The Road to American Independence :

1. The Road to American Independence: An Overview of the Events Leading to the Revolutionary War

2. Colonial America • British rule • French rule • and Spanish rule

4. The colony exists solely for the economic benefit of the mother country All trade rules and routes are dictated by the mother country Raw materials in the colonies are for the sole benefit of the mother country Finished goods are returned to the colonies and sold at a great profit. Export more than import Only let gold and silver (bullion) into the country, never out of the country Mercantilism:Rules to Live…Trade…by

5. MERCANTILISM: AN ECONOMIC SYSTEM IN WHICH NATIONS SEEK TO INCREASE THEIR WEALTH BY OBTAINING GOLD & SILVER AND WITH A FAVORABLE BALANCE OF TRADE

6. Navigation Acts(1650-1696) (Mercantilism and English Law) *Required colonies to trade primarily with England, always through England, and always on English (or English colonial) ships sailed by English (or English colonial) sailors.*Set import taxes on goods shipping into England (for the first time)*Some colonists resisted the Navigation Act laws (especially in New England – why?), most did not –why not?

7. Beginning in the late 1600’s – France, England, and Spain competed for European power and colonial control. These Imperial wars (such as King William’s War, Queen Anne’s War, King George’s War) broke out in Europe, and quickly spilled over into the various (American and Asian) colonies, sucking their respective colonists (and their respective native allies) into battle with colonists from the other nations. Some side notes: • In the wars over control of North America – Most Indians sided with France • French believed that British were trying to take away their fur trade • British believed that the French were stopping their expansion westward

8. As a result of these continuous Imperial Wars, and the fact that they diverted England’s attention and resources: SALUTARY NEGLECTEngland imposed little, to no, political authority, over the colonies, AS LONG AS they adhered to Mercantilism and satisfied England’s needs. Over time, colonists became less “British” and more “American” in their attitudes

9. French and Indian War 1754-1763 Like KW’s War, QA’s War and KG’s War, The French and Indian War was part of a much bigger European war (Seven Years War) that soon spilled over into the American (and Asian) colonies, pulling both French and English colonists and their Native American allies into the larger conflict between France and England. “French and and Indian War” is a bit of a mislabel – Native Americans fought on both the English and French sides in the war, though more on the French side at first, until the tide of the war changed, and more native groups flipped to the British side, anticipating a British win… 3 comments/questions here…

10. Both the French and the British wanted to control the Ohio River valley, as well as two rivers, the Allegheny River and the Monongahela River. These rivers converge in what is today known as Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Controlling this Ohio territory and these two rivers meant controlling good routes for TRADE: Access to the Ohio River, and thus, access to the Mississippi River *Pittsburgh

11. Young George Washington of the Virginia Militia

12. What is now considered the French and Indian War (though at the time the war was undeclared), began in November 1753, when the young Virginia militia major, George Washington, and a number of men headed out into the Ohio region with the mission to deliver a message demanding that French troops withdraw from the Ohio territory. The demand was rejected. In 1754, Washington received orders to build a fort near the present site of Pittsburgh. In May, Washington's troops clashed with local French forces, resulting in Washington having to surrender the meager fort he had managed to build. The incident set off a string of small and , for the British and British Colonial forces, disastrous battles. After a year and a half of undeclared war, the French and the English formally declared war in May, 1756. For the first three years of the war, the outnumbered (but heavily allied with Native Americans) French dominated the battlefield, soundly defeating the English in battles at Fort Oswego and Ticonderoga. Perhaps the most notorious battle of the war was the French victory at Fort William Henry, which ended in a massacre of British soldiers by Indians allied with the French. The tide turned for the British in 1758, as they began to make peace with important Indian allies and, under the direction of Lord William Pitt (hello – “Pittsburgh”?) began adapting their war strategies to fit the territory and landscape of the American frontier. The British had a further stroke of good fortune when the French were abandoned by many of their Indian allies. Exhausted by years of battle, outnumbered and outgunned by the British ( and also losing in Europe and Asia), the French collapsed during the years 1758-59, culminating with a massive defeat at Quebec in September, 1759. By September 1760, the British controlled all of the North American frontier; the war between the two countries was effectively over.

