The Beginnings of the American Revolution

Mercantile Theory

Economic system in which activity is organized and controlled, not for the benefit of the individual, but for the rising national state.

Bullionism

Fundamental aspect of mercantilism. Defines 'national greatness' by the amount of gold in the national treasury.

Navigation Laws/Acts

Passed by Parliament to suppress smuggling.

Staple Act (1663)

Foreign goods imported to the colonies had to first pass through British ports and pay import taxes, then be placed on a British ship and pay export taxes.

Plantation Duty Act (1673)

Pretended to allow plantation owners to pay the mother country's import tax while actually paying the export tax.

Yankee

Term applied to smart or sharp traders from New England.

Admiralty Courts

Judge is appointed by the king, no jury trial. Another step to stop smuggling.

John Hancock

Boston merchant known as 'King of the smugglers.'

Writs of Assistance

General search warrants declared by Parliament, issued in the name of the king, allowing customs agents to break into any dwelling during daylight hours and search for contraband.

Salutary Neglect

Period where Britain did not directly exercise control over her colonies.

No taxation without representation

Parliament can't tax colonies because the colonists weren't allowed to participate in Parliament.

Taxation without Representation is tyranny.

Quote by James Otis.

Currency Act (1764)

Forced colonials to pay debts in gold or silver, not paper money.

Sugar Act (1764)

England began charging about 3 cents a gallon on molasses.

First tax to directly raise money to pay the debt.

First tax which could not be paid with paper money.

Stamp Act (1765)

Tax to raise money for stamps issued for every legal document in the colonies.

Nonimportation

Series of boycotts organized by colonists to refuse to buy English goods.

Samuel Adams

MA businessman and chief organizer of the Sons of Liberty.

Sons of Liberty

Organization based in Boston, MA, established to protest laws coming from Parliament.

Tarring and Feathering

Public punishment/torture where hot, sticky tar is poured over the victim and then covered in feathers.

Stamp Act Congress (7-25 Oct 1765)

9 colonies sent representatives to meet in New York, NY to protest the Stamp Act.

Thomas Paine

English-born philosopher who authored political pamphlets and attended the Congress.

Declaration of Rights and Grievances

Authored by Paine, it criticized Parliament's regulation on trade.

Stamp Act

A law that imposed taxes on the colonies, which was repealed by Parliament in 1766 due to colonial protests.

Declaratory Act

Passed by Parliament in 1766, it stated that the Stamp Act was not illegal and asserted that all future laws passed by Parliament are binding 'in all cases whatsoever.'

Quartering Acts

Legislation from 1765, 1766, and 1774 that required colonists to house and supply British soldiers, resulting in a financial burden on the colonies.

Townshend Acts

A series of laws passed in 1767 aimed at raising revenue through duties on imported goods and enforcing compliance through 'Writs of Assistance.'

John Dickerson

A Pennsylvania lawyer who wrote critical essays against Parliament's actions, known as 'Letters from a Farmer in PA.'

Circular Letter

Elements of Dickinson's essays distributed by Samuel Adams to all 12 colonies to unify colonial resistance.

Francis Bernard

Royal governor of Massachusetts who threatened to disband the legislature for approving the circular letter.

NY Legislature

The governing body of New York that faced threats from Parliament regarding funding for quartering British soldiers.

2,000 lbs

The amount of money the NY Legislature was threatened to pay for the quartering of British soldiers.

Boston, MA

A major center of revolutionary activity leading up to the Revolutionary War, particularly by the Sons of Liberty.

Financial Burden

The additional costs imposed on colonists due to the requirement to house and provide for British soldiers.

Reputation of Redcoats

The perception of British soldiers as tough, often lower-class young men with little regard for the rights of others.

Legislation Angering Colonists

The series of laws passed by Parliament that increased tensions and dissatisfaction among the colonies.

Colonial Liberty Threat

The perception that Parliament's actions posed a threat to the freedoms and rights of all the colonies.

Major Points of Dickinson's Essays

1) Townshend Act is illegal. 2) Parliament treated the NY legislature badly. 3) Parliament's actions threaten the liberties of all colonies.

Parliament's Mercy

The justification used in the Declaratory Act to explain the repeal of the Stamp Act, perceived as a condescending gesture.

Boston Tea Party

An act of protest by the Sons of Liberty against British taxation, particularly the Tea Act, which occurred in 1773.

British Red Coats

Two regiments of British soldiers that arrived in Boston in September 1768 to prevent the legislature from meeting.

Bernard's threat

Bernard threatened to disband the legislature if they did not rescind the circular letter.

disbanding of MA legislature

Francis Bernard officially disbands the Massachusetts legislature on July 1, 1768.

resolve

A formal statement of opinion.

Boston Massacre

An incident on March 5, 1770, where civilians gathered and provoked British soldiers, resulting in the soldiers firing into the crowd and killing or wounding 11 people.

Crispus Attucks

An African American/Native American patriot sailor, considered the main organizer of the protest against the redcoats and the first patriot casualty of the American Revolution.

Sam Adams

A leader who argued that the Sons of Liberty should keep public attention focused on the Boston Massacre and maintain inflamed public opinion.

