d4.) APUSH 3 Imperial Wars and Colonial Protest

Empires at war

In the late 1600s, war broke out between Great Britain, France, and Spain. It would be the first of four with battles in Europe, India, and North America. The stakes were high since the winner would gain supremacy in the West Indies and Canada. It would also allow the winner to dominate the colonial trade.

The First Three Wars

They were named after their respective British ruler. In King William’s War and Queen Anne’s War, the British attempted to take Quebec but failed. American Indians supported by the French attacked British frontier settlements. Finally, the British forces won in Queen Anne’s war and took Nova Scotia from France and trading rights in Spanish America.

A third war was fought under King George II. His war was also against the French and Spanish. In Georgia, Oglethorpe managed to repulse Spanish attacks. In the north, New Englanders captured Louisbourg, a French fortress that controlled the St. Lawrence River. However, in the treaty ending the war, Britain returned the fortress in exchange for gains in India. This upset New Englanders.

The Seven Years’ War (French and Indian War)

In this war, fighting began in the colonies and spread into Europe. Britain and France recognized the importance of their colonies, and so they shipped lots of troops to the colonies rather than rely on colonial amateurs.

Beginning, Seven Years’ War

The French built a series of fortresses along the Ohio River Valley. This would halt westward growth of the British colonies.

The governor of Virginia wanted to stop Fort Duquesne from being built, so he sent a small army led by George Washington. Although Washington won the initial encounter, they soon had to surrender to the French forces and their Native American allies.

Another Virginian expedition led by General Edward Braddock also ended in defeat. The French attacked the frontier from Pennsylvania to North Carolina, and they repulsed a British invasion in Canada.

The Albany Plan of Union

The British government realized that union was necessary and called fro representatives from the colonies. The delegates of seven colonies met in Albany and adopted the plan, created by Ben Franklin.

It provided an intercolonial government and a system for recruiting troops and collecting taxes. However, the colonies did not like the taxation powers of a higher government, so the plan was not accepted.

The Albany Congress set a precedent for more revolutionary Congresses.

British Victory

The British focused on a strategy in conquering Canada. They were successful in retaking Louisbourg, Quebec, and Montreal.

European powers negotiated a peace treaty (the Peace of Paris) in 1763. Britain acquired both French Canada and Spanish Florida. France also gave Spain the Louisiana territory and claims west of the Mississippi in compensation for Spain’s loss of Florida.

Immediate Effects of the War

British extended their control in North America and the French were pushed out.

The Seven Years’ War established Britain as a naval power and the American colonies stopped suffering from French, Spanish, and allied Native American attacks.

British view v. Colonial view

The British thought poorly of colonial military abilities. They felt that colonists were poorly trained and disorderly. Some colonies also refused to contribute to the war effort.

Colonists were proud of their record in all four wars and were confident in their military. They disliked the British Generals’ leadership since their methods were not suited for American terrain.

Reorganization of the British Empire

There was a shift in the British government’s colonial policies. Before, the government did not interfere or enforce their navigation acts. **Salutary neglect** ended as the British became more forceful in policies.

All four wars had been extremely costly, and now Britain felt that it had to maintain a military force to guard the colonies. At home, British landowners pressured the government to lower taxes.

As a result, King George III and the Whigs in Parliament wanted the American colonies to pay for the costs.

Pontiac’s Rebellion

Chief Pontiac led a major attack against colonial settlements. Native Americans were angered by the westward movement of European settlers and poor treatment by the British. Pontiac’s alliance destroyed forts and settlements, and instead of relying on colonial forces to retaliate, the British sent British troops.

Proclamation of 1763

Prohibited colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains. The British government hoped that this would prevent future conflicts with the Native Americans. The colonists were upset by this because they felt that they had fought hard for that land. Thousands moved westward against the proclamation.

Sugar Act / Revenue Act (1764)

Placed duties on foreign sugar and certain luxuries to raise money for the crown.

A companion law also provided for enforcement of the Navigation Acts: those accused of smuggling had to face the court with no jury and crown-appointed judges.

Quartering Act (1764)

Required the colonists to provide food and living quarters for British soldiers stationed in the colonies.

Stamp Act (1665)

To raise funds to support British military forces in the colonies, the Stamp Act was enacted. It required that revenue stamps be placed on most printed paper, including legal documents, newspapers, pamphlets, and advertisements.

