Unit 2, Lesson 1
 Following the French and Indian War, England’s
policies caused the colonies to consider independence.
Causes:
 England and France had long fought for
dominance in Europe
 Both countries also claimed land in America
 England and France built forts and began to
fight over the Ohio River Valley
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 The Albany Congress
 The Albany Congress- In
1754, delegates
(representatives) from
seven colonies met in New
York
 Led by Benjamin Franklin,
the delegates developed
the Albany Plan of Union
 This plan proposed the
colonies unite and form a
federal (central)
government
 The colonies ultimately rejected the Albany Plan
 The Albany Plan was important because it was the FIRST time
the colonies considered UNITING
 The French and some
Indian tribes fought on
one side, English
(British) and colonists
fought on the other
 George Washington
became a hero to the
colonists for his courage
during the war
 England was able to win
largely because its
superior navy blocked
supplies between France
and “New France”
 Spain eventually joined
France, but England won
the war in 1763
The Treaty:
Treaty of Paris (1763)
Terms:
The French and Indian
War (and Seven Years
War) ended with England
as the winner
 France gave the eastern
part of New France to
England
 To compensate Spain,
France gave the western
part of New France to
Spain, including New
Orleans
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 Pontiac’s Rebellion:
 Colonists had crossed
the Appalachian
Mountains to settle
new land, encroaching
on Indians
 In 1763, Indian Chief
Pontiac responded by
leading attacks on
British forts
 Pontiac's Rebellion
 British troops stopped
the rebellion, but
wanted to prevent
further conflict
 Salutary Neglect:
 Prior to the war,
England’s policy
toward the colonies
was largely handsoff (salutary
neglect)
 The French and
Indian War made
England take more
control of the
colonies, especially
after Pontiac’s
Rebellion
 England was in debt because of war
 England had new territory to govern and protect with
soldiers, which was expensive
 England felt that the colonies should pay to reduce
English debt and pay for English soldiers
 England’s new policies to solve its financial problems
made colonists grow resentful and some considered
independence
 “Round One”
 British Action:
 Proclamation of 1763-
King George III ordered
no more colonial
settlement west of the
Appalachian Mountains
 Colonial Response:
 Colonists were angry
because they wanted more
land and many moved
west anyway, ignoring the
law
 British Action:
 Sugar Act of 1764- this law taxed sugar and molasses,
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mainly impacting merchants
Merchants caught smuggling were deemed guilty until
proven innocent
Colonial Reaction:
Many felt England had no right to pass taxes if
colonies had no representatives in British Parliament
The phrase “no taxation without representation”
became popular
 British Action:
 Quartering Act-
required colonists
to provide food
and shelter to
British soldiers
 Colonial Reaction:
 Resentment grew,
forming the basis
for the future 3rd
Amendment to the
US Constitution
 British Action:
 Stamp Act of 1765- this act
was the first DIRECT TAX
on the colonists (not just
merchants)
 Almost all printed materials
were taxed, including
newspapers, posters, deeds,
and even playing cards
 The Stamp Act
 Colonial Reactions:
 Vigilante groups like
the Sons of Liberty
organized
demonstrations and
terrorized tax
collectors
 Colonial delegates
formed the Stamp
Act Congress and
asked the king to
repeal the law
 Non-importation
agreements- many
colonists agreed to
boycott British
products
 British Action:
 Because of colonial protest and boycotts, England
repealed the Stamp Act
 Declaratory Act- to save face, this law declared
England’s authority to makes laws for the colonies
 “Round Two”
 British Action:
 Townshend Acts- this series
of acts taxed items like tea,
paper, and glass
 Writs of Assistance- general
warrants to search colonists’
property for smuggled goods
 Violators were tried in
admiralty courts where they
were presumed guilty
 Colonial Reaction:
 John Dickinson’s “Letters
From a Farmer in
Pennsylvania” argued “no
taxation without
representation”
 Samuel Adams distributed
the “circular letter,”
criticizing the Townshend
Acts
 Colonists resumed nonimportation agreements
 British Action:
 Britain dispatched 1,000 troops
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to Boston to keep order, where
colonists heckled them
Boston Massacre- British
soldiers fired on a heckling
crowd of colonists, killing five
The Boston Massacre
Colonial Reaction:
Radicals like Samuel Adams
used newspapers to portray
England as oppressive tyrants
Colonists were furious, but
tensions calmed when Britain
repealed most of the
Townshend Acts