Committees of Correspondence

Written by Adams and the Sons of Liberty to keep other colonies informed about developments in Massachusetts.

British East India Tea Company

A joint stock company that ruled over India, rich and with its own army, but almost bankrupt with 17 million pounds of unsold tea.

Tea Act (1773)

An act passed by Parliament to save the British East India Tea Company from bankruptcy.

Tea Act provisions

1) Allowed tea to be shipped directly from India to North America. 2) No one in North America could sell tea except the British East India Tea Company, creating a monopoly.

negative response to Tea Act

1) A monopoly guaranteed higher tea prices in the future. 2) The monopoly on tea set a precedent.

King George III/Parliament responses

1) Boston Port Act passed, closing Boston Port until tea paid for in taxes. 2) Administration of Justice Act passed, stating that any British official who killed a colonist while collecting taxes would be tried in England. 3) Massachusetts Government Act passed, requiring town meetings to submit an agenda for approval before assembling.

Quartering Act (1774)

Legislation making colonists responsible for paying and housing British troops in their homes.

Repressive/Coercive Acts

Name given by Sons of Liberty to the acts passed by Parliament following the Boston Tea Party.

First Continental Congress (2 Sep-26 October 1774)

Meeting of representatives from 12 of the 13 colonies in Philadelphia, PA, excluding Georgia.

Suffolk Resolves

Provisions that criticized the British Repressive Acts, urged military preparations, and called for a boycott of British goods.

Galloway Resolves

Provisions that did not call for military preparations and advocated for more discussions.

Continental Association

Created by the First Continental Congress to enforce a complete boycott of British trade.

Declaration of Rights

Approved by the First Continental Congress, stating that Parliament had no right to tax the colonies.

Petition to the King

A document believing that King George III was receiving bad advice from Parliament, urging to keep Parliament off their backs.

Lord Dunmore

British colonial governor of Virginia who led Lord Dunmore's War against Shawnee and Mingo Native American nations.

Patrick Henry

Virginia attorney and planter who urged action and persuaded the Second Virginia Convention to send militiamen to fight the British.

Second Virginia Convention (Mar 1775)

Convention where Patrick Henry famously declared, 'give me liberty or give me death!'

Thomas Gage

British Army general appointed military governor of Massachusetts.

Gage's roles

Included being the Governor and Commander-in-Chief of British forces in the American colonies.

Outbreak of Revolution

Period marked by Gage hearing rumors of the Sons of Liberty storing weapons in Concord, MA.

Objectives of Gage's operation

To confiscate weapons and capture Sons of Liberty leaders Sam Adams and John Hancock.

Minutemen

Colonial American militiamen prepared to fight at a minute's notice.

Paul Revere, William Dawes, Samuel Prescott

Three messengers who awaited a lantern signal to warn of British military movements.

Old North Church belfry

Location where messengers were to watch for burning lanterns to signal British movements.

'One if by land, two if by sea'

Signal system used to warn minutemen of British operations.

Revere's contribution

Paul Revere is credited with the warning, but he never made it to Concord.

Prescott's role

Samuel Prescott was the only messenger who made it to Concord.

Francis Smith

British lieutenant-colonel in charge of executing the Concord operation.

19 April 1775

British forces ambushed by MA militiamen alerted by the Sons of Liberty messengers. First battles of the American Revolution.

Paul Revere/William Dawes/Samuel Prescott

Three messengers awaiting a lantern signal to warn them of British military movements.

'The shot heard 'round the World.'

Opening shot of the American Revolution, fired at Concord (shots fired first at Lexington).

British casualties

273 British casualties in the first battle.

British advantages

1) 3x the population (7.5 million people in Great Britain). 2) Professional Army of about 50,000 men. 3) Great Britain can raise money from population (taxes). 4) National Bank/government to fund the war. 5) Large # of Loyalists/Tories (American colonists fighting for Britain). 6) Great Britain had the largest navy in the world (and the best at the time).

British disadvantages

1) 273 casualties in the first battle. 2) Many enemies in Europe in particular. 3) Many ordinary citizens didn't support the war against their American 'cousins.' 4) British armies in North America often operated under great difficulties. 5) 3,000-mile-long supply/communication line. 6) Must completely defeat the American rebels.

American advantages

1) Won the first battle of the war. 2) Outstanding leadership in the person of George Washington (GW). 3) Foreign aid/volunteer officers (especially French) to train soldiers. 4) Could fight a defensive war (potentially less casualties). 5) In general, American militiamen were better marksmen (shots). 6) Moral advantage that came from a belief in a just cause (believed they were fighting for what was right).

American disadvantages

1) Badly organized for war (not prepared). 2) Great deal of jealousy (lack of unity). 3) Don't have much money (not much gold and silver in A. colonies). 4) Lacked supplies of every kind (had gunpowder because of French). 5) Bad morals because of American profiteering.

minority movement

1/3 of Americans were dedicated to defeating British in the Revolution (patriots), while 1/3 were Tories and the last 1/3 wouldn't commit one way or another ('sat on the fence').