Period 3 (1754-1800) (ch. 4, 5, 6)

French and Indian War:

1756-1763 the last and most important of the 4 colonial wars between England and France for control of North America east of the Mississippi River

-want Ohio River Valley for fur trade, settle west, more land = more power

-British lot of turf to maintain strains budget, more taxes, tighten hold on Indians/colonists

Battle of Quebec

British surprise French, French surrender, turning point!

Treaty of Paris: _^(F&I)

settlement between Great Britain and France that ended the F&I War

_{^{-Eng gain French Canada, Spanish Florida, and islands in West Indies}}

_{^{-Span gain Louisiana Territory, all French land West of Mississippi}}

Pontiac’s Rebellion:

1763 a series of Native American attacks on British forts and settlements after France ceded to the British its territory east of the Mississippi River as part of the ToP without consulting France’s Native American allies

-colonists head west, Indians overrun

-raid settlements, destroy farms, kill

-Pontiac = Ottawa chieftain who recruited other tribes to stop British colonial expansion

Proclamation Act of 1763:

drew boundary along Appalachian Mtns from Canada to Georgia in order to minimize occurrences of settler-Native American violence; colonists forbidden to go west of the line —-colonists already west had to leave

-mad at officials for restricting expansion, go west anyways

-more land → more immigration

Grenville

• taxed Americans (maintaining troops costs $ + war debt), Americans should pay for protection from British soldiers

• hate smugglers avoiding taxes → order colonial officials to enforce Navigation Acts more + catch smugglers

Sugar Act of 1764

tax sugar, wine, coffee, and spice imports to raise revenues from the colonies

Currency Act of 1764

colonies can’t coin/print $, must pay in gold, silver, or tobacco 💛🩶🚬// not enough specie (gold/silver)

Quartering Act of 1765

colonies feed/house troops

Stamp Act:

1765 all printed materials (newspaper, pamphlet, playing cards, etc.) must use paper with an official tax stamp (to pay for British military protection of the colonies)

Response to acts

• angry/resentful

• taxed without consent or representation in Parliament

• Parliament is denying American representation

• repressive

  • why are British soldiers needed, why live in cities and not frontier to protect them?

Whigs vs. Tories

oppose British policies vs. Parliament supporters

virtual representation:

the argument that the American colonies were “virtually” represented by all members of Parliament (even though they had no representative in Parliament)

Sons of Liberty:

groups of colonists dedicated to militant resistance against British control of the colonies

Nonimportation Movement

pledge to not buy British goods → restore self-reliance/frugality, spend less on lux goods → success, Brit imports decrease

Daughters of Liberty:

colonial women who protested the British govt’s tax policies by boycotting British products (ex: clothing, tea) and wove their own fabric (“homespun”)

Townshend Acts:

1767 want more revenue from colonies

-Revenue Act of 1767 tax tea/papers/other colonial imports → notorious, paid the salary of royal governor → colonial assemblies no longer have power over governor

Patriots vs. Loyalists

colonists rebelling against Brit authority _{^{(liberty thru separation, want to be citizens who can elect their govt)}} vs. colonists who remained loyal to Britain

Boston Massacre:

1770 violent confrontation between British soldiers and a Boston mob in which 5 colonists were killed

-colonists irritated by soldiers, taunted them

→Parliament repealed all Townshend duties, keep tea tax as symbol of authority, redcoats leave Boston (still in Canada)

!!! Gaspee Incident - Gaspee (a British warship) chased smugglers + seized local sheep/hogs/chickens → angry crowd shoot captain, remove the crew, and loot/burn the ship // symbolize growing anti-British feelings

British view of Americans = traitorous, they are British citizens who must obey the govt, they have no army/navy/unity

Patrick Henry - war is unavoidable, freedom bought with blood, “Give me liberty, or give me death!”

