The Gathering
Storm
Hello Kids, stay in school and
be nice to your teacher…..or
I’ll find you (not creepy at all)
Starring Colonist Mel
Colonial Economics
• Mercantilism: Increase a nation's power
through wealth (export more than import)
– Colonies contribute to mercantilism by
• providing raw materials to MC
• buying manufactured goods from MC
(serve as markets)
• buying/selling only to MC
• Colonies exist for the benefit
of the MC
I’m a
MAN,
you’re
not the
boss of
me.
More Economics
– American colonies were supposed to
benefit England by
Man, I
wish I
could sell
to other
people.
• selling all their raw materials (sugar, tobacco,
cotton, timber, and furs) only to England
• buying all their manufactured goods
(furniture, clothing) from England
See Colonist Mel selling
his raw materials only
to England….He’s not
happy about it.
Navigation acts and Salutary Neglect
• England passed the Navigation Acts, which
were laws passed to restrict the use of
foreign trade in the colonies…
– It means the colonies can only trade with England
• BUT England didn’t enforce the Navigation
Acts – "salutary neglect" - beneficial
neglect. Why?
I can get on
• it costs too much to enforce the laws
• England is busy with other things
– (civil war)
board with
this, but
will it last
Growing Tensions….
• Colonial Politics = Growing Tensions
– Great Awakening
• Revival of strong religious roots
• each person could have an individual relationship
with God
• Challenged the authority of
You know
what, I
the Anglican Church as well
think I
could govern
as the power of the King
myself…
that’s
(head of the church)
something I
might need
• If people can worship God
to think
about
on their own, can
they govern themselves also?
French and Indian War
• French and Indian War (Seven Years
War): 1754 – 1763
– French and Indians (except Iroquois) fought
against British and Colonists (& Iroquois)
Listen to my
– Cause of war = conflict
friends tell
you about this
over the Ohio River Valley
War
– 1763 – Treaty of Paris:
French lose all territory
in North America
Aftermath of the War
• Proclamation of 1763
– Britain forbids colonists to move west
beyond the Appalachian Mountains
– don’t wish to antagonize the Native
Americans
• The colonists were upset – they needed
new lands for farms
Seriously, I help win
the war and now
you’re imposing
restrictions…
NOT COOL!
• Britain is in debt –
will need a way to pay debt….
This could get
ugly….
TAXES
• Parliament passed new taxes to pay for the
French and Indian War
– The Sugar Act – Tax on sugar and molasses
• Colonists were upset and tax was repealed
– The Stamp Act – Tax on paper products
• The Colonists re-act with riots & boycotts. British
merchants lost a lot of money and under pressure
Parliament revoked the Stamp Act…. but passed
• The Declaratory Act – Parliament had total
authority over colonies
And last but not least…
• The Townshend Duties – taxes on paper,
paint, tea, glass and lead
No Taxation
w/o
Representation
…and Britain
Sucks
– Colonists protested “taxation
without representation” and
boycotted those products –
eventually Parliament repealed all the
taxes except the tax on tea
Boston Massacre
• Boston Massacre
– anti-British mob riot at the Boston
customhouse
– soldiers fired into the crowd and killed
five people, first of which was Crispus
Attucks
NOOO…Not Crispus…I will
avenge you, you shall not
die in vain….
Boston Tea Party
• The Tea Act
– The East India Tea Company was near
bankruptcy, due to boycotts and taxes, so
Parliament gave the company the right to sell
tea in the colonies WITHOUT paying the taxes
• Boston Tea Party
– Citizens of Boston threw 15,000 pounds of
East India Company tea into Boston Harbor –
this made Parliament very angry, so they
To heck
passed…..
with the
Tea Act.
Boston Harbor
Results of the Boston Tea Party
• The Coercive Acts/Intolerable Acts
– Purpose: to punish Boston until
they pay for the tea
• Closed the Port of Boston
• Put Boston under Martial Law
Don’t make me angry…you
wouldn’t like me when I’m
angry…..
First Continental Congress
• Organized by committees of
correspondence (groups formed in each
colony so that the colonists could
communicate and plan together), all colonies
sent representatives to Philadelphia to
discuss whether or not colonists own loyalty
to Parliament
• Decided that if the British
used force against the colonies,
then the colonists should
fight back
It is so
on….
IT BEGINS….
• The Battle of Concord and Lexington
– First Battle of the Revolution
– “The shot heard round the world”
FREEDOM…..