Out of Many
Chapter 6
FROM EMPIRE TO INDEPENDENCE
Graffiti Wall
 Review
 What do we know so far about the North
American continent?
 What has been occurring and developing
since 1492?
 Each student place 3 items.
YEAR 1750…..and so
it begins.
The Seven Years’ War in America
 1754, first attempt at cooperation among leaders
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of the Colonies (N.England, NY, PA, MD)
War would put Britain & Prussia against France,
Austria, & Spain
Known as the French & Indian War in the Americas
Decided the future of the vast region between the
Appalachian Mtns & MS River
Laid the groundwork for the conflict between the
British
Analyzing the Map: Where is
this war being fought? Why?
Beginning of the War
 From the Brits P.O.V, the French provoked the war
 Built a chain of forts in the OH River Valley
 Halted the westward growth of the British colonies
 Hoping to stop the building of Fort Duquesne
(French)(Pittsburgh), the governor of VA sent a
militia
 Under control of colonel George Washington (Journal)
 Washington surrendered on July 3, 1754at Fort Necessity
 More attacks from the British
 1755, General Edward Braddock, near Ft. Duquesne, lost
2,000 troops (Braddock killed marks full scale war)
 Invaded French Canada in 1756 & 1757 unsuccessfully
Iroquois Confederacy
 Tried to play European powers against each
other
 Most dominate northern region
 Used Chain of Covenant to promote status
and advantage
Other tribes against the British (Ohio River) due
to their expulsion from the coast line
What understanding can we
add to the start of the war?
The French “have stripped us
of more than nine parts in ten
of North America, “ one
British official cried. “and left
us only a skirt of coast along
the Atlantic shore.”
Albany Conference of 1754
 Attempted to create an alliance with
the Iroquois Confederacy
 Had strategic place between the French &
British colonies
 Could not afford to have discontent with such
a large power
 Iroquois Confederacy walked out of the
conference
 Plan of Union
 Developed by Ben Franklin
 Provided for an intercolonial gov’t & a system for recruiting troops &
collecting taxes from the various colonies for their common defense
 Each colony was too jealous of its own taxation powers to accept the plan –
never took effect
 Importance – set a precedent for more revolutionary congresses in the
1770s
 Absence of cooperation among the colonies would be the greatest
weakness of the British empire
Why did the Albany plan not
succeed?
 What can we then predict from this Albany
conferences outcomes and the act of
revolution yet to come?
British Victory & the Conquest
of Canada 1757….
“I know I can save this
country and that no one
else can”
 In London, William
Pitt, the
new British prime minister,
concentrated the gov’ts military
strategy on conquering Canada
 Subsidized the Prussian forces to
fight the war in Europe & sent the
British forces to the colonies
 The objective accomplished:
 1758, retook Louisbourg
 1759, surrender of Quebec to
General James Wolfe
 1760, taking of Montreal
 In the final 2 years, the British
swept French ships from the seas,
British and Pitt take on the
Iroquois Confederacy
 Britain brings the Iroquois to the negotiation
table
 In desperate need of them to be allies
 They agree
 But the answer is why? What did the British
bring to the table that lured the Iroquois to
become allies?
Additional assignment
 Find three pieces of evidence that led the
emergence of American Nationalism
 Be ready to defend your evidence
 Read the primary source on the Proclamation of
1763. Complete question 2 only and An American
Colonist Opposes New Taxes and Asserts the Rights
of the Colonists 1764
 Listen to the speech given by Patrick Henry. Located
on website. Be ready to discuss his speech and how
his rhetoric could ignite the fuse to revolt.
Treaty of Paris
 Also called the Peace of Paris
 Signed in 1763
 France lost all of its possessions on the N.American
mainland
 Great Britain acquired French Canada
 Ceded (gave up) to Spain its huge western territory (LA) as
compensation for their loss of FL
 Only maintained its port in New Orleans
 Spain lost territory as well
 Great Britain acquired Spanish Florida
 Given back their Caribbean & Pacific colonies by the British
Immediate Effects of the War
 Great Britain had unchallenged supremacy in
North America
 Great Britain established as dominant naval
power
 Colonies no longer faced the threat of
concerted attacks from the French, Spanish,
or their Native American allies
 Fundamental change in the relationship
between the home gov’t & the colonies
Viewpoints of the War
British View
Colonial View
 Generally low opinion of
 Proud of their record in all
the colonial military effort
 Poorly trained, disorderly
 Some colonies refused to
contribute either troops or
money to the war effort
 Convinced colonists were
unable & unwilling to
defend the new frontiers of
the vastly expanded
empire
four of the wars (the fourth
being the French & Indian
War)
 Developed confidence that
they could successfully
provide for their own
defense
 Not impressed with British
troops or their leadership
 Methods seemed badly
suited for densely wooded
terrain
Struggle for the West
 Indians shocked by French
cession
 “had no right to give away [our]
country”
 British did not continue the
custom of winning over the
Indians with gifts
 Stopped supplying them with
ammunition
 Many Indians required that for
hunting – many starved
Royal Proclamation of 1763
 Before the Indian uprising in the
West, the British had been at work
on a policy they hoped would help
to resolve frontier tensions
 Royal proclamation setting the
boundary known as the
Proclamation Line
 Set the region west of the crest of the
Appalachian Mtns. as “Indian Country”
 Colonist did not understand how
the British would just give territory
to the Indians
 Defying the prohibition, thousands
streamed westward beyond the
imaginary boundary line drawn by the
British
Discussion Question #1
What ways did the Seven
Years’ War lay the ground
work for the American
Revolution?
