Road to Revolution
Struggle for Control of N. America
• Spanish and Dutch are non-factors
• France & England are left
– Minor conflicts amount to little change
Albany Congress - 1754
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Albany Plan - First attempt at Union
Conceived by Ben Franklin
Why form a confederacy?
– Protection
• Natives
• France
– Inter-colonial expenses
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Seven of the colonies attend and
support this measure
– The state governments reject the
Plan
– Unwilling to give up their colonial
power
French & Indian War (1754-1763)
• Seven Years’ War - Fought in Europe and
the Americas
• Ohio Territory – both sides laid claim
– French had forts
– British began to settle there in 1740s
How it started
• Virginia land claims in Ohio
Territory
• George Washington the
messenger – 1753
– Ft Duquesne
• Washington returns in 1754
– First blood
– Fort Necessity
– Return to Virginia
The War
• British start poorly
– French use guerrilla tactics
• William Pitt takes command in 1758
– Replaced British commanders with Americans
– Concentrated efforts in the New World
– Took the offensive
• British take Quebec in 1759 - the lifeblood of
New France
• French surrender in 1760 in Canada
Treaty of Paris - 1763
• Why is the treaty signed 3 years after the
war?
• What were the terms of the Treaty of
Paris – 1763?
• Many French stayed in North
America and became British
citizens
Post-War Tensions Between British
and Americans
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American military was not respected
Attitude of arrogance that infuriated colonials
View over contribution to victory
Americans traded with the French
Additional Tensions
• Taxes
• Military presence in America remained high
• Britain clamps down on colonies
1763
• George Grenville (Prime Minister) – 1763-1765
– Passed the Sugar Act & Stamp Act
• Proclamation Line of 1763
Proclamation Line of 1763
• What was it?
– Protection problem
– King George III reserved this
territory to Native Americans
• British construct forts
• People upset
1764
• Sugar Act (American Revenue Act)
• Vice Admiralty Courts Established
Taxation
 The Americans had been taxed throughout the F&I War,
but not to the extent of people in England
 However, tax on Americans is at an all-time high
 Britain needed the money to service the debt on the F&I
War
Sugar Act – (American Revenue Act)
• Issued Spring, 1764
• What
– Placed a 3 pence duty on sugar and molasses imported into the
colonies
– Add customs officials and more officers for ships
– Increased jurisdiction of vice-admiralty courts
• Why
– Protection
– Help pay for war
Effects of Sugar Act
• Would sting the American colonists pocketbook
and would reduce smuggling which was a
lucrative business.
• James Otis, colonial orator from Mass claimed
“no taxation w/o Representation”
– British claimed virtual representation
• James Otis also suggests a united colonial
response to the taxation
• Protests were relatively mild
Committees of Correspondence
• An organized means of communication
between the colonies
– June 1764 – Massachusetts house of reps
organized a C of C to communicate
grievances about the Sugar Act with the other
colonies
Non Importation Movements
(Boycotts)
• Organized boycotts pledge to not buy
imported goods from
Britain
• Effective
• 1st was in Aug 1764 reaction to the Sugar
Act
– Started in Boston and
moved South
Signing a boycott
1765
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Stamp Act
Quartering Acts
Sons of Liberty
Stamp Act Congress
Stamp Act
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Issued Spring, 1765 – took effect in Nov.
Must purchase a stamp and affix it to printed documents
Why?
– Brits hoped to help pay for the cost of maintaining a military force in the colonies
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Problems
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Vice-admiralty courts
Direct taxation
Economic recession
Affected many prominent colonists
Stamp Act Response
• Argued taxation w/o
representation again
• Patrick Henry argued George III
was becoming a tyrant
– No precedent to directly tax
Sam Adams
• Sam Adams organized protests
against the Stamp Act
– Mob Action
– Stamp collectors resigned
Patrick Henry
Quartering Acts
• Colonial assemblies had to provide barracks and
some supplies for British soldiers stationed in
America.
• Issued Spring, 1765
• Problems?
– American jobs
– Superiority complex
– Military presence
Circular Letter
• June 1765 – Massachusetts General
Court sends a circular letter to the other
colonies
– A measure proposed by James Otis to plan a
meeting to get inter-colonial buy-in on
opposition to the Stamp Act
Sons of Liberty
• Formed in response to the
Stamp Act
• All classes
– Upper class – made speeches
– Mid- to Lower – mob actions
• Stamp agents all over country
begin to resign under threats of
violence
Faneuil Hall - Boston
Stamp Act Congress
• Oct 7-25, 1785 - Delegates from nine of the 13 colonies met in NYC
to come up with a unified colonial response to the Stamp Act.
