Day #2 The French & Indian War & the Road to Revolution

Leading to War: English speculators had secured rights to 500,000 acres in the French-controlled Ohio Valley area George Washington led 150 Virginia Militiamen & pushed back the French, who regrouped & later surrounded them at Fort Necessity After a 10 hour siege, Washington surrendered (July 4, 1754) The FRENCH & INDIAN WAR (1754-1763), (a.k.a. The Seven Years War in Europe (1756-1763)) The most important, but not only, colonial war Today, historians say George Washington helped instigate England & Prussia against France, Spain, Austria & Russia The Albany Congress/Albany Plan of the Union (1754): Called by Benjamin Franklin An important failure for the future * Recall other attempts at colonial unity Pequot War (1636) & The New England Confederation (1643) King Philips War (1675) & The Dominion of New England (1686) Called for a union of ALL colonies, but only 7 of 13 show up Immediate Purpose: Keep the Iroquois tribes loyal to Britain. Chiefs were given gifts & guns A council would have jurisdiction over Indian affairs Long range goal: To achieve greater unity & better defense against France it called for a system that would later be implemented by our Constitution (President, central government regulating affairs) A month before the Congress, Franklin had published his famous JOIN OR DIE cartoon Franklins proposal is rejected by BOTH the Crown & the colonies During the French & Indian War: Strengths & Weaknesses British/Colonial Advantages: The Worlds Strongest Navy English Colonists outnumber French Colonists 15 to 1 New Leadership, under William Pitt, caused the troops to have more unity & spirit French had a lot of territory to defend. English colonists were concentrated & self-sufficient. French Advantages: Numerous & powerful Native American allies, while the Iroquois, usually English allies remained neutral. French colonists were better disciplined & more loyal to their government. They had better overall commanders. Fighting the French & Indian War: Strengths & Weaknesses English: General Braddock had George Washington as his aide. In 1755, he unsuccessfully tried to capture Fort Duquesne. Indians became overconfident & attacked villages. The Battle of Louisbourg (Nova Scotia): The first significant British victory during the French & Indian War The Battle of Quebec: The victory was the turning point of the war for the British/Americans During the War: Britain failed to promote American officers, & British leaders referred to them as Dirty, Cowardly dogs. THE TREATY OF PARIS (1763): Ends the war. What happens? France ceded Canada & all territory east of the Mississippi River to the British Spain ceded Florida to Britain for the return of Cuba France transferred the Louisiana Territory to Spain France is no longer a threat on the North American continent (Also: French & Spanish islands in the West Indies are returned to the original owners. Britain retained lands won from France in India.) Following the French & Indian War 13 British colonies had 2 million colonial inhabitants Farms & cities: 80% of all American colonists were farmers In the South: A small number of wealthy planters owned huge plantations. Over 400,000 black slaves worked in rice, indigo, & tobacco fields In the North: Especially in PA, NJ & NY produced wheat & corn. Only 7% lived in cities in 1763. Politics: The King appointed a governor to rule & a 2-house legislature (Upper House consisted of men appointed by the governor, the Lower of Representatives elected by colonists) However, only free white males who owned land could vote Problems on the Horizon: Long years of fighting in America left the British government in national debt . Also, England was faced with defending America with an army (Especially against Indian attacks) - Leaders felt Americans should help pay the cost of their own defense.

