Key topic 2 - A dirupted society 1742-64

Great Awakening

Religious revival in 1740’s

• Huge crowds (up to 20,000) gathered in fields for sermons.

• Preachers delivered emotional, lively sermons.

• Congregations reacted vocally—speaking, screaming, shouting.

• Services were very different from traditional church services.

• Took place outdoors and in some churches.

• Women were allowed to preach and hold meetings, which had been previously banned.

People (important revivalists)

Jonathan Edwards – wrote many books and encouraged people to convert to avoid hell

• George Whitefield – toured British America. 80,000 copies of his publications were sold. Over 20000 people attended gatherings where he preached.

Consequences of Great Awakening:

• 50,000 people joined churches in New England; religion became very popular.

• Divided society: poorer classes supported it; colonial leaders and merchants opposed it.

• Power shifted from traditional churches to Baptists and Methodists.

• Women encouraged to preach (previously banned).

• Some Black people and Native Americans converted.

• Long term: Paved the way for future change; people realised they didn’t have to accept the norm.

• Individuals felt they could question authority.

• Open-air meetings later used by political groups.

Enlightenment

• People were in charge of their lives, not God; rulers could be challenged.

• The world followed natural laws.

• Governments should protect people’s rights; if not, they could be overthrown.

• People began questioning traditional authority.

• Inspired the American Revolution.

• Increased religious tolerance and focus on education.

Enlightenment Consequences

• Education: Number of schools and colleges increased; e.g., 10 free schools in Virginia by 1750; local schools funded by communities.

• Newspapers: From 1 in 1704 to 40 by 1776; shared news, shipping info, and runaway slave lists.

• Pamphlets: Short publications (≈24 pages) with sermons, hell descriptions, criminal biographies, travel stories, etc.

• Public Libraries: 20 subscription libraries by 1760; helped spread ideas among the middle class.

Benjamin Franklin as a Writer:

• Wrote essays, stories, and scientific works.

• Published the Pennsylvania Gazette and Poor Richard’s Almanack (sold 250,000 copies; included calendars, weather charts, poems).

• His publications gave him a powerful voice in Pennsylvania.

Benjamin Franklin as a Philanthropist / Community Leader

:

• Set up the first subscription library (1731) with books by Enlightenment authors.

• Founded the Union Fire Service (fire insurance and volunteer guidelines).

• Founded Philadelphia’s city hospital (1751) and introduced matching grants.

• Proposed improvements to the city’s police force (1752).

• Improved street paving and lighting in Philadelphia.

• Founded the Academy of Philadelphia (university) to broaden access to education.

Benjamin Franklin as a Scientist / Inventor / Intellectual:

• Conducted experiments that inspired other scientists.

• Invented the lightning rod, bifocal spectacles, and four-sided street lamps.

• Founded the American Philosophical Society (1743) to exchange knowledge across British America.

• Contributed practical and scientific knowledge through his writings and inventions.

Causes of King George’s war

Take land from one another

• Control the main rivers

• Control the fur trade (centred on Ohio Country)

King George’s war events

• French initially supported by most Native Americans; Iroquois stayed neutral at first.

• June 1745: British captured French fort at Louisbourg (hundreds of British colonists died).

• June 1746: French failed to recapture Louisbourg.

• April 1747: Iroquois joined the British.

• June 1747: French and Native Americans captured Saratoga, New York; British recaptured it.

• October 1748: Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle ended the war; Britain returned Louisbourg.

King George’s war consequences

Colonists felt:

• Felt abandoned when the Iroquois ended their alliance and promised British troops didn’t arrive to attack Canada.

• Disappointed at the lack of territory gained from the French and Spanish.

• Tension remained between Britain and France over Ohio Country.

• Angry that many troops died capturing Louisbourg, only for it to be returned to the French.

• Concerned after the French, with some Native American allies, attacked Fort Pickawillany.

