The Road Towards American
Revolution and Independence
(1750-1783)
Themes
• Background to the
French and Indian War
• Acts passed by
Parliament and colonial
responses
• Important events and
battles of the American
Revolution
Years of Warfare Outside of Colonies
• King William’s War (1689-1697)
• Queen Anne’s War (1702-1713)
• King George’s War (1744-1748)
• French/Indian War (1754-1763)
*Involved England fighting both France and
Spain
European Occupation of North
America
(1750)
France
• Jacques Cartier in 1530s explored east coast of
Canada
• Sailed up the St. Lawrence River to what is
now Montreal
France
(Samuel de Champlain)
• Established Quebec in 1608
• French specialized in fur trade
• Helped establish alliance with Huron (Native
tribe)
• Considered by many to be the “Father” of
New France
French Explorers
• Robert Cavelier de La Salle
• Explored the entire length of the Mississippi
and stopped in New Orleans
• Named the region he explored: Louisiana
French Explorers
• Antoine Cadillac
• A soldier/fur trader who expanded trade
• Founded Fort Detroit (1701)
French Explorers
• It was because of men like La Salle and
Cadillac that enhanced claims to the interior
of North America
Selection Population of North America
• 1700
- French: 15,000
- English: 250,000
• 1750
- French: 60,000
- English 1,170,000
French/Indian War
(1754-1763)
• French and Indian allies vs. British and Indian
allies
• Called the Seven Years War by Europeans
- Fighting in Europe began in 1756; a peace
ended the war in 1763
French/Indian War
(1754-1763)
• French began to expand their borders into the
Spanish Empire and colonies of England
• 1750- French pressing into Ohio River Valley at
the same time the colonies were
• 1754- French construct a series of military
fortifications along the Appalachian Mts
– From Virginia to Great Lakes
French/Indian War
(1754-1763)
• First battle – Fort Duquesne
- located near three rivers in modern day Pittsburg
- If one could control the rivers, they can control
the entire Ohio River Valley
• Colonists, French, members of the Iroquois
Confederacy, and Indians already living in the
area had claims to the land
• Area was rich with hunting lands and soil
• Colony of Virginia is the 1st to respond
French/Indian War
(1754-1763)
• George Washington, officer from Virginia, was sent to
force the French to surrender at Ft. Duquesne
• Washington surrendered on July 4, 1754
• With the loss Benjamin Franklin issued the Albany Plan
of Union on July 10, 1754
– Plan was to form a centralized government in the colonies
to fight back French
– The plan was not carried out but important; first attempt
to unify colonies
• In 1755 the British attacked again under General
Braddock; over 2k soldiers (British and colonists)
• British forces were defeated and Braddock was killed
French/Indian War
(1754-1763)
• First few years of the war was very harsh for
British forces
• Fortunes changed for the British as the war
continued
• French fell at Louisburg in 1758
- gave British control of the Gulf of St.
Lawrence
- was very difficult for French to send
supplies through Canada
Battle of Louisburg
(1758)
French/Indian War
(1754-1763)
• Quebec fell in 1759 following an attack led by
James Wolfe
• French victory in North America now seemed
impossible
• Fighting continued all around the world until
1763 when a peace treaty was signed to end
the war
French/Indian War
(British Victory )
• The French were outnumbered in North America
dramatically
• Changing alliances with Native Americans also
hurt the French
• For years Native Americans played Europeans off
against one another to their advantage
• Despite relative peace among the Natives and
due to the fur trade, Native Americans
strategically sided with the one who they
believed would be victorious
French/Indian War
(Result)
• Treaty of Paris of 1763
-France lost a majority
of its overseas empire
• Spain gained control of
Louisiana
• Britain became the
dominant power in North
America
• Native Americans lost ability
to played Europeans off
against one another
• Canada was now under
British rule
French/Indian War
(Result)
• Problems resulting from Seven Years War
1. Treasury dwindles to nothing
2. England was bankrupt
3. How do we control a global empire ?
English and American Tension
• In 1763, Americans were tremendously
patriotic and loyal subjects, but tension
developed
• Britain accumulated a HUGE national debt as
a result of the French and Indian War
Grenville Plan
• In 1763, Lord Grenville becomes new Prime
Minister; in charge of solving debt
• Proclamation Act of 1763: Prohibited colonial
settlement west of Appalachian Mountains
- land was reserved for merchants to make
money; not colonists
Currency Act of 1764: All debts must be paid in gold
or silver. Outlaws use of paper money
• Revenue Act (Sugar Act) of 1765: Tax on all sugar
products (Rum)
Proclamation Line of 1763
Stamp Act
(1765)
• All legal documents had to be printed on
paper stamped with the seal of the
government
• Published items, such as newspapers, also had
to be printed on “stamped” paper
• Violators were not allowed a trial by jury;
judges ruled on their innocence or guilt
Stamp Act
(Reaction)
• Boston crowds destroyed watermarked paper
to be used as stamps
• Parliament responds, people in England
already paid a similar tax
• Colonists: This was a direct tax, which
undermined local Assemblies.