13. Bottom Line: England won. Treaty of Paris – 1763 peace treaty ending the war 1. French lost most of their North American territories (kept islands in West Indies and off coast of Newfoundland) 2. England controlled everything east of the Mississippi – Spain controlled everything west of Mississippi River

15. After the war, English colonists (pioneers) began expanding west into the Appalachians and Ohio River Valley “backcountry” • Conflicts with Native Americans resulted– Indians did not believe European treaties applied to them and would not give up their land – ex.: Pontiac’s Rebellion – 1763 • Proclamation of 1763 – British government wanted to avoid future conflicts with natives: • 1. Banned British settlers from moving west of the Appalachians • 2. Any settlers already there had to move back • Caused great anger in the colonies and was widely ignored. Plus, all these conflicts (such as F-I W and P’s R) had left the British in financial difficulty, looking for new ways to pay these debts  Tax the colonists!!! WHAT HAPPENED TO SALUTARY NEGLECT!?!?!

17. “Mad” King George III

18. Sugar Act 1764 • British needed money to pay back war debts. • George Grenville – British Prime Minister pushed the Sugar Act through Parliament • 3 cent tax on foreign sugar (actually lower than earlier Molasses tax, but now going to crack down on enforcement regarding payment of tax, as well as smuggling – trial by judges, rather than jury. • Also included a higher import tax on non-British cloth (silk), coffee, indigo, and wine. • Resulted in… • Banning of importation of foreign rum and French wine • Local production increased. • Colonies began to protest British taxation. • Actually increased smuggling (colonists continued out of spite)

19. No Taxation Without Representation! • James Otis/Sam Adams – first colonial leaders to speak out against such British taxes and claimed that Parliament could not tax the colonies since the colonies had no representatives in this legislative assembly. • Committees of Correspondence – created by the assemblies of various colonies to spread info about British acts and how to resist them – Boycotts, etc.

20. Quartering Act 1765 • England kept a standing army in the Colonies after the French and Indian War. • Act required colonial assemblies to house (“quarter”) and provide for the British soldiers.

21. Thus, Americans had to pay a tax on the paper for all Legal Documents, Newspapers, Magazines, Playing Cards…etc. Americans had to buy the special stamp/stamped paper to put on these printed materials, or they were illegal. (again royal judge trials, not trials by jury) Tax equaled half a penny, but it added up quickly! The novelty of the Stamp Act was that it was the first internal tax (a tax based entirely on activities within the colonies) levied directly on the colonies by Parliament. Note: The purpose of the tax was to help pay for troops stationed in North America after the British victory in the French and Indian War – not wanted there by colonists, anyway!!! Resulted in… Stamp Act Congress (NYC, Oct.,1765))– asked England to repeal Stamp Act – issued the Declaration of Rights and Grievances and called for a colonial boycott of British goods. King George repealed the Stamp Act on March 18, 1766 But Declaratory Act… Stamp Act 1765 Required that most printed materials in the colonies be printed on paper, which was produced in London, and which carried an embossed revenue stamp.

22. Declaratory Act - Accompanied the repeal of the Stamp Act, and stated that Parliament's authority was the same in America as in Britain and asserted Parliament's authority to pass laws that were binding on the American colonies Sons of Liberty- Secret protest/resistance group created in Boston by Sam Adams– used violence, particularly against tax collectors, to protest British acts. This violence, as much as anything, made the Stamp Act, and other such acts impossible to enforce. Important Note: Colonists were NOT asked to pay any taxes that the people in England were not also paying – in fact the British were paying 25 times more – But, to the colonists, it was a matter of Principle: No Taxation Without Representation!