French-Indian War Causes

• Treaty of Aix-La-Chapelle did not satisfy English colonists or the French; tensions remained over Ohio Country.

• British built a fort and encouraged settlement in Ohio Country, angering the French and Native Americans.

• French built more forts and attacked the British fort with Native American allies.

• The Iroquois ended their alliance with Britain

French-Indian War Events

• 1754: George Washington attacked French fort at Duquesne; French retaliated, killing 1/3 of his forces at Fort Necessity.

• 1755: General Braddock failed to capture Fort Duquesne; British forts like Fort Oswego and Fort William Henry were captured by the French.

• 1757: William Pitt took charge for Britain: sent 8,000 troops, paid colonists £1 million, replaced generals, and eased British-colonial tensions.

• 1758: British captured Forts Louisbourg, Frontenac, and Duquesne (French abandoned and burned Duquesne); Britain controlled Ohio Country. French retreated to Canada; many Native allies deserted them.

• 1759: General Wolfe captured Quebec.

• 1760: Remaining French forts, including Montreal, fell; French surrendered in September 1760.

French-Indian War Consequences

• Britain gained control of Ohio Country and much of French land east of the Mississippi; Spain gained land west of the Mississippi.

• Britain secured the fur trade with Native Americans and defeated the French in Canada.

• The war was expensive; British national debt rose from £75m to £122m.

• Colonists gained military experience and a sense of unity; 25,000 joined the militia.

• Tensions grew between colonial soldiers and British regulars; colonists felt British officers were incompetent.

• British soldiers were poorly paid, some wanted to go home, and forced civilian accommodation caused resentment.

• Smuggling increased, reducing British customs revenue.

• British taxpayers resented paying most of the army cost; colonists resented paying their share for the first time.

General Wolfe

• Led British forces against the French in Quebec.

• Used terror tactics and cut supplies to French defenders.

• His army climbed cliffs to surprise French General Montcalm.

• Defeated disorganized French forces in September 1759; Wolfe died in battle and became a hero.

• Victory led to capture of other forts (e.g., Fort Niagara).

• By September 1760, British armies captured key sites and Montreal, ending the French and Indian War.

Why Wolfe won?

• Used terror: fired cannons for two months to pressure civilians to surrender.

• Destroyed surrounding land to cut off supplies to the city.

• Trained his army well; troops were skilled in pitched battles and succeeded when the opportunity arose.

Treaty of Paris

• 1763

• Treaty ended the 7 year war.

• Britain gained Florida, Canada, and New France.

• Spain gained Cuba.

• France lost North American territory but kept sugar islands in the West Indies.

Consequences of the Treaty of Paris

• Colonists no longer feared French attacks and could settle former French land.

• Colonists gained control of the fur trade as French abandoned their posts and increased trade with Native Americans.

• Felt less dependent on Britain, making new laws and taxes harder to enforce.

• Native Americans lost the French as allies and couldn’t stop British expansion; could only get guns from colonists.

• Many French and Spanish people became British subjects in former colonies like Canada and Florida.

Royal Proclamation

• 1763

• Created new territories: Quebec and Florida.

• Established Proclamation Line banning colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains.

• Consequences:

  • Improved British relations with Native Americans; Ohio Country reserved for them.

  • Settlers largely ignored the boundary; 10,000 moved west by 1771.

  • Colonists wanted western expansion.

  • Pontiac’s Rebellion continued.

  • Increased trade with Native Americans, though some colonists cheated and gave excess alcohol.

Colonist relations with Great Britain

• French threat removed, but tensions grew.

• British troops looked down on colonial soldiers; quartering in private homes annoyed colonists.

• Britain wanted colonies to help pay war costs (e.g., Sugar Tax).

• Britain frustrated by continued smuggling and refusal to help pay debt.

• Colonial assemblies gained power and often ignored Britain, e.g., printing extra money.

Sugar Act

• 1764

• Aimed to help Britain pay off war debt.