Stamp Act
(Reaction)
• Patrick Henry and others
opposed the Stamp Act
• Stamp Act
Congress(1765):
Delegates from nine
colonies met in New York
*One of the first attempts
the colonies made to work
together*
• Delegates agreed
Parliament had no right
to issue taxes such as the
Stamp Act
Stamp Act
(Reaction)
• Stamp distributers were threatened with
violence throughout the colonies; many
resigned their commissions
• Samuel Adams led Boston’s Sons of Liberty
who would attack and use fear tactics against
tax collectors
Repeal of Stamp Act
• Benjamin Franklin arrives in England with the
Declaration of Rights (List of Grievances)
- England had no idea about protests until
Franklin showed up
• On the eve of the Stamp Act being passed several
colonial merchants threatened to boycott British
products, potentially hurting Britain’s economy
• Parliament fires Grenville and is replaced by Lord
Prime Minister Rockingham
Colony and Britain
(1765-1767)
• Peace has been restored to the colonies
• 1767 – PM Rockingham dies and is replaced
by William Pitt
• William Pitt dies; Prime Minister William
Townshend is given the position Minister of
Treasury
Townshend Duties
• After the repeal of the Stamp Act, Britain was still
in debt
• In 1768 Parliament passed the Townshend Plan
- Taxed glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea
imported from England to the colonies
• Goal: Generate revenue to pay salaries of colonial
Governors
• This act threatened elected assemblies because
colonists previously had control of Governors’
salaries
John Hancock
• May 9th 1768 (Boston)
• British customs official checks the cargo on a boat
belonging to John Hancock; richest man in Boston
• The boat is carrying crates of imported wine and don’t
want to pay taxes
• One of the first signs of rebellion in Massachusetts
against taxes by a king 3,000 miles away
• British seize ship and arrest men; riots begin
• “We have a natural resentment towards government
which is how we were born. We are born to rebel.” –
Aaron Sorkin
Townshend Duties: Repealed
• Boycotts of British goods were reinstated;
Parliament later repealed duties on most
items
• Taxes on tea remained; smuggling tea became
widespread
• 4,000 British troops were sent to Boston to
restore law and order
• 1 redcoat for every 4 citizens
• Boston under military rule
English and American Tension
(Boston Massacre)
• Boston’s residents hated British soldiers
• In March 1770 a crowd of angry Boston citizens
marched on a British tax office
• An angry mob vs 8 redcoats (with orders not to
fire)
• Someone in the crowd threw a snowball which
was actually a brick or stone
• After a British officer was hit shots were fired
which resulted in the Boston Massacre
• Result: 11 colonists wounded; 5 dead
The Bloody Massacre by Paul Revere
Tensions Continues
• Tensions remained high following Boston
Massacre
• The colonists that died were now seen as
martyrs (people who died for a “cause”)
• Committees of Correspondence were formed
- Information was exchanged and opposition to
British policies was coordinated
- All colonies participated by 1774 except
Pennsylvania
Tensions Continues
• In order to show England that the colonies had a
stable government, the soldiers who fired upon
the colonists were to be tried in a colonial court
• During the trial the colonists split into Radicals
and Moderates
• Radicals – wanted independence from England
(Samuel Adams)
• Moderates – wanted diplomacy (Ben Franklin)
• John Adams wins the case; Soldiers innocent
English and American Tension
(Boston Tea Party)
• Parliament passed the Tea
Act (1773):
- Established tax on tea to
raise revenue
- Bailed out East India
Company
- Gave EIC a monopoly on
Tea
• Son’s of Liberty
responded with Boston
Tea Party
Tensions Continues
• Direct response to the Boston Tea Party
• Intolerable Acts:
1. Boston Port Act - Closed port in 1774 and
made Massachusetts less democratic
2. Quartering Act – soldiers have the right to
stay in your house
3. Quebec Act – Allows French in Canada to
govern themselves as long as they remain
loyal to England
Colonists Response
• Colonial Response: 1st Continental
Congress(1774) All colonies sent
representatives except Georgia
• Delegates agreed to stop sending goods to
Britain and boycott all British products
Colonial Resistance
(Women)
• Women were involved in anti-government
protests
• Daughters of Liberty supported boycotts
• Tried to end dependence on imported cloth
The War Begins
• Battle of Lexington and Concord 1775
• Goal: Seize colonial military supplies
• Paul Revere and William Dawes warned of an
attack
• Lexington: Eight minutemen died
• British moved on to Concord
• Concord: About 300 British casualties
• British now forced to retreat back to Boston
Colonial Ties
• Hostilities had begun, but many still found it
hard to break with the home country of
England
• 1/3 – Patriots
• 1/3 – Neutral
• 1/3 – Loyalists
Common Sense
• Thomas Paine
• Arrived in the colonies two
years prior to the American
Revolution
• Influenced the public to rebel
against the king
• “Common Sense”
- All monarchies are corrupt and
evil
- Americans should establish a
Republic where power came from
the people
