Module 4 Background to the American revolution

What treaty ended the French and Indian War?

The Treaty of Paris (1763) — it ended the war and gave Britain huge amounts of land from France and Spain.

What was another name for the French and Indian War?

The Seven Years’ War (1756–1763).

What were the main problems Britain faced after winning the war?

1. Too much new land

2. How to govern it

3. How to defend it

4. Problems with Native Americans

5. Protecting trade

6. Huge war debt (£133 million)

How much did Britain’s debt grow after the war?

From £74 million before the war to £133 million after — almost doubled.

What did George Macartney say about Britain’s empire after 1763?

He called it “this vast empire on which the sun never sets.”
It showed how large and powerful Britain had become.

Who led the Native American rebellion after the war?

Chief Pontiac of the Ottawa tribe.
The conflict is called Pontiac’s Uprising (1763–1766).

What caused Pontiac’s Uprising?

• British stopped giving gifts to Natives (seen as disrespect).

• More settlers moved into Native land.

• Tribes wanted to return to traditional life.

How many settlers were killed in Pontiac’s Uprising?

About 2,000 settlers.

What was the Proclamation of 1763???????

A law that banned colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains and forbade private land deals with Native Americans.

Why did Britain create the Proclamation of 1763?

To stop violence with Native Americans and control westward expansion.

How did colonists react to the Proclamation of 1763?

They were angry — it limited their freedom to move west and buy land.

What did the problems after 1763 lead to later?

They caused tension between Britain and the colonies, setting the stage for the American Revolution.

What did the Treaty of Paris (1763) give Britain?

• Canada from France

• Land east of the Mississippi River

• Florida from Spain
  Britain became the world’s strongest empire.

What law tried to stop colonists from settling west of the Appalachians?

Proclamation of 1763 — issued to prevent fights with Native Americans after Pontiac’s Rebellion.

What was the Sugar Act (1764)?

A tax on imported sugar and molasses to raise money to pay Britain’s war debt.

What was the Currency Act (1764)?

It banned colonies from printing their own money, forcing them to use British currency.

What was the Stamp Act (1765)?

Taxed paper products like newspapers, playing cards, and legal documents.
→ Colonists protested with “No taxation without representation!”

What did the Quartering Act (1765) require?

Colonists had to house and supply British soldiers stationed in the colonies.

What did the Declaratory Act (1766) state?

After repealing the Stamp Act, Britain declared it had the right to tax the colonies in all cases whatsoever.

What were the Townshend Acts (1767)?

Placed taxes on imported goods like glass, paper, paint, lead, and tea.
Allowed British officials to search homes (writs of assistance).
→ Colonists boycotted British goods.

What event happened because of anger over British troops in Boston?

Boston Massacre (1770) — British soldiers killed 5 colonists, including Crispus Attucks.

What act kept a small tax on tea after most Townshend taxes were repealed?

Tea Act (1773) — allowed the British East India Company to sell tea directly to colonies, cutting out colonial merchants.
→ Led to the Boston Tea Party.

What laws did Britain pass to punish Boston after the Tea Party?

Coercive Acts (1774) — called the Intolerable Acts by colonists.

• Closed Boston Harbor

• Strengthened the governor’s power

• Allowed British officials to be tried in England

• Brought back the Quartering Act.

What did the Quebec Act (1774) do?

Extended Canada’s borders south and allowed freedom of religion for Catholics.
Colonists saw it as a threat to their Protestant and democratic ideals.

What was the First Continental Congress (1774)?

Meeting of 12 colonies (except Georgia) to protest the Intolerable Acts.
They wrote the Declaration of Rights and Grievances and agreed to boycott British goods.

When and why did the Second Continental Congress meet?

May 1775 — after battles at Lexington and Concord.
They created the Continental Army and chose George Washington as commander.

Who protested the Stamp Act, and how?

• Sons of Liberty — organized boycotts and protests.

• Stamp Act Congress (Oct 1765) — met in New York with 27 delegates from 9 colonies.

• Declared that only colonial legislatures had the right to tax colonists.

What did “no taxation without representation” mean?

Colonists said Parliament couldn’t tax them because they had no elected representatives in Britain.
Britain replied with “virtual representation,” claiming Parliament represented everyone.

What was the Declaratory Act?

• Passed right after the Stamp Act was repealed.

• Said Parliament had full power to make laws and taxes for the colonies “in all cases whatsoever.”
  → Colonists saw it as proof Britain wouldn’t back down.

What did the Quartering Acts do?

• Colonies had to house and feed British soldiers.

• 1765 Act: public buildings and inns used for soldiers.

• 1774 Act: allowed using empty private buildings.

• Caused tension, especially in New York and Boston.

• Later inspired the 3rd Amendment (no soldiers in homes without consent).

Who was James Otis and what did he argue?

• Massachusetts lawyer.

• Fought against “writs of assistance” (open-ended search warrants).

• Said they violated people’s natural rights — no searches without cause.

What were the Townshend Acts and what did they tax?

• Proposed by Charles Townshend (Britain’s finance minister).

• Placed import taxes on glass, paper, paint, and tea.

• Lowered the tea tax to stop smuggling.

• Allowed open-ended search warrants to catch smugglers.

How did colonists react to the Townshend Acts?

• Strong boycotts of British goods.

• Argued that taxes and searches violated their rights.

• Increased tension with British troops stationed in cities like Boston.

What do the Sugar, Currency, Stamp, Declaratory, Quartering, and Townshend Acts all have in common?

They were British efforts to control and tax the colonies to pay war debt.
→ Colonists saw them as unfair and oppressive, uniting them against Britain and leading toward the American Revolution.