2007

Page 1 of 4

Day #2 The French & Indian War & the Road to Revolution
The Road to Revolution Issues bothering the Colonies during the era of Salutary Neglect: Mercantilism: The colonies exist to benefit the motherland How? a) Ensure British supremacy - Build ships, Raw Materials, Trade b) Provide a profitable market for English manufacturers c) Grow products usually bought from non-English countries Were there Benefits of Mercantilism for the Colonies? Criticism of Mercantilism? Adam Smith (Wealth of Nations, 1776): Competition good, free trade benefits all, Monopolies bad, Taxation without representation leads to tension The growing American population demanded more & more English products, yet slow growing England quickly reached a saturation for absorbing American imports Question: How could the colonists then sell their goods to make the money needed to buy what they wanted in the mother country? Answer: Triangular Trade Representation in Parliament: e.g. The Dominion of New England Laws Generally ignored by the Colonies prior to 1763: Navigation Acts (1600s & Enumerated (Listed) Articles Goods could only be shipped to/from any colony in English ships Certain articles produced in the colonies could be sold only to England including: tobacco, sugar, rice, indigo, furs European goods destined for the colonies must be first sent to England with duties collected, then re-shipped on English ships Woolen Act: (1699) Forbade the export of woolen goods either overseas or from one colony to another Hat Act: (1732) Banned the export of beaver hats Molasses Act: (1733) Duties on imported molasses & sugar Iron Act: (1750) Prohibited the manufacture of iron products George Grenville, British Prime Minister (1763-65): To raise funds for Britains national debt (doubled due to the French & Indian War) & to pay for the troops left in the colonies for protection, he instituted a series of revenue-raising taxes. He wanted the Colonies to "Just pay your share." Was England justified Should the Colonies pay? Even until 1776, not ALL Colonists demanded independence These acts directly became Causes of the American Revolution: Writs of Assistance (1761): General search warrants that permitted customs officers to enter & search any ship, home, or warehouse for smuggled goods Colonial Reaction: James Otis, a Boston lawyer, (& main force behind No Taxation Without Representation) challenged the legality of the writs as a violation of a fundamental right of English people: To be free from unreasonable searches. (4th Amendment) The Proclamation of 1763: British rationale: To avoid further trouble with the Indians. This act: a) Forbade new settlements west of the Appalachians b) Ordered all settlers in the Ohio Valley to move back c) Prohibited traders from entering the region w/o approval Colonial Reaction: Frontier colonists resented it; Many ignored the proclamation & migrated westward into the forbidden area. The Sugar Act (1764): The first tax designed specifically to raise money for the Crown a) Raised taxes on sugar, textiles, & other goods imported from any place other than Britain or a British colony b) Lowered the duty on molasses (to discourage smuggling) c) Added more products to the list of enumerated articles Colonial Reaction: Merchants of New England & Middle Colonies complained it would ruin the colonial economy. They continued to smuggle & carry on trade with foreign countries. What is the difference between an External & Internal Tax? The Currency Act (1764): It banned paper currency: The Colonies had no banks, so they printed paper money that wasnt used in England Money went to the governor & to pay for military aid/supplies It also taxed products imported into America: Sugar, coffee, wine Colonial Reaction: American slogan "No Taxation Without (Actual or Equal) Representation" became popular Didn't want seats in Parliament To them it was meaningless Protests, colonial legislatures & half-hearted boycotts (all failed) The Quartering Act (1765): Required the colonial legislature to provide funds, living quarters, & supplies for British troops in America Colonial Reaction: Colonists objected to the policy during peacetime. (Motivation for the later 3 rd Amendment)

