CH 7 PART 1 NOTES – The Road to Revolution 1763 – 1775 MAKE SURE TO
LOOK OVER THE READING QUESTIONS***
****NCP [NEW COLONIAL POLICIES]: Nav. acts –NOW ENFORCED, Proc. Of 1763,
Sugar act 1764, Quartering Act, STAMP ACT, ADMIRALTY COURTS, CURRENCY
ACT, ETC… THE CAUSE OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR***
Opening Quote is perhaps controversial….
WAS THE REVOLUTION INEVITABLE?
What of CONTINGENCY? (WHAT IF?)
Looking back we can claim this as inevitable, however, it is dangerous historically to
ignore events as they occur and decisions made as they occur… The idea of the
predictability of humans is….at best QUESTIONABLE…. Could things have turned out
differently ? BUT---MAYBE HE IS JUST CLAIMING THAT “IDEAS” THAT SUPPORT A
REVOLUTIONARY MINDSET HAD BEEN DEVELOPED ALREADY 
Intro
Great Britain is now the hegemon (DOMINANT POWER) of North America. BUT it
was COSTLY. Who would pay the BILL? NEW COLONIAL POLICY would burden the
Colonists to PAY for some of the costs… THIS CHANGE CAUSES THE COLONISTS TO
EXAMINE THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH GREAT BRITAIN and CAUSES THE
AMERICAN REVOLUTION.***************************************************
-The conflict was not inevitable (text) due to; tight commercial, military, and
cultural bonds that developed over 150 years.
_ The
Colonists were reluctant revolutionaries; until
after the WAR began they sought only to “claim the rights of
Englishmen,” promised in the Va. Co. Charter and subsequently promised to all
settlers….
BUT…what began as a conflict over economic policies (NCP) soon became a
clash over IDEAS…(political principles that had been developed due to the
INFLUENCE OF enlightenment philosophers [LOCKE, HOBBES,
ROUSSEAU, MONTESQIEU, HUME, VOLTAIRE, AND MANY OTHERS]**********
and the subsequent SALUTARY OR BENIGN NEGLECT that allowed the colonies
to create and develop THEIR OWN UNIQUE (to them better) AMERICAN
POLITICAL IDENTITY.
The Deep Roots of Revolution
****Note: the book seems to contradict itself here “ In a broad sense, America
was a revolutionary force from the day of its discovery,” – this is speaking to
the ideas that de Creveceouer and FJTurner, later, both claim… THAT THE
EXPERIENCE OF GOING INTO A WILDERNESS TRANSFORMS THE EUROPEANS
INTO SOMETHING NEW AND BETTER …INFLUENCED BY THE ENLIGHTENMENT
THINKERS AND THEIR OWN FREEDOM TO CREATE A “CITY UPON A HILL”
(WINTHROP)… (TEXT CONCLUDES) “ IN THE AMERICAN WILDERNESS, THEY
ENCOUNTERED A WORLD THAT WAS THEIRS TO MAKE AFRESH.”
TWO IDEAS – REPUBLICANISM AND RADICAL
WHIGISM - ARE CENTRAL TO THIS “NEWNESS”
MENTIONED ABOVE…
REPUBLICANISM – A just society is one in which all citizens willingly subordinate
their private, selfish interests to the common good…. Both society and government
depend on the virtue of it citizenry…(republican mothers, later)
Radical Whigism- due to a moral failure and corruption in the older Euro
societies…citizens had to be on guard against corruption and be eternally vigilant
against possible conspiracies to take away or limit their rights/liberties.
Due to Salutary/Benign Neglect…The colonists had been able to develop these
IDEAS into EXPECTATIONS… AND ACTUALLY PRACTICED THESE IDEAS….
“DISTANCE WEAKENS AUTHORITY; GREAT DISTANCE WEAKENS
AUTHORITY GREATLY.” – So when in 1763 the NEW COLONIAL POLICIES are
begun and England tries to CONTROL its colonies more fiercely… TROUBLE …
*****MERCANTILISM AND COLONIAL GRIEVANCES
Wealth is power. A country’s economic wealth can be measured by the amount of
gold or silver in its treasury. You need to export more than you import. Colonies
give an advantage…supplying raw materials and a guaranteed market for you
exported goods.