Colonists question: be an independent country or restore their rights under Britain?

worry - US has no natl govt/Euro allies

American colonists’ conditions - high standard of living, freer institution, more property owners, less taxes than British

Committee of Correspondence:

group organized by Samuel Adams to address American grievances, assert American rights, and form a unified network of rebellion

Boston Tea Party:

1773 demonstration against the Tea Act of 1773 in which the Sons of Liberty, dressed as Mohawk Indians, dumped hundreds of chests of British-owned tea into Boston Harbor

-Tea Act import British EIC tea w/o taxes, undercutting American tea smuggled from Dutch → anger, a trick into submitting to taxes

-King decides to make an example out of Boston for the rest of the colonies

Coercive Acts:

1774 4 parliamentary measures that required the colonies to pay for the Boston Tea Party’s damage

• closed Boston’s port

• imposed a military govt

• disallowed colonial trials of British soldiers

• forced the quartering of troops in private homes

-close port = many jobs lost, prices of goods increase, royal governor appoints legislative council (no more elected), no more town meetings

-colonists outraged, deepened resentments, widespread rebellion

First Continental Congress of 1774

55 delegates from 12 colonies met in Philadelphia _{^{(biggest American city)}}, the first meeting for joint resistance

-forget colonial differences

-declare rights

Continental Association of 1774

encouraged colonies to make committees to enforce boycott of British goods

Lexington and Concord

Paul Revere & William Dawes midnight ride to alert rebel leaders that British are coming, militiamen get ready to fight, gunfire+bayonets

-start of the revolution fighting, US won

George Washington becoming general

• unanimously picked to lead the Continental Army

• experience from French and Indian War

• earned respect with his success/courage/integrity

(Battle of Bunker Hill)

• militiamen (mainly farmers) shoot down British

• run out of gunpowder and retreat (British too tired to follow)

• British had over 2x more casualties ———9 month stalemate

militiamen

• untrained, no experience

• lack proper materials/supplies

• brave

Common Sense:

1775 popular pamphlet written by Thomas Paine attacking British principles of hereditary rule/monarchical government, advocating a declaration of American independence

-Thomas Paine - cowardly to reconcile with Britain, attacks king for violating their rights/causing rebellion

-encouraged rebels that independence is necessary, get Fran/Span help

Declaration of Independence:

1776 formal statement officially announcing the 13 colonies’ break from Great Britain

-first drafted by Thomas Jefferson, adopted by the Second Continental Congress

-goals = self-govern, individual freedom, equal rights, life+liberty+pursuit of happiness

-grievances = taxed w/o consent, Parliament and king tyrannized the colonies

-inspo from Locke = ability to choose/create their own govt, can alter/abolish govt if rights denied

-hypocritical - freedom doesn’t apply to slaves, ask for equality yet oppress slaves

Causes of revolution

• taxation

• lack American representation in Parliament

• constricted colonists’ civil liberties

• tightened regulation of trade

_{^{(+radicals increase anti-British feelings [+limited expansion west])}}

British military

• soldiers, navy

• Loyalists, natives, Afr Amer

• Hessians: German mercenary soldiers paid by the British royal govt to fight with the British army

• Disadvantages

  • bring supplies from Britain ($$)

  • lack consistent war strategy

citizen-soldiers:

part-time non-professional soldiers who played an important role in the Revolutionary War _{^{(mainly poor farmers/recent immigrants who had been indentured servants)}}

_{^{-unreliable and disobedient}}

Continental Army:

army authorized by Continental Congress (in 1755-1784) to fight the British; commanded by George Washington

-made up of poor farmers, unskilled laborers, indentured servants, Afr Amer

!!! Patriots encourage recruits with land grants/cash bonuses

Patriots die as prisoners (traitors, harsh treatment, beaten/whipped/no food or water) → anger fuels fight for independence

Patriots’ main issue = lack finance - ask states for funds, print $ decreases its value, take supplies from farmers for promised future payment, farmers becoming soldiers hurts the economy

Brit better at recruiting natives (long-standing relations with chieftains + promise to protect land)

Washington’s narrow escape - British prepare to invade NYC b/c failed negotiations; US must protect ‘key to the whole continent’, outnumbered → decimated by British, quick retreat to Manhattan → NYC becomes headquarters for British army/Royal Navy

Lafayette - named major general instead of being paid, gave $200,000 for war effort and got French volunteers, became loved and trusted by Washington

warfare - raids, attack, kill, hit-and-run, torture/scalp/whip prisoners, break family ties, cutthroat

_{^{Brit strategy in South - recruit Loyalists in Carolinas, Georgia, and Virginia // got strategic Savannah and Charleston, occupied Georgia and a lot of South Carolina, kill/wound/capture ~7000 American soldiers // fails = Loyalists’ side is weak, British launch Indian attacks/Loyalists burn homes and kill rebels turns undecided backcountry settlers to Patriot side, British/Loyalists’ harsh behavior drove Loyalists to switch}}

