American Revolution causes AOS1

FRENCH TERRITORIAL INTEREST

CAUSES:

• The french and British competed for the land

• French later moved to the Ohio River Valley

EFFECTS:

• Tension between French and British Empires

• Tension between Nativw Americans and colonists

SIGNIFICANCE

• British and France have expanding interest worldwide

WASHINGTON MISTAKE 1754

CAUSE:

• Washington is sent by Governor Dinwiddle (on behalf of British crown) French and construct a fort on the North West

EFFECT:

• Battle of JUmonille Glen: Washington’s militia ambushes a Canadian scouting party and a Frenchmen, Duc De Jumonville is killed.

SIGNIFICANCE:

• Start the French and Indian War

FORT NECESSITY 1754

CAUSE:

• After Jumonville incident, Washington retreated to fort Necessity, but overwhelmingly defeated by French and their Native American allies

EFFECT:

• Washington signs a statement of guilt regarding Jumonville’s death

SIGNIFICANCE:

• France and Britain boost troop numbers in American colonies

• George Washington’s military career gets off to a shaky start

FORT DEQUENSNE 1755

CAUSE:

• 1500 British/American troops march to take Fort Dequensne from French Braddock, British General, alienates Native American allies.

EFFECT:

• General Braddock killed in ambush

• 1000 troops die or are injured

SIGNIFICANCE:

• Disastrous defeat ends in a statement

SEVEN YEARS’ WAR (1756-1763)

CAUSE:

• French and Indian War expands to European theatre between France and Britain

EFFECTS:

• Countries embroiled in a world-wide conflict

• Britain wins key battles in North America

SIGNIFICANCE:

• Control of the American colonies contested

• General Wold becomes hero for defeating French in Battle of Plains of Abarham (Quebec, Canada) 1759

TREATY OF PARIS (1763)

CAUSE:

• Allocation of territorial spheres of influence at the end of the seven years’ war.

EFFECTS:

• Britain receives Canada from France and Florida from Spain

• European rivals of Britain drop out of contest to control North America

• Britain was resulted in significant debt

SIGNIFICANCE:

• British emerges as the dominant power in North America and the globe.

PROCLAMATION LINE (1763)

CAUSE:

• Britain need to regulate violent relations between colonists and Native Americans along the frontier

EFFECT:

• Britain prevents further colonial expansion by banning settlements West of the Appalchian Mountains.

SIGNIFICANCE:

• Colonist breech Royal Proclamation by continuing to claim farmland West of the Appalachians.

BRITISH MERCANTILIST POLICY

CAUSE:

• Economic system whereby Britain imports raw materials from colonies, manufactures products then sells products back to colonies

EFFECTS:

• Lack of secondary industry in colonies

• Colonial economically dependant on Britain to buy raw materials

• Prosperous trading relations but disproportionately favours Britain

SIGNIFICANCE:

• Smuggling and trading with other colonial powers life on the colonies

• Restrictive trade peactices stifle some enterprises

PONTIAC’S REBELLION (1763-1766)

CAUSES:

• Iroquois under Pontiac attack a number of British forts erected by General Amhurst

• Westward expansion seen to encroach on Native territories

EFFECTS:

• Increase in frontier violence

• Paxton boys’ form viglante groups to strike Iroquois:none prosecuted

SIGNIFICANCE:

• Increased tensions between Native Americans and colonists

• Sets tone for future relation

END OF BRITAIN’S ‘SALUTARY NEGLECT’ 1763

CAUSES:

• After seven years’s war, Britain ends policy of ‘salutary neglect’, which allowed 13 colonies to break some trade and navigation laws.