British mercantilism meant that the government and the merchants became
partners with the goal of increasing political power and private wealth. The goal
of mercantilism was to run trade surpluses, so that gold and silver would pour
into London. British mercantilism thus mainly took the form of efforts to control
trade.
The Navigation Acts, 1650- 1776, are laws passed by Parliament to regulate
the mercantilist system….expelled foreign merchants from England's domestic
trade. The nation aggressively sought colonies and once under British control,
regulations were imposed that allowed the colony to only produce raw materials
and to only trade with Britain. This led to friction with the inhabitants of these
colonies, and mercantilist policies (such as forbidding trade with other empires
and controls over smuggling) were a major irritant leading to the American
Revolution mercantilist policies had a positive impact on Britain helping turn it
into the world's dominant trader, and the global hegemon.
The colonies were seen by the British as Tenants or Renters….slaves
whose purpose was to increase their wealth and Power, thus
MERCANTILIST POLICIES.
Enumerated Goods – goods only to be sold in GB…such as tobacco, sugar,
ship’s masts…
Restricted goods – goods that could not be MANUFACTURED in the colonies…
such as woolen cloth or beaver hats… the raw materials would go to Britain to be
manufactured there then sold…
Currency Act – Forbade the colonists from printing currency or making laws
concerning bankruptcy too lenient… NULLIFICATION (THE VETO) – USED 468
TIMES… most significantly against the indiv. Colonies who attempted to end the
International slave trade (like SC) in an attempt to damage the British Economy
in the 1760’s and 70’s…why TJeff originally includes the idea that the King forced
the slave trade on the Americas… in the Dec. of Ind. …but Southern delegates
forced any negative comment on slavery removed.
WOOL ACT, HAT ACT, IRON ACT---ALL RESTRICT THE ABILITY OF THE
AMERICAN COLONISTS TO “MANUFACTURE” GOODS***
Merits and Menace of Mercantilism
Until 1763 Navigation Acts were not enforced strictly so they were not much of a
burden…. Colonists smuggled….Fortunes were made…
Americans also BENEFIT from mercantilism… such as protection for their goods
sold overseas by British navy, guaranteed purchaser of “enumerated goods”
And even $ paid over value…for certain products… a bounty.
LIABILITIES from Mercantilism; chokes economic initiative, forced dependency
on British marketers and British Credit…, and especially insulting was the lack of
freedom to make what you want with your own stuff…as the text states, “ they felt
they were in a state of perpetual adolescence.”
The Stamp Tax Uproar
GB emerges from the F&I War with massive debt…140 million pounds….
A NEW COLONIAL POLICY IS CREATED WITH THE IDEA THAT THE
COLONISTS SHOULD PAY FOR SOME OF THIS DEBT…
NEW PRIME MINISTER – GEORGE GRENVILLE 1763-1767 ACTS…
HE; ORDERS THE ENFORCEMENT OF THE NAVIGATION ACTS, GETS
PARLIAMENT TO PASS THE following; SUGAR ACT, 1764- 1ST act passed with
the purpose of raising tax revenue in the colonies…Quartering Act, 1765,
requiring colonists to provide food and housing for British Troops, The
Stamp
Act, 1765, to raise $ to pay for the new troops in the colonies…. Striking at the
colonists precious liberties…for a violation of either the Sugar or Stamp Act the
ADMIRALTY COURTS were created to try violators…no juries, burden of proof
on accused (assuming guilt)…the Large # of troops worried them as well…why
were they here? A conspiracy (radical whigism)
COLONIAL REACTION: ANGER- NY legis refuses to comply with quartering
act, “no taxation without representation,” Stamp Act Congress, 1765, 9
colonies represented, Non-Importation agreements (most effective)
[boycott of British goods], spinning bees to make homespun cloth,
founded both the Sons and Daughters of Liberty, tar and feathered
opponents, ransacked houses of unpopular officials, hanged officials
in effigy.