_{^{-narrowed British control in the South to Savannah + Charleston}}

Span help in Lower S vs. British, crucial role in negotiating

after war Loyalists’ land confiscated/destroyed, assaulted/executed, flee; previously Loyalist land/jobs → new opportunities

❕lower property qualifications → more ppl can vote/be represented

question what freedom will look like for the poor/working class, want to remove elite’s pol/soc advantages

Continental Army losses/struggles

• Canada

• ❄cold, exhausted, hungry

• little clothes/soldiers

• disease (smallpox)

• Valley Forge _{^{(winter, cold/hunger)}}

‘The American Crisis’

• pamphlet by Thomas Paine

• boost spirit/morale (message of perseverance)

• Congress gives Washington power to offer recruits cash/land/clothing/blankets to strengthen the war effort

militias:

part-time “citizen-soldiers” called out to protect their towns from foreign invasion/ravages during the American Revolution

_{^{-came/go as they pleased, unreliable}}

Washington’s strategy

• defensive

• quick/elusive/evade

• hit-and-runs to confuse and tire out the British

• carefully pick when/where to attack

Battle of Trenton:

1776 First decisive American victory that proved pivotal in reviving morale and demonstrating General Washington’s abilities

-surprise attack 1500 Hessians in New Jersey, get prisoners + horses + weapons + rum

British strategy

have 1 decisive win, but must destroy the American will to resist

Battles of Saratoga:

Oct 1777 decisive defeat of almost 6000 British troops under General John Burgoyne in several battles near Saratoga, NY. The American victory helped convince France to enter the war on the side of the Patriots

alliance with France:

critical diplomatic, military, and economic alliance between France and the newly independent United States, organized by the Treaty of Alliance (1778)

-Treaty of Alliance - fight until Amer independence, don’t decide truce/peace with Britain w/o consulting the other, guarantee the other’s possessions in America

-give soldiers/warships

Baron von Steuben

• Prussian military officer

• rigorous training program

• how to march/shoot/attack in formation

• always stomping/yelling

• proper hygiene

Battle of Yorktown:

1781 last major battle of the Revolutionary War; General Cornwallis + over 7000 British troops surrendered to George Washington at Yorktown, VA

End of the American Revolutionary War

• King George stops sending more troops

• negotiations (Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, John Adams)

• Treaty of Paris: 1783 ended the Revolutionary War

  • recognized American independence from Britain

  • _{^{created the border between Canada and the U.S.}}

  • _{^{set the western border at the Mississippi River}}

  • _{^{ceded Florida to Spain}}

• humbled the British

• unclear future - no natl govt, must manage westward expansion

republican ideology:

political belief in representative democracy in which citizens govern themselves by electing representatives or legislators to make key decisions on the citizens’ behalf

state constitutions:

charters that define the relationship between the state govt, local govts, and individuals while also protecting individual rights/freedoms from being violated by the natl govt

Articles of Confederation:

the first form of govt for the U.S., ratified by the original 13 states in 1781

-fear of monarchy/tyranny → no strong/central govt, no president

-weak in central authority, replaced by the U.S. Constitution drafted in 1787

-republicanism (governed by the authority of the ppl, elect representatives)

Congress’ strengths/weaknesses

• ✅full power over foreign affairs/state disputes

• ✖no power to enforce resolutions/ordinances, can’t levy taxes

Religious views after the war

• complete religious freedom

• separate church and state

_{^{(Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom: 1786 Virginia law drafted by Thomas Jefferson guaranteeing freedom of/from religion)}}

N vs. S views on slavery

N: contradicts principles of liberty and equality, if slaves are seen as property they don’t count for the population

S: depend on slaves, White supremacy over Black inferiority, should be counted to determine the # of representatives

→ count as 3/5 of a person to compromise

_{^{[N less slavery, most end; S slaves take advantage of disruptions from war to seize their freedom + promote freedom for all]}}

Status of women and role in the war

• care for kids/house

• can’t vote/hold office

• less education

• all property belongs to husband

• handled supplies, messenger/spy, work in camp (cook, wash, sew, nurse)

  • fought by replacing soldier-husband or disguise as man (Deborah Sampson!)

