Cherokee cooperated because they thought it would end white encroachment
- Proclamation of 1763 failed to meet expectations of Indians and the crucial point
of the line of settlement was completely ineffective
C. The Colonial Response
- New imperial program included acts like that of Sugar, Currency and Stamp
- Effort to reapply the old principles of mercantilism
- Paxton Boys demanded relief from colonial taxes and $ for defense against Indians
- Regulators opposed high taxes imposed by local sheriffs
- Armed themselves and resisted tax collectors by force
- Carolina Gov. Tryon sent militia in to defeat 2,000 in Battle of Alamance
- Grenville’s program antagonized nearly everyone
- Colonists feared that new imperial policies would doom them to a permanent
economic stagnation and declined standard of living
- Political consequences of Grenville’s program:
- People took an active interest in public affairs
- Americans accustomed to powers of self-govt.
- Home rule was old and familiar and colonists desired to keep it
IV. Stirrings of Revolt
A. The Stamp Act Crisis
- Stamp Act was interpreted as a direct attempt by England to raise revenue
- Virginia Resolutions introduced by Patrick Henry
- Colonists were only to be taxed by their own representatives
- House of Burgesses defeated most extreme of Henry’s resolutions
- “Virginia Resolves” circulated & created impression of VA as militant
- In Boston, Sons of Liberty terrorized stamp agents, burned stamps and pillaged
Gov. Hutchinson’s house
- Parliament finally repealed Stamp Act due to pressure from merchants of NE
- Parliament passed Declaratory Act asserting authority over the colonies
B. The Townshend Program
- Mutiny (Quartering) Act required colonists to provide quarters & supplies to troops
- Colonists resented that these contributions were mandatory
- Considered another form of taxation w/out consent
- Townshend Duties levied new taxes on lead, paint, paper and tea (external taxes)
- Suspension of NY Assembly aroused resentment of all the colonies
- Considered this assault a precedent for annihilation of the rights of all
- Colonists reacted by boycotting British goods subject to Townshend Duties
C. The Boston Massacre
- Crowd assembled at customs house and threw rocks and snowballs at sentries
- British soldiers lined up to protect building, then fired into the crowd
- Five people were killed, including a mulatto sailor, Crispus Attucks
- Revere portrayed it as organized & calculated assault on peaceful crowd
- Leading figure in fomenting public outrage was Samuel Adams
- Most effective radical in the colonies
- Created “committee of correspondence” to publicize grievances against England
D. The Philosophy of Revolt
- Colonies advocated for the English Constitution because of its balance of power
- Americans believed it was right of the people to be taxed only w/ their consent
- “No taxation without representation” made little sense to English
- Parliament represented interest of whole nation and empire
- “Virtual Representation” signified hypothetical representation of people in Parliament
- “Actual Representation” intended that people elected their representatives
E. The Tea Excitement
- East India Company was allowed to monopolize trade in the colonies w/ Tea Act
- Many colonists responded by boycotting tea
- Important event because it mobilized large segment of the population
- Linked the colonies in a common experience of mass protest
- Women were principal consumers of tea and led effort to boycott it
- Most famous demonstrations became known as “The Boston Tea Party”
- Coercive Acts, Intolerable Acts, closed port of Boston, reduced colonial
self-government, permitted officers to be tried in England and provided for the
quartering of troops in colonists’ barns or empty houses
V. Cooperation and War
A. New Sources of Authority
- In 1768, Samuel Adams called for a convention of delegates to replace General Court
- Adams also helped organize the Sons of Liberty
- Disciplined bands of vigilantes ensured colonists respected boycotts and
other forms of popular resistance
- First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia in 1774
- Delegates were represented from all 13 colonies except Georgia
- Five major decisions:
1. Rejected plan for colonial union under British authority
2. Endorsed a statement of grievances
> demanded repeal of oppressive legislation since 1763
3. Called for military preparations in defense of possible attack by British
4. Agreed to nonimportation, nonexportation and nonconsumption to stop trade
5. Agreed to meet the next spring indicating it was a continuing organization
- Reaffirmed their autonomous status and declared economic war to maintain position
- Conciliatory Propositions allowed colonists to tax themselves at Parliament’s demand
- Hoped to divide the moderate majority from the extremist minority
- Didn’t reach America until after the first shots of the war had been fired
B. Lexington and Concord
- Farmers and townspeople of MA gathered ammunition and trained as “minutemen”
- Gen. Thomas Gage knew of military preparations, but waited for reinforcements to
arrive
- Gage ordered to arrest Sam Adams and John Hancock in Lexington, but hesitated
- Decided to act when he heard minutemen had large supply of gunpowder in
Concord (18 miles from Boston)
- On April 18, 1775 he sent 1,000 soldiers on road to Lexington and Concord
- Intended to surprise colonials and seize supplies w/out bloodshed
- William Dawes and Paul Revere warned the colonists in advance
- When British troops arrived in Lexington, dozens of minutemen met them at the
town common
- Shots were fired and minutemen fell; eight killed and ten wounded
- British reached Concord & discovered Americans had removed powder supply
- British were ambushed on way back to Boston & lost 3x as many men as Americans
- “Shots Heard Round the World” sparked enthusiasm & started War for Independence