The Road of Revolution
1763-1775
AP US History
Chevalier
Fall 2011
The New “American”
• Republicanism- subordination of self-interests
to the common good. Stability of society and
authority of government lay in its citizenry,
not authoritarian or aristocratic rule.
• “Radical Whigs”- wrote about corruption and
threats to individual rights (against arbitrary
power)
• Local control
Revolution In Thought (1607-1763)
• Early settlers disliked England
• America’s distance and isolation weakened
England’s control
• Produced rugged and independent people
• Allowed colonies to control themselves (laws
and taxes)
• Produced a new civilization and culture
Revolution in Action (1763-1789)
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Taxation without representation
Colonial bloodshed by British
Battles of Lexington and Concord
Declaration of Independence
War and separation with Britain
Writing of the US Constitution
A new nation
Economic Control of the Colonies
• Theory of Mercantilism to control the colonies
– Navigation Laws of 1650
• Currency restrictions
• Legislature nullification
• Legislation and taxation and how it was
perceived by the colonists
– Ultimately, colonists will have to deny both
legislative and taxation authority by Parliament
Economic Control of the Colonies
• Mercantilism was both good and bad, but it
was the principal of the matter:
– Colonists: Protection, tobacco monopoly, bounties
• Theodore Roosevelt:
– “Revolution broke out because Britain failed to
recognize an emerging nation when it saw one.”
King George III
• Despised the colonies
for their
insubordination.
• Strong supporter of
taxing the colonies
• Would not compromise
with colonies
• After losing the
colonies, he went
mentally insane
Sugar Act 1764
• Indirect tax imposed on sugar imported from
W. Indies (irksome?)
• Would pad the coffers of Parliament (140
million pound debt from war)
• Enforcement of Navigation Acts
• Quartering Act of 1765
Stamp Act (1765)
• Revenue for British
troops stationed in
America
• Commercial and legal
documents
• Reasonable and just?
• Admiralty courts for
offenders
• Taxation w/o rep.
Stamp Act Protests
• Stamp Act Congress
(significance)
• Non-Importation
agreements
• Sons of Liberty and
Daughters of Liberty
– Tarring and feathering
– Ransacking homes of
unwanted officials and
tax agents
Stamp Act Protests
• The Stamp Act was
never put into effect
• Large economic impact
on Britain
• Declaratory Act
– Maintained ‘absolute’
control
– 2 lines in the sand
Townshend Duties
Crisis: 1767-1770
1767  William Pitt, P. M. & Charles
Townshend, Secretary of
the Exchequer. Champagne Charley!
Shift from paying taxes for Br. war
debts & quartering of troops 
paying col. govt. salaries.
He diverted revenue collection from
internal to external tax (indirect).
Tax these imports  paper, paint,
lead, glass, tea.
Increase custom officials at
American ports  established a
Board of Customs in Boston.
Townshend Protests
• Not as ‘loud’ as that of the Stamp Act
– Prosperity
– Smuggling
– Non-importation
Colonial Response to
the Townshend Duties
1. John Dickinson  1768
* Letters from a Farmer in
Pennsylvania.
2. 1768  2nd non-importation
movement:
* “Daughters of Liberty”
* spinning bees
3. Riots against customs agents:
* John Hancock’s ship, the
Liberty.
* 4000 British troops sent
to Boston.
Boston Massacre Propaganda
The Boston Massacre
• March 5, 1770
• 11 colonists killed or
wounded
• Details were somewhat
sketchy
• John Adams
• Manslaughter
(branded)
Committees of Correspondence
• Purpose?
• Significance?
• In 1772-1773, what was
the probability of
rebellion against
England?
Boston Tea Party: December 1773
• East India Trading
Company
• Forced demand
• Continued absence of
local control
• Coercive Acts passed as
a result.
The Massacre of American Liberty
• The Coercive Acts (1774) AKA the “Intolerable
Acts”
– Boston Port Act
– Restriction of chartered rights (Mass. Gov’t. Act)
– Quartering Act of 1774
– Administration of Justice Act
Quebec Act (1774)
• Established Roman
Catholicism as the official
religion on Quebec
• Set up a Govt. without a
representative assembly
• Extended Quebec’s
boundary to the Ohio
River
• American anger