Indians in the war and effect on Indians

• attack/kill/burn crops

• not consulted, lost ancestral lands to US, land-hungry Americans push into Indian territories

!!! lot of war debt (states raise taxes, protest), loosely allied states, manage land owned by govt

president qualifications = natural-born citizen, min 35yo, 4 year term, can veto acts of Congress (veto can be overridden with 2/3 vote from each house)

-limits = can be impeached by 2/3 vote of Senate, can’t declare war/peace (Congress does!)

Women not in Constitution, ‘inferior,’ want greater freedom + liberty of thought + to engage in politics, Abigail Adams ‘remember the ladies’

Washington’s cabinet: Thomas Jefferson (head of Department of State), Alexander Hamilton (head of Department of the Treasury), Henry Knox (secretary of war), and John Jay (first chief justice of the Supreme Court)

some Bill of Rights rights:

_{^{-individual rights of speech, assembly, religion, the press, and to bear arms}}

_{^{-can refuse to house soldiers}}

_{^{-protected from unreasonable search/seizure}}

_{^{-can refuse to testify against oneself}}

_{^{-speedy public trial with attorney + jury present}}

_{^{-no cruel/unusual punishments}}

_{^{-powers not given to the national govt were reserved for states or the people}}

Pinckney’s Treaty - negotiations with Spanish, settle boundary in West Florida, allow Americans to ship along Mississippi River

Natl govt weaknesses

• 1 house legislature (no executive/judicial)

• each state legislature gets 1 vote for members of Confederation Congress regardless of population

• can’t regulate trade/taxes

• can’t enforce treaty terms/force men to serve

Land Ordinance of 1784

• 14 self-governing territories of equal size

• all White males can vote/hold office/write constitutions for their territorial govts

• can become state when population bigger than smallest existing state (RI)

• treated as future states

Land Ordinance of 1785

Northwest territory divided into townships

Northwest Ordinance:

1787 land policy for new western territories in the Ohio Valley that made all (new) states co-equal, banned slavery, and promised Indian lands wouldn’t be taken without consent —repeatedly broken

Early US foreign tensions

Brit/Span keep troops/forts on Amer soil, encourage Indian resistance

Early US economic problems

😠soldiers don’t get promised wages, civilians who loaned money/crops/livestock/supplies never get reimbursed

🚢British: close Caribbean island colonies to American commerce (less tobacco/rice/rum exports) → tariffs on British goods

high taxes, won’t print more money, property qualifications raised → poorer men have less political power

-angry farmers (‘Regulators’) force judges/sheriffs to stop taking cattle/farms of those who can’t pay taxes

Shays’ Rebellion:

1786-87 storming of the Massachusetts federal arsenal in 1787 by Daniel Shays + 1200 armed farmers seeking debt relief from the state legislature through issuance of paper currency and lower taxes

-state sends militiamen, arrested rebels

Constitution

• for social order/economic stability

• Constitutional Convention = 1787 met at Philadelphia’s State House to revise the Articles of Confederation (White males, mostly elite)

  • George Washington unanimously elected president, most active = James Madison

• changes made

  • stronger national govt (direct authority over citizens)

  • weaker state legislatures

  • insist voters are “the legitimate source of all authority”

• powers needed

  • make laws

  • collect taxes

  • issue/borrow money

  • regulate commerce

  • fund army/navy

• ratification

  • need 9 states to ratify, need Virginia (largest, wealthiest, most populous) and New York (3rd most populated, key geographic position), add Bill of Rights to get them to ratify

federalism:

concept of dividing governmental authority between the national govt and the states

Madison’s Virginia Plan

• scrap AoC, new Constitution

• natl govt with executive/legislative/judicial branches

• bicameral Congress (HoR by ppl, Senate by state legislatures)

  • bigger population → more representatives

  • —> Great Compromise - HoR # of representatives based on population, Senate 2 per state

separation of powers:

strict division of the powers of government among 3 separate branches (executive, legislative, judicial), which in turn check and balance each other

Judiciary

supreme national court headed by chief justice, interpret laws and ensure every citizen receives equal justice under the law

anti-Federalists:

opponents of the Constitution which infringes individual/states’ rights, led to the addition of the Bill of Rights