• Britain seeks to recoup war debt of 133 million pounds from the colonial

EFFECTS:

• Increased Britain inspction of ships & cargo through ‘writs of assistance’

• Increased enfacement of trade embargoes and import trades

• Standing Army of 1000 British Redcoats remains to protect the colonies from foreign powers

SIGNIFICANCE:

• Some members of the colonial elites resent British their business affairs

THE SUGAR ACT

WHEN: April 1764

WHAT: Import duties on foreign molasses, raw sugar, some wines, coffee and spices. Endorses use of ‘writs of assistance’ to enforce the Act.

WHY: to stop smuggling of foreign molasses by making English imports cheaper

THE CURRENCY ACT

WHEN: September 1764

WHAT: Banned printing of colonial paper money. Required use of gold or silver coins to settle debts

WHY: To increase the amount of gold and silver coins that circulated in the British economy

THE QUATERING ACT

WHEN: March 1765

WHAT: An update of the Mutiny Act. Required colonial assemblies to prodive quarters (accomodation) to British soldiers.

WHY: To help pay for the cost of postiing soldiers to the colonies

THE STAMP ACT

WHEN: March 1765

WHAT: Tax on officials documents, such as contracts and wills, and on other reading materials, such as newspapers.

WHY: To raise money to help pay the government debt as a result of the French and Indian War.

CAUSES:

• British Parliament seeks to recoup cost of defending colonies

• Combined with the Tea Act, Stamp Act forecast to bring in 80000 pound

EFFECTS:

• Considerable opposition from colonial elite

• Stamp Act congress 1765 attempts to unify opposition to taxes

• Act repealed in 1766 by British Parliament

SIGNIFICANCE:

• Failue of first attempt by British to tax colonies’ internal affairs

COLONIAL RESPONSES

CAUSE:

• Considerable opposition to British taxation of internal affairs

EFFECTS:

• Home of Bosoton Governor, THomas Hutchson, burnt to the ground 26 August 1765

• Effigy of Stamp Tax officer Andrew Oliver hung from Boston’s Liberty Tree and Burnt 17 August 1765

• Increased intimidation and harassment of British officials

SIGNIFICANCE:

• Indicative of increase unrest and mob violence

TOWNSHEND ACTS 1767-68

CAUSES:

• Britain seeks to reinforce its authority after repeal of Stamp Act

• Britain seeks to enforce compliance with trade regulation, marking the end of salutary neglect

EFFECTS:

• British treasurer Charles Townshend imposes five key import duties on colonies

• Revenue Act 1767, Indemnity Act 1767, Commissioners of Customs Act 1767, New York Restraining Act 1767, Vice Admirality Court Act 1768

SIGNIFICANCE:

• Unified colonial opposition to acts

• Colonist see acts as a breach of their natural rights, as they are not represented in British Parliament

• ‘No Taxation without Representation’ becomes a revolutionary catch-cry

DAUGHTERS OF LIBERTY

CAUSE:

• Formed in response to increased British taxes of colonial imports

EFFECTS:

• Societies of women that organised boycotts of British imports and promoted locally produced products

• Less centrally organised than the sons of Liberty

SIGNIFICANCE:

• Highlighted the role of women in playing a role in public and the impact on the domestic sphere

BOSTON MASSACRE 5 MARCH 1770

CAUSES:

• Standing Army of 2000 British redcoat posted in Boston in time of peace as directed by the Quartering Act

• Colonist resent accomodating soldiers

EFFECTS:

• British Army soldiers shoot and kill 5 colonists while under attack from a mob

• Solicitor John Adams defends soldiers in ensuing court case

SIGNIFICANCE:

• Paul Rever’s engraving ‘the bloody Massacre in King Street.’ starts propaganda war against Britain.