Stop and practice
 Turn to page 196-197
 By yourself, go through questions 2,3,4,5
 What answers did you come up with. Place on
your post it note.
Emergence of American
Nationalism
 During the war, many had begun to note important
contrasts between themselves & the mother country
 Those who witnessed the treatment of the British
soldiers by their officers found it easy to believe in the
threat of Britain enslaving colonists
 Strengthened a sense of identity among the colonies
 Many had travelled far distances to fight & saw new
lands
 Reinforced a developing nationalist perspective
 1735-1775, trade among the colonies increased by a
factor of 4
The Press, Politics,
Republicanism
 Zenger trial
 Although freedom of the press was still illegal, the case set a
precedent for newspapers to take more risks with their writings
 Press began to focus more on intercolonial affairs
 Papers often reprinted the writings of the radical Whigs
 Name used by advocates of colonial resistance to British measures
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during the 1760s & 1770s
John Trenchard & Thomas Gordon – pamphleteers
John Locke – political theorist
Alexander Pope & Jonathan Swift – essayists
Views came to define the political consensus of the British colonies
– “republicanism”
 A complex, changing body of ideas, values, and assumptions, closely
related to country ideology, that influenced American political behavior
during the 18th & 19th centuries
In own words…. What is…
 Republicanism
Who are some key historical figures that pushed
this philosophy?
How did it fit into the “American” life?
White boards:
What was…Who
was…Why…reaction/Action…
Sugar Act
Stamp Act
Quartering Act
Declaratory Act
Nonimportation movement
Townshend Revenue Acts
Massachusetts Circular Letter
Tea Act
Intolerable Acts
“Your Sugary Quarter Stamp will
Declare your Townshend Tea to be
Intolerable.”
 Sugar Act-1764
 AKA the Revenue Act of 1764
 Placed duties on foreign sugar & luxuries
 Chief purpose was to raise money for the crown
 Quartering Act-1763
 Required colonist to provided food & living quarters to British
soldiers
 Stamp Act-1765
 Purpose was to raise funds for the British military forces
 1765, required that revenue stamps be laced on most printed paper
in the colonies
 Included legal document, newspapers, pamphlets & advertisements
 First direct tax – collected from those who used the goods – paid by
the people in the colonies, instead of the merchants
“Your Sugary Quarter Stamp will
Declare your Townshend Tea to be
Intolerable.”
 Protests to the Stamp Act
 Reacted with fury & indignations
 Patrick Henry (VA), stood in the House of Burgesses &
declared that the king’s gov’t recognize the rights of all citizens –
including no taxation w/out representation
 British parliament argued that they could “virtually represent” the
colonies because it was for the best interest of the empire
 James Otis (MA) called for a cooperative protest
 Formation of the Sons & Daughters of Liberty
 secret society who imitated tax agents
 Members sometimes tarred & feathered officials & destroyed revenue
stamps
 Boycotts against British imports became the most effective form of
protest
“Your Sugary Quarter Stamp will
Declare your Townshend Tea to be
Intolerable.”
 Declaratory Act
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1766, Parliament voted to repeal the Stamp Act
 Widespread rejoicing in the colonies
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Declaratory Act was designed as a face-saving act
 Asserted that Parliament had the right to tax & make laws for the colonies “in all
cases whatsoever”
 Townshend Revenue Acts
 Charles Townshend – newly appointed chancellor of the
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exchequer
Britain still needed more tax revenues
1767, enacted new duties to be collected on colonial imports of tea, glass, &
paper
Required that the revenues raised be used to pay crown officials in the colonies
Provided for the search of private homes for smuggled goods
 All an official needed was a writ of assistance (a general license to search
anywhere) rather than an official warrant from the courts
“Your Sugary Quarter Stamp will
Declare your Townshend Tea to be
Intolerable.”
