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Navigation Acts

Developed, promoted, and regulated English ships.

Attempted to generate wealth for England.

Prohibited the use of foreign ships, selling of goods to other nations.

Mercantilism

Formed basis for British trade for about 200 years.

Phase One

Sugar act (1764): Raised the tax on mollasses, colonies are not allowed to purchase sugar from anyone else. Caused decline in rum industry and reduced smuggling and paid debt.

Quartering act (1765): Required the provisioning of British soldiers in private residences.

Admiralty Courts: Juryless courts, began to enforce customs and hear criminal tricks for smuggling. Extremely unpopular, confusing, and ineffective.

Stamp act (1765): Taxed receipts, licenses, notary act, deeds, bonds, letters, playing card, newspaper, anything made out of paper.

Stamp Act congress: 9 colonies meet in NY to reaffirm that only their duty elected reps. could approve taxes.

Declaratory act (1766): A proclamation that reinforced parliaments laws making more power over the colonies, repels sugar act.

Homespun movement: Led by women, making home goods to replace British goods.

Sons and Daughters of Liberty: Intimidated tax collectors, formed in response to stamp act, used extra legal forms to protest.

Sons: Boston tea party

Daughters: Boycotts

Phase two

Townshend acts (1767-68): taxed goods imported to colonies, punished New York for refusing to follow quartering act, raises solitaries of royal Governers, and created tax collectors.

Writs of assistance: indirect taxes that were paid by merchants

indirect: Shifted onto another group (consumers)

direct: paid directly to the government

Boston Massacre (March 5th 1770): Kings street

Tensions were high with 2,000 British Troops in the city

Started as street brawl between American colonists and one British Soldier

Killed 5 people, first killed was Crispus Attucks

Energized anti-British sentiments, led to formation of committees of correspondence.

Heavily publicized by Paul Revere and Sam Adams

The Gaspee Affair (1772): British customs ship seizing smugglers ran aground in Rhode Island.

Colonists disguised as Native Americans snuck aboard and set fire to ship.

Boston Tea Party (1773): December 16 1773 at Griffin's Wharf

Colonists dumped blocks of Tea into harbor (342 Chests)

Showed Great Britian that the colonists wouldn't take taxation and tyranny sitting down and rallied American patriots across 13 colonists

Phase three

Intolerable (1774): Closed all trade in Boston harbor, leadership power goes to Britain, quartered British troops in houses, gave some of Ohio river valley to Canada.

Quebec Act (1774): established Catholicism as the official language of Quebec and set up government without a rep. assembly. Expanded boundary to Ohio river, fear that this would happen in the colonies.

The Basics of the Revolution (1775 to 1783)

2.6 million in colonies 40% patriots, 25% loyalists, 35% Neutral

British: had more people, more money, and better navy

Patriots: Largest group from Northeast, mostly local militia units

Washington never really had more than 20,000 troops at a time, short of supplies, poorly equipped, rarely paid, but had a strong commitment to independence.

Enslaves African Americans: Washington initially rejects the idea of having enslaved people serve in the army, only allows it after Britian offers freedom.

In some ways this was a civil war.

Native Americans: Tried to stay out of war, eventually supports England.

First Continental Congress

September 1774, delegates from twelve colonies sent representatives to Philadelphia to discuss a response to the Intolerable Acts.

Almost no loyalists attend the congress.

Goals: King and Parliament need to see problems in the country

determined to let the world know what is happening in the colonies.

Oct 14- decided to meet again in one year if England does not address problems.

Paul Revere and the Midnight Ride

Daves and Revere are captured and questioned; Prescott is not.

British let them go because they would slow them down.

They did NOT say "The british are coming" because they ARE british.

We remember Paul Revere because he is the one who talked about it the most (Even though he got captured)

Loyalists and minutemen

Loyalists: Colonists who were not on the side of the revolution. They were mostly in the southern colonies and were sometimes harassed by patriots.

Minutemen: Small, hand-picked elite force which were required to be highly mobile and able to assemble quickly. Usually 25 or younger, vets of French and Indian War.

Chosen for their enthusiasm, reliably and physical strength.

Well trained but fight in an unorthodox way (Not like British).

Second Continental Congress

Convened in May 1775, the Congress opposed the drastic move toward complete independence from Britain.

Had much more debate, Two major factors and leaders.

July 8th 1775: Olive Branch petition

The second continental congress is still hoping for peace.

They don't blame the king; instead blames ministers (rejects)

Issues prohibitory act which declares that the colonies are no longer under the protection of the king and blocks the coast and trade into the colonies.

What is a romantic friendship?

Very close relationship between people of the same sex during a period of history when there was not a social category of homosexuality.

Very normal until the mid-19th century.

Marquis de Lafayette and Washington

In romantic friendship with Washington

One the other hand- Lafayette calls him and Washington "father and son" often.

Washington treats him like an adopted son.

Baron Friedrich von Steuben

Prussian soldier who helped train American forces at Valley Forge in the American Revolutionary War.

One of Washington's most trusted advisors.

After the war he becomes one of the first US citizens and lives with two men he became close with at the camp.

Culper Spy Ring

Spy network for Washington based in NY that helped get important information to Washington about the British movements. Used a complicated system to deliver messages.

Lexington and Concord

Lexington (April 19th, 1775): Regulars reach the town, and 70 minutemen are waiting for them.

Someone fires first and British open fire on colonies.

8 minutemen are killed, 10 wounded.

British win\****

Concord (April 19th, 1775): When British get to concord, they can't find any guns or gunpowder. They turn around to meet 3-4k colonists, colonists fire behind walls (Non-traditional)

Colonists win\****

Battle of Bunker Hill

June 17th 1775

Near breeds hill and bunker hill

General gage decides to attack the colonists surrounding Boston.

It was hot!

Colonists were at top of hill and wait until the British are almost at the top before firing. Colonists lose 450, British lose over 1000+ (Deadliest battle)

British take the hill (Win) but lose more soldiers (lose)

Battle of New York

August 27, 1776

As the british retreated from Boston, they attempted to isolate New England by:

Moving the first to the middle colonies.

Captured New York bc its an important port city.

William Howe and Richard Howe sail into harbor with 32k British troops

Washington came with 23k men but most were untrained without equipment.

Washington starts to panic, most soldiers were either killed or ran away.