It was simple “common sense”
that Americans should break with
England
The Battle of Bunker Hill, 1775
• Out of the Boston Harbor, British troops attack
Bunker Hill (Breed’s Hill) to engage the
Continental forces
• The British drove the Americans from the Hill
but with heavy losses
• While the Americans lost, it was seen as a
battle cry for the rest of the colonies to join
the cause
Declaring Independence
• 2nd Continental Congress – considered a proposal
calling for independence
• Thomas Jefferson was the primary author
• July 4th, 1776 Congress approved the Declaration
of Independence
• The Articles of Confederation would request the
colonies to levy taxes in order to pay for
necessities (Ex. Continental Army)
• American Revolution had “officially” begun
- 13 Colonies vs. British
Signers of the Declaration of
Independence
• Known Masons (8): Benjamin Franklin, John
Hancock, Joseph Hewes, William Hooper, Robert
Treat Payne, Richard Stockton, George Walton,
William Whipple
• Evidence of Membership/Affiliations (7): Elbridge
Berry, Lyman Hall, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas
Nelson Jr., John Penn, George Read, Roger
Sherman
• Summary: 15 of 56 signers were Freemasons or
probable Freemasons
The British
• King George III
• British Army
outnumbered colonists by
ration of about 3 to 1
• Strong navy and
professional army
• Hired mercenaries
• Loyalists: Colonists
opposed to Independence
- Strongest in New York and
New Jersey
The Americans
• George Washington –
leader of the Continental
Army
• Benjamin Franklin –
overseas fighting for foreign
aid
• Colonists fought for an
noble cause: Independence
• Colonists were plagued by
disunity, economic
difficulties, and supplies
• Positive: Fought a defensive
war, unpopular among
some in England
American Revolution
(The War in the North, 1775-1778)
• Americans were forced to retreat from New
York
- about ¼ of his men were captured or
killed
Washington at Valley Forge
(1777-78)
• After spending the summer fighting the British
and gaining victories (Battle of Brandywine &
Battle of Germantown) the British still took
Philadelphia
• Washington would camp at Valley Forge to keep
an eye on General Howe’s army in Philadelphia
• Washington and his men suffered from
inadequate food, supplies, firewood, and shelter
during the winter
American Victories
• Washington’s surprise attack and victory at
Trenton (1776) and Princeton (1777)
• Both these victories boosted the psychological
moral of troops in the north into thinking that
they can beat a well trained army
Battle of Saratoga
• General Horatio Gates met General John
Burgoyne’s Army in northern New York
• Gates would eventually defeat Burgoyne and
capture the main British force attacking from
the north
• Fall of 1777- Victory at Saratoga led to French
recognition of United States; the subsequent
alliance with France became a key factor for
the Americans
American Revolution
(The War in the North, 1775-1778)
American Revolution
(The West and South)
• Campaigns in the wilderness were very small
• Mohawk Chief Joseph Brant led many Indians
into battle in Pennsylvania and New York
• This led to the collapse of the Iroquois
Confederacy
• Brant fought against the colonists because he
believed the British would seize the colonists
from expanding west
American Revolution
(The West and South)
• With the lose at Saratoga the British focused
their attention on the south
• General Cornwallis heads the British Empire in
the south
• British succeeded with attacks in Georgia and
S. Carolina (1778-79)
Battle of Camden, 1780
• General Horatio Gates was given the task of to
clear the British from the Carolinas
• Gates charged against Cornwallis with more
than half of his force being militia
• The American forces lost nearly 1,000 men
and another 1,000 captured
• One of the most disastrous battles of the
Revolution
War in the South
• With the defeat of Gates, General Nathaniel
Greene assumed command of southern
campaign
• Greene would assume control of the southern
army and would fight a defensive battle to
keep Cornwallis in the south
• With Cornwallis constantly chasing Greene,
Cornwallis will soon find himself trapped at
Yorktown
American Revolution
(Yorktown 1781)
• Cornwallis was trapped between Washington’s
forces and French navy
• Fighting continued for over a year
• Victory led to peace negotiations
• Treaty of Paris of 1783: 13 colonies are
granted Independence
Treaty of Paris (1783)
• Chief American negotiators: Ben Franklin, John
Adams, and John Jay
• Franklin was very popular among the French
Treaty of Paris (1783)
1. British recognized independence of United
States
2. U.S. territory extended from Florida to the
Great Lakes and Mississippi River
3. Americans received fishing rights off of
Newfoundland (north of Maine)
Treaty of Paris (1783)
• The losers in North America
- Loyalists: not protected
- Native Americans: not mentions in treaty
Review
• Following the French/Indian War there was
tremendous patriotism in the colonies
• However, tension developed which led to
fighting between colonists and Britain in 1775
• Your goal: Evaluate most important British
policies, and colonial responses, which led to
war