AMERICAN REVOLUTION
Unit IIA
AP United States History
Salutary Neglect/Benign Neglect
► British
absenteeism
 Distance between England and America
 Political turmoil and relative peace
► Colonies
virtually on their own
 Developed unique economies based on region
 Self-government
 Still considered themselves as British subjects
entitled to same rights and privileges
Britain Exerts More Control
► Navigation
Acts strengthened
 Increased concept of mercantilism
 Vice-admiralty courts
►Merchant
courts, juryless, “corrupt judges”
 Board of Trade
►Develop
► Molasses
mercantilist policies over colonies
Act (1733)
 Tax on non-British import of sugar
French and Indian War (1754-1763)
►
England vs. France
 Most Natives allied with French
 Increased British troop activity
in America
 Colonists contributed to effort
►
Albany Plan of Union (1754)
 Benjamin Franklin
►
Results/Consequences
 British victory
► Acquisition
of French Canada
and land east of Mississippi
► War debt
 72M pounds (1755)
 129M pounds (1764)
► British
believed more control
necessary
 Colonial pride
Proclamation of 1763
► Pontiac’s
(1763)
Rebellion
 Extensive Native alliance
to deter colonists
► Purpose
 Avoid conflicts
► Colonial
Reaction
 Denial of land
Preliminary Rebellions
► Paxton
Boys (1764)
 Pennsylvania Scots-Irish
upset with Quaker
government and
toleration of natives
 Massacred
Susquehannock
► Regulators
1771)
(1764-
 NC frontiersmen upset
with eastern corruption
The Enlightenment
► The
Age of REASON
► Rationalism
► Laws of Nature applied
to society
► Deism
 “the clockmaker”
 Absent of human affairs
► Inspired
by John Locke
 Second Treatise on
Government
► Philosophes
► Voltaire
 Individual liberties
 Freedom of expression
► Montesquieu
 Separation of powers
► Rousseau
 Social Contract
 General welfare
► Wollstonecraft
British Prime Ministers
Encouraged unrestricted
development of colonies
Believed colonies
should foot the
bill for wars and
defense
Robert Walpole
1721-1742
George Grenville
1763-1765
Charles Townshend
Chancellor of Exchequer
1766-1767
Enforced Parliament’s
power but defended
colonies and desire
for representation
William Pitt
1766-1768
Supported taxation
of the colonies and
ran Parliament
during Revolution Frederick North
1770-1782
Timeline of Parliamentary Acts
►
Sugar Act of 1764
►
 Support British East India
Company
 Revenue tax
►
►
Quartering Act of 1765
Stamp Act of 1765
►
► Massachusetts
Government Act
(royal appointments)
► Port Act (Boston closed)
► Administration of Justice Act (trial
of royal officials moved)
Declaratory Act of 1766
 Parliament’s right to tax
whatsoever
►
 Quebec Act of 1774
Townshend Acts of
1767
 Pay royal colonial officials
 Writs of assistance
“Intolerable Acts”
 Coercive Acts of 1774
 First direct tax
►
Tea Act of 1773
► Appointed
government;
Catholicism recognized
►
Prohibitory Act of 1775
 Colonies in open rebellion
Parliamentary Acts
The Sugar Act (1764)
► Purpose
 Increased regulation of
colonial trade
 Raise revenue for war debt
► Lowered
tax rate
 Sugar, spices, lumber
 Vice-admiralty courts
► Colonial
Reaction
 Colonial merchants and
shippers
 Boycotts
► Repealed
in 1766
Parliamentary Acts
Stamp Act (1765)
► Purpose
 First direct tax
 Generate revenue for troops
in America
► Colonial
Reaction
 “No taxation without
representation.” - James Otis
 Stamp Act Congress
 Sons and Daughters of Liberty
 Committees of
Correspondence
Parliamentary Acts
Townshend Acts (1767)
► Purpose
 Raise revenue for
administration of
colonies
 Glass, tea, paper,
lead, paint
► Colonial
Reaction
 Letters from a
Farmer in
Pennsylvania - John
Dickinson
Engraving by Paul Revere, 1768
Boston Massacre (1770)
Parliamentary Acts
Tea Act (1773)
► Purpose
 Support British
East India
Company
► Reaction
 Boston Tea Party
Parliamentary Acts
“Intolerable” Acts (1774)
► Purpose
 Boston Port Act
 Quartering Act
 Administration of
Justice Act
 Massachusetts
Government Act
 Quebec Act
► Colonial
Reaction
 Suffolk Resolves
 First Continental
Congress
Which Side Are You On?