 Colonial Reactions to the Townshend Act
 Did not strongly protest at first
 Taxes were still being paid by merchants
 After many pamphlets & circulars protesting the act, the
colonists once again began to boycott British goods
 Repeal of the Townshend Acts
 Lord Frederick North became the new prime minister
 Urged Parliament to repeal because their effect was damaging
trade & generated a small amount of revenue
 Repealed in 1770
 A small tax on tea was retained as a symbol of Parliament’s
right to tax the colonies
 For the most part, ended the colonial boycott
Example of a Boston Mob
 Samuel Adams and John Adams
 What is the difference between Sam Adams’
ideology of gaining freedom and that of John
Adams?
The Boston Massacre
 The people of Boston typically resented the British
troops who had been quartered in their city to protect
customs officials from being attacked
 March 1770, a crowd of colonists harassed the guards
near the customs house
 Guards fired into the crowd, killed 5 people
 Included 1 African American named Crispus Attucks
 Went to trial, but was acquitted
 John Adams was their colonial lawyer
 Samuel Adams denounced it as a “massacre”
 Episode often used by colonial leaders to inflame antiBritish feeling
“Your Sugary Quarter Stamp will
Declare your Townshend Tea to be
Intolerable.”
 Tea Act
 The colonists were still boycotting
British tea
 Hoped to help out the British East India
Company
 Passed in 1773
 Made the price of the company’s tea –
even with tax included – cheaper than
that of smuggled Dutch tea.
 Boston Pamphlet
 Written by Samuel Adams
 Concluded that British encroachments
on colonial rights pointed to a plot to
enslave Americans
Renewal of Conflict
 Correspondence
 Samuel Adams & a few others were trying to keep alive the
idea that British officials were conspiring against the colonies
 Committees of Correspondence, 1772
 In Boston & other MA towns
 Practice of regularly exchanging
letters about suspicious or potentially
threatening British activities
 The Gaspee
 British custom ship that had been
catching smugglers
 1772, the ship ran ashore
 Colonists disguised as Native Americans ordered the ship’s
crew on shore & destroyed the ship by setting it on fire
The Boston Tea Party
 Many Americans refused to buy
the cheaper British tea – to do so
would recognize Parliament’s
right to tax the colonists
 December 1773, a shipment
arrived in Boston, but there were
no buyers
 Before the tea could be
unloaded, a group of colonists,
again disguised as Native
Americans, boarded the ship
 Dumped 342 chests of tea into the harbor
 Colonial reaction to this was mixed
 Many applauded the Tea Party as a justifiable defense of liberty
 Others thought the destruction of private property was far too radical
“Your Sugary Quarter Stamp will
Declare your Townshend Tea to be
Intolerable.”
 Intolerable Acts
 During the Spring of 1774, an angry Parliament passed a
series of acts called the Coercive Acts
 The Port Act – closed the port of Boston, prohibited trade in
& out of the harbor until the tea was paid for
 The Massachusetts Governor Act – reduced the power of the
MA legislature while increasing power of their royal governor
 The Administration of Justice Act – allowed royal officials
accused of crimes to be tried in England rather than the
colonies
 Quartering Act – expansion of the previous act; enable
British troops to be quartered in private homes; applied to all
colonists
“Your Sugary Quarter Stamp will
Declare your Townshend Tea to be
Intolerable.”
 Intolerable Acts
 Quebec Act
 Passed at the same time as the Coercive Acts
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This law organized the lands in Canada gained from France
Established Roman Catholicism as the official religion of Quebec
Set up a non-representative gov’t assembly
Extended Quebec’s boundary to the Ohio River
 Accepted by most French Canadians, but rejected by many in the
colonies
 viewed it as a direct attack because it took away lands
 Afraid that Britain would begin to take away their representative
gov’ts
 Protestant Americans also resented the recognition of Catholicism
 Confirmed the prediction of the Committees of Correspondence that
there was a British plot to destroy American liberty
Overview
 Pg. 185 in your textbook has an excellent
chart regarding all of the acts that were
passed by the British Parliament from 1764 1774
The First Continental Congress
 The nature of the Intolerable Acts drove all the
colonies, except GA, to send delegates to a
convention in Philadelphia in Sept. 1774
 Purpose of the convention was to determine how
the colonies should react to what
 At this time, most Americans had no desire for
independence
 Wanted to protest parliamentary intrusions
 Restore the relationship with the crown
The First Continental Congress:
The Delegates
 Diverse group whose views about the crisis ranged from
radical to conservative
 Radicals
 Patrick Henry (VA), Samuel Adams (MA), John Adams (MA)
 Moderates
 George Washington (VA), John Dickson (PA)
 Conservatives
 John Jay (NY), Joseph Galloway (PA)
 The only group unrepresented was that of the loyalists
who would not challenge the king’s gov’t in any way
The First Continental Congress:
Actions
 Joseph Galloway proposed a plan similar to that of the Albany
Union Plan – but it failed to passed
 Following measures were adopted:
 The Suffolk Resolves
 rejected the Intolerable Acts & called for their immediate repeal
 urged colonies to resist the Intolerable Acts by making military preparations
& boycotting
 Declaration of Rights & Grievances
 Petition to the king urging him to redress (make right) colonial grievances &
restore colonial rights
 Recognized Parliament’s right to regulate commerce
 The Association
 Urged the creation of committees in every town to enforce the economic
sanctions of the Suffolk Resolves
 If these rights were not recognized, they called for the meeting of a
second congress in May 1775
Fighting Begins
 The king’s gov’t dismissed the
petition of the First Continental
Congress
 Sent British troops to MA to
control the disorders
 Lexington
 April 18, 1775
 General Thomas Gage – commander of British troops – sent his
men to seize colonial military supplies
 Paul Revere & William Dawes warned the militia (or
minutemen) of the coming march; assembled on the village
green of Lexington to face the British
 Americans were retreating, but keeping their arms. First shot –
unknown who fired it. No orders were given.
