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- “Distance weakens authority”
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
– Smuggling was common and encouraged
• 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. and
virtual representation
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
– Light and Indirect
– 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
Bloodshed
• First Continental Congress Convenes (Sept.-Oct.
1774)
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Consultative body vs. legislative body (12 colonies)
John Adams’ revolutionary course (close call)
Declaration of Rights, petition and appeals
Creation of the Association
• Total boycott (non-importation, non-exportation and nonconsumption)
• Not yet calling for independence; no rebellion
yet.
Fateful Drift Toward War
• April 1775- British commander sends troops
to nearby Lexington and Concord from Boston
– Seize stores of colonial gunpowder and arrest Sam
Adams and John Hancock (rebel leaders)
• Lexington: Colonial “minutemen” refused to
disperse quickly enough and shots were fired.
– Eight Americans were killed
• Concord: Redcoats forced to retreat
Fateful Drift Toward War
• Redcoats retreated to Boston
– 70 killed and a war on their hands.
By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood,
And fired the shot heard round the world.- Emerson
The Line in the Sand
British
• 130K (regulars/Hessians)
• Domestic feeling
• Leadership
• Troop treatment/conditions
• Ireland
• Had to conquer colonists
• French problem
Americans
• Time for space; no cities
• On the defense
• Moral advantage
• Good leadership
• Organization
• Sectional differences
• Supplies
• French
Second Continental Congress (1775)
• Still not in open
rebellion (maintained
loyalty)
• Drafted George
Washington
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–
–
Political?
Economic?
Moral?
Social?
Military?
Second Continental Congress
• Military Actions
• Olive Branch Petition
– Prohibitory Act (1775) and the hiring of German
mercenaries (guns for hire)
Bunker Hill (June 1775)
• True battle fought outside of Boston
• Breed’s Hill
• British forces attacked and took the hill
– >1000 British casualties
– American or British victory?
Bunker Hill
• June 17, 1775
• The British suffered over
40% casualties.
• 2,250 men
• 1,054 injured
• 226 killed
• Americans: Moral victory
• 800 men
• 140 killed
• 271 wounded
• King George sends 10,000
Hessian soldiers
to help put down the
rebellion.
Thomas Paine’s Common Sense
• January, 1776
• Anonymous
• It was contrary to
common sense for a
large continent to be
ruled by a small distant
island and for people to
pledge allegiance to
corrupt and unjust
government.
Common Sense
• Republic
• Not the first to bring it
up
• Power flowed from the
people (popular
consent)
Declaration of Independence
• Thomas Jefferson: the
Prosecutor
• Richard Lee of VA
• Adopted 7/4/1776
• Taxation
• Trial by jury
• Military dictatorship
• Army/trade/violence
King George’s statue is torn down by Patriots in New York
City after the Declaration of Independence is signed by the
2nd Continental Congress
John Locke
Authority of
Government
Natural
Rights
Purpose of
Government
Limited
Government
Equality
A government’s power comes
from the
consent of the people.
All people are born free and
equal with natural rights to life,
liberty and property
Declaration of Independence
The people have the right to abolish an
oppressive
government and establish
a new one.
All men are endowed with certain
unalienable rights among which are life,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
To preserve himself, his liberty
and property
To secure these rights
Government of laws not man
Men being by nature
all free, equal and independent
History of the present King of England
is repeated injuries
All men are created equal
An excerpt…
• Hang together or hang separately…
A War Within a War
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Patriots vs. Loyalists (whigs and tories)
Minority Movement as rebellions go
War of Propaganda
“The Americans would be less dangerous if
they had a regular army”
• Characteristics of both sides (percentages and
numbers; 16, 50,000, conservative)
• Geographic differences
Loyalist/Patriot
Patriots
Americans who
supported the
Rebels…..
controlled the
countryside.
Loyalists
Americans who
supported
England…
controlled the
cities…
•March 1776,
General
Washington forces
the British out of
Boston with the
“Seige of Boston”.
•British General
William Howe sails
his 9,000 soldiers
to New York City
and set up their
military base of
operations.
Summer and Fall 1776
• New York: 500 ships and 35,000 men
• Washington routed at Long Island; fled across
Delaware River
• William Howe
• Princeton
Factors
Population
Great Britain
Approximately 7.5
million
United States
Approximately 2.5 million
and 16% loyal to England.
Practically none
Manufacturing
Highly developed
Money
No $$$ to support the war
Richest country in the
world
Army
Large, well trained army
plus Hessians
Leaders
Geography
Navy
Few officers capable of
leading
Strange land---difficult to
re-supply troops
Volunteers, poorly
equipped
Dedicated officers plus
foreign leaders
Familiar land, easy access
to supplies
No navy
Naval world power
Will to Fight
Trained soldiers---but no
Defending homeland---will
to fight
The Americans
Attrition [the Brits
had a long supply
line].
Guerilla tactics
[fight an insurgent
war  you don’t
have to win a battle,
just wear the British
down]
Make an alliance
with one of
Britain’s enemies.
The British
Break the colonies
in half by getting
between the No. &
the So.
Blockade the ports
to prevent the flow
of goods and
supplies from an
ally.
“Divide and
Conquer”  use
the Loyalists.
•Referred to as the “ten crucial
days”…Dec. 25th to Jan. 3rd
•First major victory for the
Continental Army and Washington
•Raised the morale of the American
troops as well as the country
•Led to soldiers re-enlisting and future enlistments
•Captured over 1,000 Hessian soldiers, weapons, food and etc.
•American Army re-crossed the Delaware to Valley Forge in Pennsylvania
US Delaware
Surrender/trenton
Colonial Victories
•The Battle of Trenton boosted the morale of the Colonials
•Defeated the feared Hessians (German mercenaries)
•Despite the boosted morale the colonies were nearly bankrupt
•France puts itself into financial ruin with economic aid
•British General Cornwallis falls back to Yorktown in the
Chesapeake Bay
•Washington marches his army 300 miles to siege Yorktown with
the help of Rochambeau’s French Army and Admiral de Grasse
Naval fleet
•Cornwallis realizes that he is trapped and reinforcements will
not reach him in time so he surrenders
•Without the French the victory at Yorktown would have
been impossible
•Peace at Paris
•Ben Franklin, John Adams and John Jay
•Treaty of Paris of 1783 recognizes America as an independent
nation