Who were the main people in this section?

• Charles Townshend – Created the Townshend Acts.

• James Otis – Opposed writs of assistance, defended colonists’ rights.

• Sons of Liberty – Protest group against the Stamp Act.

• Stamp Act Congress – Colonial leaders meeting to reject British taxes.

What major idea united colonists during these years?

That Britain had violated their rights as English citizens by taxing them without representation and by sending troops to control them.

Who wrote Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania (1767)?

John Dickinson — a Philadelphia lawyer.

What did John Dickinson argue in Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania?

Parliament could regulate trade but had no right to tax colonists to raise revenue without their consent.

What was the Massachusetts Circular Letter (1768)?

A letter written by Samuel Adams and James Otis protesting the Townshend Acts, saying colonists couldn’t be taxed without representation.

What did the British governor do after the Massachusetts legislature refused to take back the Circular Letter?

He dissolved the legislature, which led to public protests and more British troops sent to Boston.

How did Virginia respond to the Massachusetts Circular Letter?

The Virginia House of Burgesses declared that only they had the legal right to tax Virginians, not Parliament.

Who were the Sons and Daughters of Liberty?

Colonial groups who organized boycotts of British goods using “nonimportation” and “nonconsumption.”

What was the impact of the boycotts on British trade?

British trade dropped by 30–40%, showing the boycotts were effective.

What did Charleston, South Carolina, decide in its 1769 boycott?

They refused to import or sell slaves, showing strong unity against Britain.

What happened during the Boston Massacre (March 5, 1770)?

British soldiers fired into a crowd of colonists who were throwing snowballs and taunting them — 5 died and 6 were wounded.

Who was Crispus Attucks?

A sailor of African and Native American descent, the first person killed in the Boston Massacre — later seen as the first martyr of the Revolution.

Who defended the British soldiers in court after the Boston Massacre?

John Adams, who argued for a fair trial.

• Most soldiers were acquitted, and two were branded “M” for manslaughter.

What did John Adams say about the Boston Massacre?

He said that “the foundation of American Independence was laid” that night.

Who made the famous engraving of the Boston Massacre?

Paul Revere — his artwork showed British troops firing deliberately into the crowd, spreading anti-British anger.

Who was Phillis Wheatley?

An enslaved African woman in Boston, educated by her owners.

• First Black woman to publish a book of poetry (Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, 1773).

What themes did Phillis Wheatley write about?

Christian faith, equality, and redemption for all people.

• In her poem “On Being Brought from Africa to America,” she said that Black people could be saved and join the “angelic train.”

What was the British response to the unrest in Boston?

Sent more troops to keep order — which made tensions worse and helped cause the Boston Massacre.

What did the protests and writings from 1767–1770 lead to?

They helped unite the colonies, spread ideas about liberty and rights, and prepared the way for the American Revolution.

What were the Townshend Duties and what happened to them in 1770?

Taxes on imported goods like glass, paper, and tea. In April 1770, all were repealed except the tea tax, to show Parliament still had the right to tax the colonies.

Why did Britain keep the tax on tea?

To prove its authority and because of pressure from the British East India Company, which had a monopoly on tea sales.

What was the Gaspée Affair (1772)?

Colonists in Rhode Island burned a British customs ship, the Gaspée, after it ran aground.
No one cooperated with British investigations — showing colonial resistance.

Who wrote “Rules by Which a Great Empire May be Reduced to a Small One” and what was it about?

Benjamin Franklin wrote it in 1773 as a satire mocking British taxation policies, warning that unfair taxes would destroy the empire.

What was the Tea Act of 1773?

A law to help the East India Company by selling cheaper, legal tea to the colonies to stop smuggling.
Colonists still resisted because of the tax on tea.

What happened at the Boston Tea Party (December 16, 1773)?

About 100–150 colonists, dressed as Mohawk warriors, dumped 342 chests of tea (worth $1.7 million today) into Boston Harbor in protest of the Tea Act.

What did John Adams say about the Boston Tea Party?

He called it “the most magnificent movement of all” and said it marked an epoch in history.

Who was the British Prime Minister at the time of the Tea Party?

Frederick, Lord North, who punished Massachusetts with strict laws afterward.

What were the Coercive Acts (1774) and what did colonists call them?

A set of four laws to punish Boston; colonists called them the Intolerable Acts.

Name the four Coercive (Intolerable) Acts and what they did.

1. Boston Port Act – Closed Boston Harbor until tea was repaid.

2. Massachusetts Government Act – Limited colonial self-government.

3. Administration of Justice Act – British officials tried in England.

4. Quartering Act – Colonists had to house British soldiers.

What was the Quebec Act (1774) and why did it anger colonists?

Extended Quebec to the Ohio River, allowed French law and Catholicism, and gave the Crown full control over officials.
Colonists saw it as a threat to their land and religion.

How did colonists respond to the Intolerable Acts?

Formed the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia (September 1774) to discuss their rights and possible action.

Which colonies and delegates attended the First Continental Congress?

12 colonies (all except Georgia).
Famous delegates: John Adams, Samuel Adams, George Washington, Patrick Henry, John Jay, Richard Henry Lee, Roger Sherman, John Dickinson.

What was the Declaration of Rights and Grievances (1774)?

A document from the First Continental Congress declaring that only the people’s elected representatives had the right to tax them.

What did the First Continental Congress decide before ending?

Called for a Second Continental Congress to meet in May 1775 if Britain didn’t change its policies.

What happened between the two Congresses?

The Battles of Lexington and Concord (April 19, 1775) — the first battles of the American Revolution.

What did the Second Continental Congress do?

Created the Continental Army on June 14, 1775, and made George Washington its commander.