• Reduced tax on imported molasses (6 → 3 pence) but increased tax on foreign sugar.

• Taxes had to be paid in metal coins; smuggling strictly enforced.

• Royal Navy caught smugglers; trials held in vice-admiralty courts (seen as unfair).

• Angered colonists because it restricted trade with Caribbean colonies, limiting access to metal coinage.

Impact of Sugar Act

• Smugglers largely avoided the tax; little revenue/tax collected.

• Colonial assemblies protested; nine colonies declared Britain was abusing power.

• Some colonists boycotted British goods; businesses suffered as the act occurred during an economic recession.

• Smuggling continued until 1766, when the duty was further reduced to 1 pence per gallon.

• Sparked opposition to British taxation; Massachusetts argued it had the right to set its own taxes.

• James Otis wrote The Rights of the British Colonies Asserted and Proved, influencing colonial resistance - wide spread and influential.

Impact on Economy: (WARS)

• Debt & Taxes: War was costly; British taxpayers paid most, colonists paid little, causing tension.

• Military Costs: Britain maintained a permanent army; colonists resented paying their share.

• Smuggling: Increased to avoid taxes, reducing British customs revenue.

• Revenue Laws: Sugar Act introduced to raise money from colonies.Impact on Economy:

Impact on British Control: - what the colonies did to go against Britain to assert control?

• Currency: Colonial assemblies printed money; Britain tried to control it.

• Proclamation Line: Restricted settlement west of the Appalachians; widely ignored (≈10,000 settlers by 1771).

• Judicial Authority: Colonies tried to appoint their own judges; Britain intervened to maintain control.

Pontiac’s Rebellion Causes

1763-66

• Colonists no longer felt obligated to maintain good relations with Native Americans.

• Britain stopped the practice of gift-giving to Native allies.

• Britain broke promises, allowing colonial settlers to live on Native American land.

Pontiac’s Rebellion Events

• Led by Native American chief Pontiac, Native American tribes formed an alliance and attacked British forts and settlements.

• Attacks began in May 1763 and continued for three years.

• July 1763 – Battle of Bloody Run: 21 British soldiers killed by Native Americans.

• June 1763: During negotiations over Fort Pitt, British gave blankets infected with smallpox.

• August 1763: British recaptured Fort Pitt.

• September 1763 – Devil’s Hole Massacre: 73 British soldiers killed.

• By the end of 1763, Native Americans had captured all British forts in Ohio Country except Detroit.

• Peace treaty in 1764 improved relations; final treaty signed by Pontiac in 1766.

Pontiac’s Rebellion Consequences

• Renewed gift giving to Native Americans to maintain alliances.

• Lifted trade restrictions previously imposed on Native Americans.

• Issued the Proclamation of 1763, limiting colonial expansion west of the Appalachian “Proclamation Line.”

• Stationed 10,000 British troops in America to manage conflicts between colonists and Native Americans.

• Measures improved relations with Native Americans and aimed to prevent further rebellions, but angered colonists who wanted to settle west.

Paxton Boys

Causes and Events

1763

• Militia of Scots-Irish frontier settlers angry at the Pennsylvania government for not protecting colonists from Native American attacks.

• July 1763: Killed 6 peaceful Conestoga Native Americans and then 14 more in Lancaster.

• 1764: A group of 140 Native Americans went to Philadelphia seeking protection.

• Paxton Boys marched to Philadelphia to attack them.

• Met by politicians, including Benjamin Franklin, who offered amnesty and protection if they stopped.

• The Paxton Boys agreed and returned home, ending the immediate threat.

Paxton Boys Consequences

• Increased tensions with Native Americans, complicating Pontiac Rebellion peace talks.

• Made Pennsylvania Assembly seem weak; leaders of Paxton boys weren’t punished .

• Assembly could not control frontier settlers.

• Raised fear of mob rule in Pennsylvania.

• Showed the Proclamation of 1763 was weak and ineffective; settlers kept moving onto Native land.