Colonies
Fought and died in wars
with Natives and European
enemies
► Risk life and health in a
new environment
► Proud and loyal English
subjects entitled to rights
► Developed economies
which benefit the Empire
► Familiar with life in
colonies more so than in
England
► God-given liberty
►
British Empire/Parliament
Provide protection from
Natives and Europeans
► Benefit exceptionally well
from success of British
Empire with little
contribution
► Abide by the rule of law
► Colonists as second-class
citizens
► “virtual representation”
► Britons pay 2-3 times
taxes than colonists
►
Lexington and Concord
(April 19, 1775)
►
►
►
►
Organization of militia
(Minutemen) compels
Governor Gage to send
700 British soldiers to
arrest rebel leaders and
confiscate arms
William Dawes and
Paul Revere
8 Minutemen die and 1
Redcoat wounded at
Lexington
“Shot heard ‘round the
world” at Concord
(about from FIU to South Beach)
Second Continental Congress
►
Battles of Breed’s Hill and Bunker Hill (June 1775)
 British victory costing 1,154 of 2,200
 Americans lost 311
►
►
►
►
Olive Branch Petition (July 1775)
Continental Army and Washington
Prohibitory Act
Declaration of Independence (July 1776)
Thomas Paine’s Common Sense
►
►
►
►
►
►
►
►
Pamphlet published in January
1776
Society grows to the point of
requiring government with laws
and representation
Denounces monarchism and
aristocracy
“an island cannot rule a continent”
“America is not English but a mix
of peoples”
“distance a problem”
“threat of European wars”
“colonies exploited”
Declaration of Independence (1776)
►
►
Applies laws of Nature
People’s right to revolution
 “self-evident”
 “all men are created equal”
 Endowed…with certain
unalienable rights…life, liberty,
pursuit of happiness”
►
►
List of grievances against the
British Empire, specifically
toward George III
WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS
PICTURE IN REGARDS TO
AMERICAN SOCIETY?
America vs. Britain
►
American Advantages/Tactics
►
 11 million Britons to America’s
2.5 million (1/3 slaves or
loyalists)
 World’s largest navy
 Disciplined and experienced
army
 Support from Loyalists, Natives,
and slaves
 Entrenched forts and garrisons
in America
 Militia’s guerilla tactics
 Familiar with the territory and
environment
 Prolong the war
 Hope for support from Britain’s
enemies (France, Spain)
►
American Disadvantages
 No well-trained regular army or
officers
 Insufficient funds and supplies
 Small support among population
(1/3 loyalists, 1/3 neutral,
slaves)
British Advantages/Tactics
►
British Disadvantages
 War debt and war fatigue
 American privateers (pirates)
hounded British ships
 Unpopular home support
 Spread thin around the world
Patriots, Loyalists, Neutrals
► Patriots
(aka Whigs) supported independence, but
may disagree on course of action (war, petition,
boycott, etc.)
 Advocated independence based on rhetoric and
education on rights and liberties
► Loyalists




(aka Tories) supported Britain
Loyalty to the Crown
Agreed about excess taxes, but against separation
Fear of a possible American victory
Recent British immigrants
► Some
neutral due to ignorance, apathy, or
economic reasons
The War
►
In the North
 Boston under siege and New
York captured in 1776
 Battles of Trenton (1776) and
Princeton (1777) boosted
morale
 Gates defeats Burgoyne at
Saratoga (Oct 1777)
 Valley Forge
►
In the West
 An escalation of Natives vs.
Expansionists
 Natives lost large amounts of
lands in defeats
 Resentment toward pro-British
Natives will linger
►
In the South
 British plan to capture
Southern ports and lands to
launch re-invasion of the North
 Lord Cornwallis claimed
victories, but stalled in the
South as Americans refortified
 Battle of Yorktown (Aug-Oct
1781)
► Washington’s
army, Lafayette’s
force, and French fleet laid
siege to Cornwallis
► British surrender led to
American victory
Treaty of Paris (1783)
►
►
►
►
►
►
John Adams, Benjamin
Franklin, John Jay
British recognition of USA
USA granted all lands
east of the Mississippi
Natives left out of the
treaty
States applying own
interests led to British
remaining in Northwest
forts
Brand new and bigger
nation… What now?
Treaty of Paris by Benjamin West
A New American
Society/Republicanism
►
►
Before the war, the
distinction between elites
and commoners was
visibly evident given the
economical success of the
colonies
Patriotic rhetoric of
equality and liberty
regained a sense of
egalitarianism within the
population
 Rights and liberties a
central core value
 Promote the common
good
►
Merit, not inheritance,
defined a man
 Against corruption
►
►
More and more self-made
men participate in political
leadership
Despite a new perception,
the small upper class
retained its status as
owners of most of
America’s wealth
Women of the Revolution
►
►
►
Upper-class women
promoted cause through
correspondence
Participated against
Stamp Act and
Townshend Acts
Spinning bees
►
►
►
Ran households and
estates during husband’s
absence
Formed campaigns to
promote war and funds
Abigail Adams
 “…Remember the Ladies.”
►
►
►
Blacks and Slaves of the
Revolution
500,000 blacks in America
Increased tensions
between colonies
and Britain inspired
slaves to resist
Most slaves sided
with British
Lord Dunmore’s
Proclamation
(1775)
 Join to reassert
royal authority
►
 Only 25,000 were free men
► Some slaves escaped to freedom in confusion of
war
 Pose as free men
 Escape on British ships or to British territories
Participation as Patriots
 Early ban
 Armies needed support
► Northern states lead to abolish or phase out
slavery
 Quakers led the charge
 Slave imports almost eliminated
► New opportunities, same discrimination
 Free blacks as second-class citizens
 Prince Hall and “return to Africa”
 Granted civil rights
 Slavery as “necessary evil”
►
Natives of the Revolution
► Half
of the population from 1754 to 1783
wiped out
► New land acquisitions led to increased
hostilities
► Adapted lifestyle by incorporating European
goods
► Appealed to Congress on recognizing
territories; little to no support