Chapter 4 Sec 1 Notes
Events Leading up to the Revolution
French & Indian War Beginnings
British & French fighting through 1600’s
 1740’s both interested in Ohio River
Valley

◦ French-easy travel from New France to
Louisiana
◦ British-fur traders and land speculators

French & British forts
◦ British fort taken over-named Ft. Duquesne
Albany Conference

British goals:
◦ urged colonies to
work together to
prepare for war
w/France
◦ Wanted alliance with
Iroquois, who
controlled western
New York

Results:
◦ Iroquois neutral
◦ British commander
appointedGen.Braddock
◦ Albany Plan of Union
 Developed by Ben
Franklin
 Colonies unite to form
federal government
(rejected)
 Unity for common
defense
French & Indian War

British attack of Ft.
Duquesne

◦ War went on for 2 years
◦ British victory at Quebec
◦ Spain entered war on
French side
◦ Britain seized
Cuba/Philippines
◦ Braddock killed
◦ British defeated
◦ George Washington,
Military Aide
 Leadership saved them

Delaware people
 See British weakness
 Attack settlers
British turning point

Treaty of Paris 1763
◦ Ended war
◦ Eliminated French power in
N. America
◦ FL given to British, Cuba &
Philippines back to Spain
Battle of Quebec
WAR IS EXPENSIVE!!!!

Britain borrowed enormous amount of
money to pay for the war
◦ Deep in debt
◦ British thought colonies should pay for part of
war
 Cost of stationing of troops in colonies
Proclamation Act of 1763
Pontiac convinced
other Native
Americans to go to
war against British
 British didn’t want
the cost of another
war
 Line Drawn-no
settlers west of it
 Settlers & western
farmers mad

British Tax Policies

George Grenville

◦ Lord of Treasury
◦ Reduce debt

◦ Changed tax rates on
raw sugar & molasses
◦ Hurt trade
◦ Smugglers guilty until
proven innocent
Customs duties
◦ Taxes on imports &
exports not been
enforced
◦ Smuggling

Started enforcing
◦ Vice-admiralty court
Sugar Act
 Not fair-no due process
(proper court
procedures)

James Otis
◦ No taxation to raise
money w/o
representation
Currency Act

To slow inflation,
Parliament passes act
◦ Inflation-money loses value
over time
◦ Banned use of paper
money because it lost value
quickly

Colonist liked paper
money
◦ Use paper money to pay
back loans
◦ Since money was not
worth much as when they
borrowed it, loans easier to
pay back
Stamp Act
Grenville introduced
to raise more money
 First direct tax on
colonists
 Stamps on printed
materials:

◦ Newspapers, pamplets,
posters, wills,
mortgages, deeds,
licenses, diplomas, dice,
playing cards
Quartering Act
Forced colonists to pay more for their
own defense
 If colonists did not provide barracks,
soldiers stayed at cost of colonists

Sons of Liberty
Mass
demonstrations/meet
ings taking place
 Organized meetings
& Intimidated stamp
distributors
 In Boston, effigy of
stamp collector hung
on tree, house
ransacked & wood
burned

Stamp Act Congress

Stamp Act Congress
◦ 9 colony representatives
◦ Declaration of Rights
and Grievances
 Sent to king
◦ Stamp Act ignored
◦ Boycott of English goods
 nonimportation


Britain repealed the
Stamp Act
Passed Declaratory
Act (Parliament’s
power)
Townshend Acts

Charles Townshend

◦ Customs duties on glass,
lead, paper, paint, tea
◦ Legalized writs of
assistance
 New Chancellor of
Exchequer



Series of new
regulations and taxes
1767
Townshend Acts
Created to help with
financial problems
Revenue Act 1767
 (general search warrants)

Letters from a
Pennsylvania Farmer
◦ Dickinson

Sam Adams
◦ MA assembly
◦ “Circular” letter
British & Colonial Actions/Reactions
British officials
requested
withdrawal of letter
 MA assembly
ordered dissolved
 Boston & NY refused

◦ Boycott

VA Resolves
◦ Only House of
Burgesses can tax

VA house dissolved

Daughters of Liberty
◦ Boycott of cloth
◦ Spinning own
◦ “homespun” sign of
patriotism

Colonial imports
declined
Boston Massacre




British disapatched
troops to Boston
Troops harassed
1770 crowd of
colonists taunted and
threw snowballs at
soldier guarding a
customs house
Squad came, in tumult,
shots fired

First colonist to die
Crispus Attucks
◦ 3 people dead

Shootings became
known as Boston
Massacre
◦ News spread through
colonies

Almost all of
Townshend Acts
repealed (except tax
on tea)
Perspective of Boston Massacre

Colonists’ viewpoint
Read pgs 124-125
 Answer Questions
1-3 on page 125 at
the bottom of
your notes


British viewpoint