People in every colony disliked the Stamp Act. **Patrick Henry** demanded that the king’s government recognize the right to not be taxed without representation. **James Otis** initiated a call for cooperative action among the colonies to protest the Stamp Act.

Representatives from 9 states met to form the **Stamp Act Congress**. They argued that only their own elected representatives had the legal authority to approve taxes.

The protest became violence with the formation of the **Sons and Daughters of Liberty**. They would destroy revenue stamps, and feather and tar tax agents.

Boycotts were most effective in ending the Stamp Act. People stopped purchasing articles of British origin. London merchants soon pressured Parliament to repeal the act.

The colonists rejoiced at the news that the act would be repealed.

Declaratory Act (1766)

Asserted that Parliament had the right to tax and make laws for the colonies.

The Townshend Acts (1767)

Duties to be collected on colonial imports of tea, glass, and paper. Revenues would be payed to crown officials in the colonies. Provided for the search of private homes for smuggled goods; all needed to conduct a search was a **writ of assistance**, or a general license to search anywhere. It also suspended New York’s assembly.

At first, people accepted the tax because it was to be payed by merchants. However, people soon began protesting against them. John Dickinson wrote ***Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania*** which argued that Parliament could regulate commerce but duties were a form of taxation that could not be enforced without representation for the colonies.

James Otis and Samuel Adams wrote the **Massachusetts Circular Letter** and sent it to colonial legislature. It called for a petition to repeal the Townshend Acts. British officials ordered that the letter be retracted, threatened legislature, and increased the number of British troops in Boston.

Colonists, again, began boycotting British goods. Merchants also smuggled to avoid the duties.

Repeal of the Townshend Acts

The new minister urged Parliament to repeal the Townshend Acts because they damaged trade and generated little revenue. The repeal ended the boycott and there was a short break from conflict. The colonies entered an era of prosperity, though Britain kept a tax on tea as a symbol.

Boston Massacre

Most Bostonians resented the British troops in their city. One day, a group of colonials harassed the guards near the customs house. Guards fired into the crowd, killing 5 people.

During trial for murder, John Adams defended the soldiers and they were acquitted. Samuel Adams angrily called the shooting a “massacre” to rouse anti-British sentiments.

Committees of Correspondence

Created by Samuel Adams, the committee worked to show how British officials were undermining colonial liberties.

In Massachusetts, Adams became organizing committees that would exchange letters about suspicious British activities.

The Gaspee

A British customs ship caught several smugglers. A group of colonists disguised as Native Americans ordered the British crew ashore and burned the ship.

Boston Tea Party

Colonists boycotted British tea due to the tea tax. Parliament passed to Tea Act which made the price of the British East India Company’s tea even cheaper than smuggled Dutch tea, even with the tax.

Many Americans still refused to buy the tea because it would recognize the right to tax the colonies. One day, a groups of Bostonians disguised as Native American boarded a British tea ship and dumped 342 chests of tea into the harbor. Colonial reaction was mixed: some applauded it as a justifiable defense whereas others thought it was too radical.

Intolerable Acts

News of the Boston Tea Party angered Parliament. In retaliation, they enacted the Coercive acts and Quebec Act.

The Coercive Acts (1774)

The four Coercive Acts were meant to bring dissidents under control

* Port Act: closed the port of Boston until the destroyed tea was paid for
* Massachusetts Government Act: reduced the power of the Massachusetts legislature while increase the power of the royal governor
* Administration of Justice Act: allowed royal officials accused of crimes to be tried in Britain instead of the colonies
* Quartering Act expansion: enabled British troops to be quartered in private homes.

Quebec Act (1774)

Organized Canadian lands gained from France. Was accepted by most French Canadians but was disliked by colonists.

It…

* Established Roman Catholicism as the religion of Quebec
* Set up a government without a representative assembly
* Extended Quebec’s boundary to the Ohio River

Colonists viewed it as an attack on the colonies because it took away lands along the Ohio River. They also feared that Britain would enact similar laws on the colonies. They also didn’t like Catholics.

Philosophical Foundations of the American Revolution

Historically, Americans were loyal to their motherland. Things such as the Enlightenment gradually changed their opinions.

Enlightenment Ideas:

Many Enlightenment thinkers were Deists, who believed that God had created natural laws and that divine intervention was minimal. They were rational and emphasized science and respect.

Their political philosophy was derived from Lock and developed by **Jean-Jacques Rousseau**.