• John Dickenson writes - Declaration of Rights and Grievances:
– We have no representation
– We already tax ourselves, so now we’ll be double taxed
– Vice-admiralty court jurisdiction is challenged
• Indirect taxes v. Direct taxes
• Demanded the repeal of the Stamp Act
Stamp Act Reactions
• Oct 1765, Non-importation movement in New
York City later in Philly and Boston
– Steep decline in British exports to America
• British merchants begin to demand the repeal of the Stamp
Act
• Nov 1, 1765 – Stamp Act takes effect.
– Business around the colonies is virtually suspended
– Colonial Courts shut down.
– Riots in NYC
1766
• Stamp Act Repealed
• Declaratory Act
Stamp Act Repealed
• March 1766
– Couldn’t keep customs officials
– Non-importation was taking a toll on Britain:
15% drop in imports
• Non-importation movements are lifted
Declaratory Act
• March 1766
• Parliament has full authority to make laws
binding in the colonies in all cases whatsoever
• It was important for America to know that they
were subjects of the empire and they could not
make demands upon the Parliament
• Colonies paid little attention
1767
• Townshend Duties
– Writs of Assistance
• American Response – non-importation
Townshend Duties
• Economic issues of debt and unemployment in
England
• To alleviate financial pressures in England …
– England placed a series of external taxes (duties) on
popular imports like tea, paper, paint, lead, and glass
– New custom officials hired
– Writs of assistance
– Vice admiralty courts
• Issued Summer 1767, effective Nov 1767
American Response to Townshend
Duties
• 2nd Non-importation Movement in Boston
• Daughters of Liberty make Homespun
clothes
1770
• Boston Massacre
• Townshend Duties Repealed
• Quartering Act is not renewed
Boston Massacre
• March 5, 1770
• British fire on Bostonians
• John Adams defends
• It became famous from
the Paul Revere print of
soldiers firing upon
colonists
Paul Revere’s Print
1773
• Tea Act
• Boston Tea Party
Tea Act
• April - Tea Act – What is the Tea Act?
Boston Tea Party – Dec 1773
• Tea ships are not
allowed to leave
harbor until Boston
pays the duty for the
tea on board
• Colonists do not want
to set precedent
• This same activity was
done in other colonies
once word spread.
1774
• Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts)
• 1st Continental Congress
Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts)
• British response to the Tea Party – Spring 1774 – terminated self
rule in Massachusetts
• Boston Port Act
• Massachusetts Government Act
• Administration of Justice Act
• June – amended Quartering Act - Legalized the housing of British
troops in colonial homes
– Get the troops closer to Boston
Quebec Act
• Gave Ohio
Valley to
Quebec
• British tyranny
attempting to
remove their
rights as
British citizens
1st Continental Congress
• Carpenter's Hall - Philadelphia 1774 – Sept 5 –
Oct 26
• What happened?
– Massachusetts wanted Revolution, but…
– The delegates favored a policy of economic coercion
rather than provoking war
• Determined they would reconvene in the Spring
for the 2nd Cont Congress
1775
• Lexington/Concord
• 2nd Continental Congress
• Bunker Hill
Tensions Build
• Feb – Parliament declares Massachusetts
in a state of rebellion
• March – Patrick Henry gives a speech
denouncing arbitrary British rule.. says
"Give me liberty or give me death"
• April – Thomas Gage is given orders from
England to enforce Coercive Acts and
prevent any military buildup of colonials
Lexington/Concord–Apr 18, 1775
• British march to Concord
• William Dawes and Paul Revere alert the
countryside
• Lexington – “shot heard round the world”
• The Brits marched to Concord
2nd Continental Congress: May 10,
1775
• Independence Hall – Philadelphia
• Delegates from 12 colonies went to Philly
• What they did:
– Placed colonies in a state of defense
– Raised 6 companies of riflemen for the colonial army and
appointed George Washington commander
– July 1775 – John Dickenson (Penn) wrote Olive Branch
Petition… begged the King to prevent further hostilities. George
III received it in Aug and responded coldly. He declared the
colonists to be ‘in open and avowed rebellion” he called on
colonial loyalists to bring the “traitors to justice”
Battle of Bunker Hill - 1775
• Why do British attack
here?
• What happened?
1776
• Spring, 1776 – Ports open to European trading but
closed to British ships
• Jan 1776 - Common Sense is published – Thomas
Paine
• May 1776 – France and Spain begin to provide money
and supplies to the colonial army
• June 12, 1776 – Congress appoints a committee led by
John Dickinson to prepare a draft for the constitution of
the new confederacy - The Articles of Confederation
of Perpetual Union
– July 12 – Dickinson presented his plan
– Approved by 2nd Cont Congress in Nov 1777, sent to states for
ratification
Declaration of Independence
• Declaration of Independence –
– TJ authored, John Adams and Ben Franklin
suggested changes
– June 28 – presented to Congress after
revision are made
– July 2 – Congress ratifies this document
– July 4 – Congress formally endorsed the DOI,
copies are distributed to the people
– Aug 2 - Signed by most of the 55 delegates