Effect of protest: no stamp tax ever collected – Parliament repeals act in
1766, BUT…PASSES DECLARATORY ACT, 1766 - Which declares that
Parliament has the right to bind the colonies in all cases whatsoever…declaring
its ABSOLUTE POWER OVER THE COLONIES “.”
DEBATES OVER THE ABOVE ACTIONS:
Br. Responds to “no taxation without representation,” by declaring the idea of
“VIRTUAL REPRESENTATION,”- The power of Parliament was absolute and
that every member of Parliament represented ALL British SUBJECTS, even
those in Boston or Charleston who have never voted for Parliament.
The colonists clung to this idea… and in turn were FORCED TO DENY THE
AUTHORITY OF PARLIAMENT…they wanted a measure of sovereignty of their
own and would take drastic measures to secure it (see above) eventually this
leads to the colonists considering political independence.
IMPACT OF BOYCOTT ON BRITAIN’S ECONOMY:
England was hard hit… America bought ¼ of
all British
Exports, ½ of all British shipping was devoted to
American trade, Merchants-Manufacturers, and shippers..and all those
employed in the affected industries…were hurt…hundreds of lost jobs… and the
British workingmen harassed Parliament for repeal… (mentioned above)
The Townshend Tea Tax and the Boston Massacre
Prime Minister Grenville is replaced by “Champagne” Charley
Townshend….Clever…He continues the NCP philosophy of a tighter grip on
the colonies, HOWEVER a somewhat different approach… He uses the idea of
an “Internal Tax” – one paid indirectly at the PORT-CUSTOMS HOUSE rather
than the “External Tax” – like the Stamp tax.
THE TOWNSHEND ACTS, 1767, - a duty paid on glass, white lead, paper, paint,
and TEA***, NY LEGISLATURE SUSPENSION ACT, 1767 (for not complying
with the QUARTERING ACT…. (conspiracy?)
PURPOSE: The $ (revenue) made from the collection of this internal tax would
be used to pay the salaries of the Royal Governor and Judges in America…and
when they suspend the NY LEGIS (above) …. THIS WOULD WEAKEN THE
COLONISTS ABILITY TO MANIPULATE THE COLONIAL GOVERNORS
APPOINTED BY THE KING—TAKE AWAY THE “POWER OF THE PURSE”
FROM COLONIAL LEGISLATURES…
COLONISTS REACTION: non-importation agreements revived…but less
effective – the tax was light and indirect..and they could SMUGGLE TEA 
BRITISH REACTION TO SMUGGLING – More troops sent to Boston in 1768.
Troops clash with residents…and on MARCH 5, 1770…THE BOSTON
MASSACRE - 60 townspeople attack 10 REDCOATS…Troops open
fire…Killing CRSPUS ATTUCKS – AFRICAN AMERICAN, 5 others – and
wound 11… the soldiers are brought to trial…John Adams, future 2 nd President,
represents the soldiers, 2 are found guilty of manslaughter and released after
being branded on the hand.
NOTE: This is an interesting event… if you notice the 2 visuals in our text … they
tell you that this event was used as PROPAGANDA… in that you should notice
that in the engraving the Br. Officer is giving the order to fire on the crowd (which
does not occur) there was no order to fire… it was done spontaneously by a few
soldiers (this lack of discipline give credence to the soldiers story that they were
under attack and scared) POINT 2 – John Adams deciding to defend the soldiers
was unpopular with the rebels… he states after the trial that his action caused
him, “never in more misery my whole life.” YET…risking death Adams defends
the soldiers…he says his actions were, “one of the best pieces of services I ever
rendered for my country…a judgment of death for the soldiers would have been
as foul a stain upon this country as the executions of the Quakers or Witches.”
Justice was more important to him than popularity… and he helped to establish
the idea that American Justice was real, however unpopular…especially in
comparison to the earlier mentioned Admiralty courts that denied a jury, and
judged the accused guilty 1st…(made him prove his innocence).