2007

Page 2 of 4

Day #2 The French & Indian War & the Road to Revolution
The Stamp Act (1765): Most important in pushing the Colonists revolt (Another Grenville tax): To fund the new military forces, this law placed a tax on newspapers, almanacs, pamphlets, playing cards, & legal documents (wills, licenses, deeds, etc.) An Internal Tax Stamps, purchased from the government, were placed on the items Colonial Reaction: It affected ALL colonists, so the Sons of Liberty organized resistance - Tax collectors were mobbed, tarred & driven from their homes; Merchants were asked to stop the import of British goods, & people also vowed to boycott Also, the Stamp Act Congress (Fall, 1765) convenes in NYC o 27 Delegates from 9 Colonies met to demand its repeal o There they wrote: The Rights & Grievances of the Colonies a) Colonists were entitled to Rights of Englishmen b) Taxation w/o representation was a violation of these rights c) Since the Colonies are not represented, Parliament could not impose taxes British Reaction: Violent colonial opposition disturbed many prominent leaders in England, & British merchants had suffered substantial losses because of the boycott, so: In 1766, Parliament repeals the Stamp Act, but passes the Declaratory Act, asserting Parliament had full authority over the colonies "in all cases whatsoever," & held the right to tax them What precedent had been laid by this protest? Compare the Stamp Act Congress to the New England Confederation & Albany Congress (& mentally jot down the First & Second Continental Congress) Townshend Acts (1767): (Charles Townshend, Chancellor of the Treasury) a) Tax on glass, lead, paint, paper, & tea b) Revenue from this tax would be used to pay salaries of colonial officials as governors & judges. c) Writs of assistance to enforce the Navigation Acts was reaffirmed d) Established the American Board of Commissioners Colonial Reaction: Another boycott, urged by Samuel Adams Also, the Letters From a Farmer in Pennsylvania, The Massachusetts Circular Letter & The Virginia Association British Reaction: Repeal of all (April 1770) Townshend Acts except the tea tax. To try & show the Crown held power to tax the colonies Colonial Committees of Correspondence (1770) are formed to keep each other informed of new developments (evolving into the first American Congresses) The Boston Massacre (1770): To stop the smuggling, 4,000 troops are sent to police the 16,000 people in the Boston area (in 1768) Redcoat (?) soldiers (who also competed for work) met with waterfront workers (probably drunk) on March 5, 1770 Insults & objects flew & the British soldiers then fired - 5 townspeople killed & six wounded Colonial Reaction: Angry citizens asked for the removal of British soldiers, & the governor withdrew the British redcoats. News of Massacre spread, especially with Revere's engraving. Outcome of the trial & its precedent for American law? Further conflict: The Gaspee Incident (1771) The Tea Act (1773) & Tea problems (Tea was a big deal then) The East India Co. was in financial trouble & Parliament allowed them an exemption on the heavy English tax, enabling them to undersell colonial importers & smugglers of foreign tea. Colonial Reaction: Denouncement of the Tea Act because it: a) Gave the East India Co. the power to ruin American tea trade b) Signaled a potential ability by the Crown to put ALL colonial merchants out of business by granting virtual monopolies December 16, 1773 The Boston Tea Party: The Sons of Liberty stopped 3 ships from unloading tea, & disguised as Indians dumped 342 chests of tea, worth $75,000 The Intolerable Acts (1774) [a.k.a. Coercive, Repressive]: Parliament moved quickly to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party. & passed 4 laws colonists called the Intolerable Acts. a) Port Bill: port of Boston closed until tea was paid for b) Mass. Regulating Act: colonists were deprived of election rights, no town meeting, etc. c) Administration of Justice Act: British soldiers & officials accused of crimes were to be tried in England, not in the colonies. d) A new Quartering Act: required all people in the colonies to feed & house British soldiers e) * Quebec Act: Established a centralized government in Canada; also Guaranteed the right of French in Canada to practice Catholicism Colonial Reaction to the Intolerable Acts: Boston faced economic ruin - other colonies sent food & supplies The First Continental Congress (Sept. 5 Oct. 26, 1774) convenes o 55 delegates, 12 of 13 colonies (Not Georgia) o Support of the Suffolk Resolves o Issued a Declaration & Resolves: Colonists entitled to all Rights of Englishmen & Colonial legislature had right to tax the colonists, subject to veto by the king o An important union was formed, called The Association
Page 3 of 4

2007

Day #2 The French & Indian War & the Road to Revolution
o They agreed to meet again the following spring if the grievances were not settled by then Other Developments: The Olive Branch Petition, the Second Continental Congress, Thomas Paines Common Sense, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the Treaty of Paris 1783 Some notable one-liners: Give me Liberty or Give me Death! I regret that I have but one life to lose for my country. They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. Sir, I have yet begun to fight! Dont fire until you see the whites of their eyes! Some notable one-liners: Lexington & Concord The Battle of Bunker Hill The Battle of Saratoga The Battle of Yorktown Strengths & Weaknesses of the American Revolution: American Advantages: Fighting for homes & freedom (a lot of water separating England) Used to wilderness fighting, unlike the British Military experience gained in the struggles against both the Indians & the French A great leader in George Washington, which the British underestimated Received military & financial aid from foreign countries, & also saw England at war with France, Spain & the Netherlands Some English opposition to the war overseas An excellent diplomat in Benjamin Franklin (for alliances) American Weaknesses: Lack of a strong navy 1/3 of Colonists remained loyal to England No written constitution until 1781 (In the Articles) Kept official recognition by foreign nations at bay Shortage of supplies & ammunition, Short-term enlistments (affected training & discipline) The British were well-equipped & welltrained No manufacturing facilities nor financial resources had to rely on foreign purchases, whereas the British had both money & manufacturing capacity Beyond Washington, military leadership couldnt compare to the British England was able to hire foreign soldiers to supplement troops

2007

Page 4 of 4