23. Sam Adams Stamp Act Protests

24. Established a Board of Customs Collectors in Boston. Writs of Assistance – search warrants for smuggled goods a general search warrant Money from taxes paid salaries of British colonial officials (such as Board of Customs). New import taxes (indirect duties) on Glass, Lead, Paints, Paper, and (a 3 penny/pound tax on) Tea, as they came into the colonies from Britain, and from other British colonies Resulted in… Enraged colonists boycotted all imports from England….and even more smuggling Daughters of Liberty  next slide March, 1770, repealed all taxes, expect for the tax on tea. Townshend Acts 1767

25. The Daughters of Liberty A group of women who looked to rebel against British taxes by making home goods instead of buying them from the British and by boycotting British luxury goods, even forgoing English tea!!! Instead, they made homespun cloth and other goods. To call attention to this effort, they would hold spinning contests in the village squares. These contests were called "spinning bees" . Their efforts greatly assisted in the boycotting of British products.

26. Boston Massacre The Sons of Liberty were constantly attacking Boston tax collectors, and the June, 1768 smuggling trial of John Hancock (and the seizure of his ship) had triggered riots in Boston– so, in late 1768, 2000 British soldiers began arriving in Boston to restore order. • Boston Massacre – March 5, 1770 – in the midst of a violent mob scene, five colonists were killed by British soldiers (including Crispus Attucks – free black – maybe runaway slave) • The Sons of Liberty (especially Sam Adams) used this as propaganda against British – see above engraving by silversmith, Paul Revere. • John Adams defended the British in court case -All but two soldiers were found not guilty – the two got light punishments.

27. Created to save the ailing British East India Company, hurting because of the American colonial boycotts of British tea. Allowed the E. I. Company to sell its (17 million pounds of) surplus tea in the American colonies without charging the colonial (Townshend Acts) tea tax. The act, however, explicitly retained the (Townshend Acts) import tax on all other tea, hurting American colonial tea merchants., and enraging the colonists further. This Tea Act resulted in the “Boston Tea Party”, when, on the night of Dec. 16, 1773, a group of Boston rebels, led by Samuel Adams, and disguised as Blacks and Mohawk Indians, dumped 342 chests of British tea into the Boston Harbor, causing about3 million dollars worth of damage Tea Act 1773

28. “Intolerable” (Coercive and Quebec) Acts, 1774 The Quebec Act: a law that recognized the Roman Catholic Church as the established church in Quebec. An appointed council, rather than an elected body, would make the major decisions for the colony. The boundary of Quebec was extended into the Ohio Valley. In the wake of the passage of the Quebec Act, rage spread through the 13 colonies. With this one act, the British Crown granted land to the French in Quebec that was clearly desired by the American colonists. The extension of tolerance to Catholics was viewed as a hostile act by predominantly Protestant America. In response to the Boston Tea Party, the Coercive Acts: • Shut down Boston Harbor until tea was paid for • Disbanded the Massachusetts legislature and banned town meetings • Put Massachusetts under military rule (martial law), with Thomas Gage as the new Governor of Mass. • Authorized British Commanders to house soldiers in vacant private homes

29. This Patriot cartoon, depicting the Coercive Acts as the forcing of tea on an American woman (symbolizing the American colonies) was copied and distributed in the Thirteen Colonies, by those good old Committees of Correspondence • Collectively, the “Intolerable Acts” Resulted in… • Making the colonists even angrier, since it violated their rights as British citizens • A proposed total boycott of all British goods • The convening of the 1st Continental Congress (Again, the work of the Committees of Correspondence)

30. The First Continental Congress:“No Taxation Without Representation!”

31. The First Continental Congress:“No Taxation Without Representation!” 56 delegates met in Philadelphia in September, 1774 First attempt to unite all 13 colonies in protest of British taxation- leaders from every colony, except Georgia, attended. (Samuel and John Adams represented Mass.; George Washington and Patrick Henry represented Va.) Declaration of Resolves: 1) Demanded right to elect local governments, as Parliament did not represent them; 2) Agreed to boycott of all British goods, and (except for the 1774 cotton and tobacco crop) cut off all trade with Great Britain completely until the Intolerable Acts were repealed and British army sent back to Britain; 3) Each colony would establish its own militia for defense against the British army Delegates agreed to meet again in May, 1775 if no positive results from Britain The delegates were not yet willing to pursue “independence” from Great Britain…just wanted to get Great Britain to acknowledge the colonists’ rights as British Citizens