-many joined Thomas Jefferson’s Democratic-Republican party

-Patrick Henry, James Monroe, Samuel Adams

-want to revise the Constitution, distrust natl govt will become corrupt/tyrannical, defend states’ rights, trust the common ppl, strictly follow the Constitution

Federalists

-Alexander Hamilton, James Madison; mainly New England/NY

-embrace industrial development/commercial growth, fear ‘passions’ of the common ppl (turbulent, unwise), loosely follow Constitution

-capitalism, immigrants, economic growth _{^{(trade w Europe/China)}}

-land policy sell a lot of land for high price

-want war w France, wary of ‘radical’ French immigrants

The Federalist Papers:

collection of 85 essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay in support of adopting the proposed U.S. Constitution

-published widely in newspapers 1787-88

-write about US as a republic with people as sovereign, say big + diverse country hard to form majority to corrupt the federal govt

Jeffersonian-Republicans:

political party founded by Thomas Jefferson in opposition to the Federalist party led by Alexander Hamilton and John Adams

-aka Democratic-Republican party

-mostly southerners, agrarian

-land policy sell less land & for cheaper for settlers/farmers

-sympathetic to France

Bill of Rights:

1791 first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, adopted to guarantee individual rights and to help secure ratification of the Constitution by the states

Naturalization Act of 1790

any free white person can be a citizen after living in the U.S. for min. 2 years (1795 changed to 5 years) // excluded Africans, Asians, and natives

born in U.S. = citizen

Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations

• no strict govt controls on the economy

• free competition

• self-interest and innovation betters society

Methods to pay off debt

• taxes

• tariffs (tax on imported goods, good for local Amer manufacturers to incr price/less competition, consumers pay more)

• print $ 💵

• sell govt bonds to investors

• loans from Europe

Bank of the United States:

1791 national bank responsible for holding/transferring federal govt funds, making business loans, and issuing a national currency

_{^{-TJ Constitution doesn’t say anything about making a natl bank, power should be given to states}}

_{^{-AH implied in Const, states have banks but not in their constitutions either}}

France and opinions

French Revolution, Reign of Terror

• TJ supports, AH/John Adams see as vicious

• Wash neutral, don’t get involved _{^{(neutrality violated by Citizen Genêt, tried to drag Amer into the war)}}

Frontier tensions with natives

resist US expansion

British being annoying

• encouraged Indian attacks

• seized US merchant ships heading to France

• impressment - crew must join British Navy

→ John Jay sent to settle the issue

Jay’s Treaty:

1794 between Britain and U.S., negotiated by Chief Justice John Jay, settled disputes over trade, prewar debts owed to British merchants, British-occupied forts in American territory must leave, and reimburse Americans for seizing their ships/cargo

-controversial, Democratic-Republicans outraged, gave too much to Britain, mad at G.W. (even though he avoided war by choosing peace)

-French mad, plunder Amer ships, broke diplomatic relations

Whiskey Rebellion:

1794 violent protest by western Philadelphia farmers against the federal excise tax on corn whiskey, put down by the federal army

-causes: value whiskey, angry farmers/laborers attack federal tax collectors + rebel

-result: stop openly defying laws and instead vote for Democratic-Republicans

Settlers and settling

fertile soil, grow corn/beans/veggies

Washington’s Farewell Address

avoid divisive political parties and permanent foreign alliances (away from war/drama)

XYZ Affair

• sent 3 prominent Americans to negotiate the end of French attacks on U.S. ships

• French officials X, Y, and Z demand bribe of $250k and loan of $12M before negotiation

• made public → increased hostility towards France, all want war _{^{[except T.J.]}}

Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798:

4 measures passed during the undeclared war with France that limited the freedoms of speech and press and restricted the liberty of immigrants

Naturalization Act: change 5 to 14 yr residency required to be a citizen

Alien Friends Act: president can jail/deport dangerous aliens

Alien Enemies Act: president can imprison/expel aliens of enemy nation in wartime

Sedition Act: can’t speak/write/publish criticism of the govt

-T.J./Madison say the acts infringe constitutional rights, threaten disunion, state should be able to nullify unconstitutional acts of Congress

election of 1800:

Thomas Jefferson vs. John Adams, first Democratic-Republican victory after Federalist administrations of Washington and Adams

-TJ new era - more division with political factions, gradual elimination of property requirement to vote → more voters, Democratic-Republican party dominance (next presidents are Southern/D-R)