• Incident further heightens tensions between Britain and colonists

COERCIVE ACTS (CES)

CAUSES:

• British seeks to reassert authority via punitive measures after Boston Tea Party

• British seek to isolate Boston, ‘hotbed’ of rebellion

EFFECT:

• Boston Port Bill, Massachusetts, Government Act, Administration Justice act, Quartering Act

SIGNIFICANCE:

• Retalliation for acts of colonial defiance

• Boston declared to be state of rebellion (Feb 1775)

• Act confirm many patriots’ fears of arbitrary British power over colonies

BOSTON PORT ACT

WHEN: 30 march 1774

WHAT: Closed the port of Boston to all private shipping

MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNMENT ACT

WHEN: 20 May 1774

WHAT: Suspended the colonial government and replaced the governor with a military commander

ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE ACT

WHEN: 20 May 1774

WHAT: Gave the governor the discretion to send those accused of murder to Britain for trial

‘QUARTERING’ ACT

WHEN: 2 June 1774

WHAT: Governors could forcibly take over halls, barns and vacant buildings for military quarters

COLONIAL RESPONSE TO COERCIVE ACTS (CES)

CAUSE:

• Many colonist see Coercive Acts as arbitrary violation of their natural rights

EFFECT:

• Colonies united in opposition

SIGNIFICANCE:

• Acts used as justification for calling First Continental Congress

POWDER ALARMS (CES)

CAUSES:

• Fear that colonists are stockpiling resources in case of armed conflict

• General Gage orders removal of gunpowder from public stores

EFFECTS:

• Thousand of militia men descend on Boston fearing war is at hand and Britain wish to disarm population

• Small skirmishes between troops and militia defending arms

• Increased colonial resentment towards British

SIGNIFICANCE:

• ‘Dress rehearsal’ for Battles of Lexington and Concord

• Indicative of tense atmosphere in Massachusetts

COMMITTEES OF CORRESPONDENCE (CES)

CAUSES:

• Created by Samuel Adams in 1772 for proposes of communication, correspondence, observation and safety between colonies

• After 1773, became shadow governments comprising 7000-8000 patriots

EFFECTS:

• Committees faster contact between colonies

• Committees observe and report on troops movement and violations of non-importation agreements

SIGNIFICANCE:

• Mobilisation of public resistance to British actions

• Backbone of revolutionary movement following Declaration of Independence

• Increased cohesion between colonies

1ST CONTINENTAL CONGRESS (CES)

CAUSE:

• 65 men from 12 colonies gather in Philadelphia to debate response to Coercive Acts and situation in Boston

EFFECT:

• Congress passes Articles of Association and List of grievances for British Parliament

SIGNIFICANCE:

• First opportunity for colonial leaders to express Common Ideas publicly

• First cohesive response from colonies

BATTLES OF LEXINGTON AND CONCORD (CES)

CAUSES:

• 700 British Army regulars given secret orders to destroy colonist militia stores

• Increased tensions in Boston under military governor, Thomas Gage

EFFECTS:

• 400 colonial militia men confront British at Concord, Massachusetts with so called ‘Shot heard around the world’.

• Britain force return to Lexington Massachusetts, only to be met with 1700 men all the way back to Boston

• Results in siege of Boston the Battle of Bunker Hill

SIGNIFICANCE:

• First battles of Revolutionary War of Independence

• Battles confirm colonists’ fears that British would use violence to subdue them

SECOND CONTINENTAL CONGRESS (CES)

CAUSE:

• Three weeks after Lexington and Concord, colonists meets to develop coordinated response to British aggression

EFFECTS:

• Congress creates Continental Army with George Washington as Commander-in-Chief

• John Dickinson’s Olive Branch Petition’ sent as last-ditch attempt as reconciliation with Britain; King George III refueses to receive petition

SIGNIFICANCE:

• Congress legitimises military resistance to Britain

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

CAUSE:

• Attempt to reconcile with Britain refused by King

EFFECT:

• Group of 5 drafts Declaration of Independence listing grievances with Britain

SIGNIFICANCE:

• Formal Independence from Britain

• Comprehensive list of grievances the colonists have with Britain

• Provides justifications for armed conflict which started with Lexington and Concord

ENLUGHTMENT OF IDEAS

• European intellectual and philosophical movement of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries

• Questioned tradiitional institutions such as the Church and argued that individuals should be free to reach their own reasonsed judgements

• Enlightment thinkers challenged the divine right of monarchs and argued that, under ‘social contract’, individuals should give up some rights only to the extent that governments act in their best interest overall

• Thinkers such as Montesquieu, Rousseau and Locke influenced American revolutionary thinkers such as Paine

NATURAL RIGHTS

View of people that have inalienable rights just because they are human. They have the rights to:

Life

Liberty

Property

• Colonists saw British interference in local affairs as a breach of their natural rights

REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT

Government can only be formed with the ‘consent of the goverened’, as sovereignty resides with the people; only leaders elected by the people are legitimate.

REPUBLICANISM

Based on the idea of civic virtue as the basis for government. Emphasis political participation and avoidance of corruption. The government should protect the rights of individuals through a system of checks and balances.

LIBERTY

Concept of people that are free to conduct their lives without interference unless they are infringing other people’s rights.

KING GEORGE III (1738-1820)

• Acsended throne of Great Britain in 1760

• Constitutional monarchist and staunch conservative

• Respected the role of parliament and largely acted on the advice of his ministers.

• Potrayed by the patriots as a tyrant exercising arbitrary power, but expected to try retain such large territories.

GEORGE WASHINGTON (1732-1799)

• Fought for Virginia in the French and Indian War

• Virginia delegate to the Continental Congress

• Appointed commander-in-chied of the Continental Army

• Oversaw the Battle of Long Island and retreat through New Jersey

SAMUEL ADAMS (1722-1803)

• Propagandist who generated significant support for the patriot cause his writing for the Boston Gazette and pamphlets

• Helped form the Sons of Liberty in response to the Stamp Act in 1765

• Authored Massachusetts Circular Letter in 1768, which the Massachusetts Assembly criticised British ‘interference’ in domestic issue

• Formed the Committees of Correspondence in 1772 to circulate propaganda and information about troop movements

• Represented Massachusetts at the First and Second Continental Congresses.

JOHN HANCOCK

• Used his wealth to support the revolutionary cause

• Alleged smuggler whose economic interests were threatened by increased British presence.

• President of Second Continental Congress and known for his prominent signature on the Declaration of Independence.

JOHN ADAMS (1735-1826)

• Prominent Bostonian writer and lawyer

• Authored the ‘Braintree Instructions’ and letters to the Boston Gazette in 1765 opposing the Stamp Act

• Defended British soldiers accused of murder after the Boston Massacre

• Massachusetts delegate to the Continental Congress where he nominated George Washington as commander-in-chief of the army and helped to draft the Declaration of Independence

THOMAS PAINE (1737-1809)

• 1776 pamphlet Common Sense popularised the revolution by making a convincing argument against the monarchy in favour of a republic

• American Crisis in 1776, on the eve of the Continental Army’s retreat from New York, inspire soldiers and link military service with civic virture

• ‘These are the times that try men’s souls’.

THOMAS JEFFERSON (1743-1826)

• Virginian planter, writer, politician and champion of individual rights and Enlightment ideals

• Represented Virginia in the Continental Congress

• Primary author of the Declaration of Independence

JAMES OTIS

• Helped formulate the colonists’ grievances against the British government in the 1760s

• Reputation built mainly upon his famous challenge in 1761 to the British-imposed writs of assistance

• Raised the doctrine of natural law underlying the rights of citizens and argued that such writs, even if authorized by Parliament, were null and void

• “Taxation without representation is tyranny.”

PATRICK HENRY

• Gifted orator and major figure in the American Revolution

• 1775 speech “Give me libertym or give me death!” - fired up America’s fight for independence

• Parson’s Cause in 1763 was a legal case and one of the first legal attempts to challenge the limits of England’s power over the American colonies often viewed as an important event leading up to the American Revolution.

RICHARD HENRY LEE

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN