■Essential Questions:
–What sense of “colonial unity”
existed in the British American
colonies by the 18th Century?
–How was 1763 (the end of the
French and Indian War) a
“turning point” in British-colonial
relationships?
Moving from European Ways
■ Democratic forms of government
– Each colony had a representative
assembly elected by male voters
– There were no political offices that
could be dominated by a single
aristocratic family
■ Religious toleration
– All colonies permitted the practice of
other religions (mostly Protestant),
and Rhode Island and Pennsylvania
offered religious asylum for the most
Rise of the American Press
■Newspapers grew in number and
popularity throughout 18th Century
America
–They were the primary form of
method by which news spread
throughout the colonies
–Freedom of the Press???
•John Peter Zenger, a New York publisher arrested
and charged with libel against the colonial
governor (for writing about his adultery)
•Zenger’s lawyer argues that what he wrote was
true, so it can’t be libel
•English law says it doesn’t matter if it’s true or not
•Jury acquits Zenger anyway  since it was the
truth
•Not total freedom of the press, but newspapers
now took greater risks in criticism of political
figures.
Zenger decision was a landmark case
which paved the way for the eventual
freedom of the press.
Zenger Case, 1734-5: New York
newspaper assailed corrupt local
governor, charged with libel,
defended by Alexander Hamilton
French & English
Mercantilist Wars
French & English Colonial Wars
The
French
&
Indian
War
These
regulations
began
with
■The introduction
of
new
English
changed
EVERYTHING
between
the
Navigation
Acts
in
1660
mercantilist
policies
changed
England
& the
colonies its
economic
& militarypolicies
attitude
New mercantilist
after the
towards
colonies:
Frenchthe
& Indian
War led to colonial
resentment
&
the
American
Revolution
–Increase protective tariffs &
create trade regulations so the
colonies work for motherland
–If that failed, go to war with
economic rivals & get the
colonists to fight too
French & English Colonial Wars
■A series of European conflicts
involving England & France spilled
over into colonial North America:
–King William’s War (1689-1697)
–Queen Anne’s War (1702-1713)
–King George's War (1743-1748)
■These wars were based on
mercantilist competition & had
little political significance, but…
…these wars led to a land frenzy in the
1750s, among French & British colonists
Territorial disputes along the Ohio River
sparked the French & Indian War
Westward
Expansion &
Land Conflicts,
1750-1775
Turning Point: 1754
■1754 proved to be a turning point
in American colonial history
■In
1754,
English
officials
&
This would give the colonists too much power
colonists met to discuss Iroquois
Theproblems
plan was too
expensive
&
would
limit
at
the
Albany
Congress
each colony’s power to control its own actions
–Benjamin Franklin proposed the
Albany Plan of Union for a
coordinated colonial army
–The plan was vetoed by colonial
assemblies & Parliament
Ben Franklin’s Albany Plan of Union
America’s 1st political cartoon
Turningsent
Point:
1754
In 1754, VA governor
22 year
old George
Washington to protect an Ohio Company claim
Washington’s troops were forced to retreat
from Fort Duquesne; This clash proved to be
the beginning of the French & Indian War
French & Indian War
The French & Indian War
■The war went bad for England
from 1756 to 1758
■In 1757, Prime Minister William
Pitt took command of the military:
–Used well-qualified generals
–Had a “blank check” to fund the
war in America, India, & Europe
–In 1758, the tide of the war
turned; England won by 1760
1758-1761
The Tide
Turns for
England
By 1761,
Spain
became an
ally of
France
Treaty of Paris
■France—lost Canada, most of its
empire in India, & claims to lands
east of the Mississippi River
■Spain—got all French lands west
of the Miss. River, New Orleans,
but lost Florida to England
■England—gained all French lands
in Canada, exclusive rights to the
Caribbean slave trade, & total
control of India
North
America
after
1763
America in 1750
America in 1763
Perceptions of the War
■Colonial views:
–Colonies could be very strong
when they worked together
–Newly gained frontier had land
–Colonial commanders learned
how to fight
■English views:
–Americans took forever to
organize & balked at helping
raise money for an expensive
war to protect their own lands
British-American Tensions
Fighting
Methods
Colonials
Indian-style
guerilla
attacks
British
Marching in
formation
British
officers
in
Military
Militias led
charge
of
Organization by captains
colonials
Finances
Colonists
should
Resistant to help pay for their
rising taxes
own defense
Was 1763 a
“Turning Point”
in British-Colonial
Relationships?
Effects of the War on Britain?
■The war increased England’s
colonial empire in North America
■But, Pitt’s “blank check” greatly
enlarged England’s debt
■Britain’s contempt for the
colonials created bitter feelings
■As a result, England leaders felt
that a major reorganization of its
American Empire was necessary!
Effects of the War on Americans?
■The French & Indian War united
the colonists against a common
enemy for the 1st time
■The 1760s were an affluent &
optimistic “post-war” period with
little thought of independence:
–Most colonists considered
themselves proud members of
England’s empire
Eroding Bonds
of the Empire
Parliamentary Sovereignty
■In 1760, George III became king
& began a new colonial attitude:
Parliamentary sovereignty
–English officials assumed that
Parliament must have ultimate
authority over ALL laws & taxes
–The colonists tried to reserve
the colonial authority for their
own legislatures
No Taxation Without
Representation
■The colonists assumed that their
assemblies
were quasi-equal
Parliament represents
ALL British to
citizens no matter
wherethey
they live
Parliament
because
had no
Parliamentary representatives
■British officials countered with
“virtual representation” argument
■The colonists insisted that only
their colonial assemblies could
tax Americans
Two Theories of Representation
■ What was the extent of Parliament’s
authority over the colonies?
Absolute? OR Limited?
■ How could the colonies accept the
decisions of Parliament when they
did not have representation in that
body?
Eroding the Bonds of Empire
■After the Seven Years War,
everyone expected George to
remove British army from America
(French were no longer a threat)
■But…this large, expensive army
was not removed
–British citizens were not happy
because they had to pay for it
–Colonists doubted the army’s
value against Native Americans
Pontiac’s War
■Backcountry natives banded
together to repel white frontier
settlers during Pontiac’s War:
–Indian successes exposed the
There’s
all thisweakness
land & no French!!
British
army’s
–Attacks revealed desperation of
Native Americans after the
withdrawal of the French
–Colonials took matters into their
own hands (Paxton Boys in PA)
Pontiac’s Rebellion, 1763
Fort Detroit
British “gifts” of smallpoxinfected blankets from Fort Pitt
The Proclamation of 1763
■In response to Pontiac’s war, the
British government established
the Proclamation Line of 1763:
–This law forbade colonists from
settling across the Appalachian
Mountains (for their own
protection)
–Americans viewed the line as an
obstruction to their “legitimate
economic development”
North
America
in 1763
The Enlightenment
■The introduction of Parliamentary
sovereignty:
All gov’ts are susceptible to
–Contradicted
the original
English
corruption, tyranny,
&
intrusion
upon
citizens’neglect
liberty
policy of
salutary
“Virtuous”
–Took
place citizens
amidst the European
must fight tyranny
Enlightenment
which was
beginning to impact colonial
thought (especially the ideas of
John Locke)
Conclusions:
Rule Britannia?
Rule Britannia?
■Despite the mounting tension, by
1763, most Americans were loyal
“brothers” to England because of:
–a shared British culture
–dependence upon British
consumer goods
–shared nationalism after British
military victories against France