 American’s lost 8 men
Fighting Begins
 Concord
 The British continued their march to
Concord where they burned a small
quantity of supplies & cut down a
liberty pole
 On their return march to Boston, the
British were fired upon by militiamen
who were hidden behind walls
 British lost 250 men – humiliating
that they were so badly mauled by
“amateur” fighters
Fighting Begins
 Bunker Hill
 Two months after Concord, a true
battle was fought between the
opposing armies in Boston
 Militia farmers fortified Breed’s
Hill, next to Bunker Hill, for which
the ensuing battle was wrongly
named
 British attacked & managed to
take the hill, suffering over a
thousand casualties
 Americans claimed a victory of
sorts – succeed in inflicting heavy
losses on the British army
The Second Continental Congress
 May 1775, Soon after the fighting broke out in MA,
delegates met in Philadelphia
 Divided on two fronts:
 New Englanders – wanted independence
 Middle Colonists – hoped the conflict could still be resolved by
negotiating a new relationship with Britain
 Declaration of the Causes & Necessities for Taking Up
Arms
 Called on the colonies to provide troops
 George Washington was appointed commander-in-chief of the
colonial army
 Authorized a force under Benedict Arnold to raid Quebec in
order to draw Canada away from Britain
The Second Continental Congress
 Peace Efforts
 Adopted a policy of raging war
while simultaneously seeking peace
 July 1775, delegates sent an “Olive
Branch Petition” to King George III
which pledged their loyalty & asked
the king to intercede with
Parliament
 King dismissed the plea & agreed to
Parliament’s Prohibitionary Act
(Aug.1775) which declared the
colonies in rebellion
Thomas Paine’s Argument for
Independence
 January 1776, pamphlet was
published
 Common Sense
 Argued in clear & forceful language
for the colonies becoming
independent states & breaking all ties
with the British monarchy
 Argued that it was contrary to
common sense for a large continent
to be ruled by a small & distant land
 Argued it was contrary to common
sense for people to pledge allegiance
to a king whose gov’t was corrupt &
laws that were unreasonable
No Turning Back
 The Second Continental Congress was rapidly assuming the
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role of a new gov’t for all the provinces
Reconvened in Sept. 1775 & rec’d news of the king’s
proclamation
On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee (VA) introduced a
resolution declaring the colonies to be independent
Five delegates (including Thomas Jefferson) formed a
committee to write a statement in support of Lee’s
resolution
Declaration listed specific grievances against King George
III’s gov’t & also expressed the basic principles that justified
revolution
The Congress adopted Lee’s resolution calling for
independence on July 2; the Declaration of Independence
was adopted on July 4, 1776
Examine the DOI
Intended Audience?
Grievances: Examine all 27. Place
them into the categories of :
King’s War Crimes
King’s abuses of power
King and Parliament acting together
Annotate the introduction: Decipher
what the significance of this
introduction is? What language is
used? Where we think Jefferson obtains
these ideals/values?
Evidence (phrases) that identifies the
Americans rights to popular sovereignty
and self-determination.
How will they achieve the above?
How does the introduction relate to the
struggle between the British and the
Overall summary of document: Did it
American colonists?
justify the revolution?
Additional Assignment(Read
Chapter 7: American Revolution; notes on
all of it.
 Take on the role of a colonial newspaper
editor, preparing an editorial for July 5th.
 Write a pro-independence or antiindependence editorial.
 Dependent on the viewpoint, Explain the
main ideas of the Declaration, its ideological
antecedents, and their approval or
disapproval.
 Needs to be 1-2 pages/Times New Roman
12font/double spaced