The Road to Revolution

1. The Road to Revolution

2. Salutary Neglect • During the early years of the existence of the colonies, Parliament opted for a policy of salutary neglect or non-interference • It was too difficult to control the situation in the colonies when they were 3000 miles away

3. North American Land Claims in 1750

4. The French & Indian War Begins • England and France had been at odds with each other over the Americas but the final struggle began in the Ohio Valley • The French drove out English fur traders and in 1754 built Fort Duquesne at the point where the rivers Monongahela and Allegheny rivers meet to form the Ohio river • The fort posed a serious threat to the Virginia and Pennsylvania colonies

5. George Washington Arrives • Facing the threat of the Fort, the colonists, under the command of 22 year old George Washington, attacked the fort • the Virginia militia were later captured and released by the French signaling what became the start of the war

6. A Shift in Support • General Braddock’s defeat in a second attempt to take Fort Duquesne caused many Native Americans to shift their support to the French • At this point the French were winning the war!

7. William Pitt • When William Pitt became minister of war in 1758 for Britain the tide shifted • Pitt realized that by giving aid to France’s enemies in Europe he could effectively split her forces • By the end of 1758 the British were again gaining a foothold in the Americas

8. Quebec Falls • On September 13, 1759 – General James Wolfe defeated Commander Montcalm on the Plains of Abraham • Montcalm and Wolfe both die as a result of their wounds

9. The Treaty of Paris France -->lost her Canadian possessions, most of her empire in India, and claims to lands east of the Mississippi River. Spain -->got all French lands west of the Mississippi River, New Orleans, but lost Florida to England. England -->got all French lands in Canada, exclusive rights to Caribbean slave trade, and commercial dominance in India. • North American was now divided between Great Britain and Spain with the Mississippi River forming the boundary

10. The Effects of War Britain • It increased her colonial empire in the Americas. • It greatly enlarged England’s debt. • Britain’s contempt for the colonials created bitter feelings because they felt they had to support the colonists overseas The Colonies • It united them against a common enemy for the first time. • It created a socializingexperience for all who participated increasing feelings of being “American” • It created bitter feelings towards the British that would only intensify.

11. The Proclamation of 1763 • After Pontiac’s rebellion in the west the British responded by drawing a boundary line • This line effectively ended settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains • Colonists protested that the Proclamation deprived them of land they had a right to settle causing more friction between colonists and the crown

12. The Sugar Act • British taxed colonists on many of the goods coming into the colonies from other places • The most important of these was the Sugar Act of 1764 • Colonial merchants realized that enforcement of this act would wipe out profits of the trade with the Spanish and French West Indies

13. The Stamp Act • In 1765, British imposed taxes upon all paper products and stamped the item once the tax had been played. • This tax was paid directly to the government – direct tax • Products affected ranged from documents and wills to playing cards and newspapers

14. The Townshend Acts • This act placed duties on tea, paper, glass and paint • The British repealed this tax in 1770 except for the tax on tea

15. The Protests Begin! • Patrick Henry’s speech • Sons and Daughters of Liberty • Benjamin Franklin’s visit to Parliament • Boston Massacre

16. Patrick Henry Speaks Out! • When the House of Burgesses met to consider the Stamp Act in May of 1765 Patrick Henry introduced the Virginia Resolutions protesting Parliament’s action • In his speech he stated that since Americans elected no members to the British Parliament they should not be taxed by them • This came to be know as “no taxation without representation”

17. Sons of Liberty • The Sons of Liberty carried out organized resistance by keeping watch on shopkeepers suspected of selling British goods • A group existed in almost every colony. • Members included middle and upper class citizens, anyone could join if they were trustworthy and had the skills the group needed. • Famous members included Paul Revere, John Adams and his cousin, Samuel Adams.

18. Daughters of Liberty • Colonial women organized the Daughters of Liberty to boycott British goods • They gave up imported clothes, made tea out of local herbs, and produced homespun cloth • One of the most influential Daughters of Liberty was Mercy Otis Warren, who published pamphlets supporting the resistance – she had to publish in a man’s name

19. The Boston Massacre • After Parliament repealed the Townshend duties, the first clash between British and Americans took place • On the night of March 5, 1770, a crowd of 50 or 60 men and boys gathered to taunt British soldiers outside the Boston Customs House • When the crowd went as far as to throw sticks and snowballs at the redcoats, the soldiers panicked and opened fire, killing five men • The event quickly became known as the Boston Massacre

20. The Boston Tea Party • In 1773 the British East India Company, facing bankruptcy, appealed to Parliament for assistance • Parliament quickly voted to give them a monopoly for the trade of tea in America • Opposition groups mobilized against the plan and forcing ships to turn back at New York and Philadelphia harbours • In Boston, Governor Hutchinson ordered that no ship could leave harbour without being unloaded • Colonists on a signal from Sam Adams disguised themselves as Mohawks, boarded the ship and heaved 342 chests of tea into the harbour

21. The Intolerable Acts (Coercive Acts) • The Boston Port Act - closed the port of Boston to trade • The Massachusetts Government Act - revoked the colony's charter and forbade town meetings • The Quartering Act - required the colonists to provide billets for British soldiers • The Impartial Administration of Justice Act - removed British officials from the jurisdiction of Massachusetts courts

22. The Quebec Act - 1774 • It was passed at the same time and considered by many as one of the Intolerable Acts • It extended the Canadian province of Quebec south to the Ohio River • It also allowed French Canadians use of their own legal system which did not recognize trial by jury • The colonists believed The Quebec Act was designed to keep American settlers out of western lands forever