6.11-7.3 APUSH American Pageant

What emerged as a result of the French and Indian War?

Immense debt from Britain’s side, British officials wanted Americans to pay since most of their money was burnt on troops for the colonies.

Prime Minister Grenville

Planned to gain profit from colonies through strictly enforcing Navigation Laws and enforcing the Sugar Act (raising tax revenue in the colonies through foreign sugar imports)

Protests eventually killed off Sugar Act, even though Grenville considered these acts were just

Quartering Act

Certain colonies had to provide food and quarters for British troops

Stamp Tax

Raised revenues to support military force, mandated use of stamped paper to certify tax

Why were these acts seen as “just”

They were paying a fair share of the costs for their defense, and taxes were already familiar in Britain for various generations

Admiralty courts

Another Grenville addition that took away the natural rights of colonists, courts where defendants had to prove they were innocent and had no jury

What did colonists believe in? (government power wise)

Colonists believed “no taxation without representation”
Made a distinction between legislation and taxation (Parliament could legislate them but not impose taxes)

Grenville government views

Dismissed the protests, saying Parliament power was supreme and undivided and Americans were virtually represented in Parliament

Stamp Act Congress

Assembly near New York City where delegates from 9 colonies drew up statement of rights and grievances, made little splash but brought people together

Nonimportation agreements

Homespun garments become fashionable, united people and ordinary men and women could participate

Women assembled in public to make homespun cloth

What happened as a result of nonimportation agreements

Merchants, manufacturers, and shippers suffered and many laborer thrown out of work, causing eventual repeal of thesse acts

Sons/Daughters of Liberty

Mobs that enforced nonimportation agreements against violators and ransacked houses of officials

Stamp agents were intimidated and resigned, law was nullified

Declaratory Act

Reaffirmed Parliament’s right to bind the colonies “in all cases whatsoever”

Gave them the right to legislate and tax over these colonies

Charles Townshend

Controlled British ministry, drunkard but gave brilliant speeches.

Aimed to tax colonists while avoiding conflicts

Townshend Acts

New acts with an import duty on glass, white lead, paper, paint, and tea

Hoped to expand taxation through indirect custom duties, restless colonists still complained

What else did the Townshend Acts accomplish?

Paid the salaries of royal governors and judges in America, Americans became extra suspicious and thought the acts were to (control them)

London government suspended legislature of NY for failure to comply with Quartering Act

What revived after the Townshend Acts

Nonimportation agreements, although less effective

Tax taken less seriously (Light, indirect, and easily avoided through smuggling)

How did the British react to the chaotic crowd?

Sent in troops in Boston (drunken and profane), colonists mocked these redcoats unmercifully

Boston Massacre

March 5 1770, people began throwing snowballs at ten redcoats, trying to protest the death of an 11 year old boy

Troops provoked, shot and killed/wounded 11 people

Crispus Attucks

First boy to die, was a leader of a mob

Consequences of the Massacre

Both parties were to blame

John Adams served as a defense attorney for the soldiers, two red coats guilty of manslaughter while others released with a tap on the wrist

King George III

A good man but a bad ruler due to his stubbornness and lust for power

Surrounded himself with “yes men” and attempted to assert power on colonies

Effects of Townshend Acts

Produced more turmoil than revenue, (spent more than earned)

Eventually repealed but the tea tax remained

Samuel Adams

Related to John Adams, lived for politics and was a master in propaganda and rebellion

Ultrasensitive to violations of colonial rights, appealed to his “trained mob”

Committees of Correspondence

Organized by Sam Adams, this inspired more creations around towns in MA

Function was to spread resistance spirit by exchanging letters and spread hate to British policy (British saw this as “the foulest/venomous serpent from the egg of sedition)

How were the colonies feeling in reality?

Nothing happened to make the rebellion inevitable

Nonimportation agreements were weakening and people paid taxes because it was still cheaper than smuggled tea

British East India Company

Had unsold tea and facing bankruptcy, ministry awarded it a monopoly on tea business

American tea drinkers (despite lower prices) cried again, saw this as bait to swallow into the detested tax.

What happened to the British East India Company as a result?

Not a single chest of tea shipped from the company reached a consumer’s hands

Many colonists in NY and Philadelphia forced the ships to go back to England without selling, Marylanders burned the ships and protested, SC officials seized the tea after merchants refused to sell

Thomas Hutchinson

Already felt the fury of the mob from the Stamp Tax, despite also believing the tea tax was unjust he believed it was worse to defy the law

ordered ships to not leave until they released all cargo, exposed by enemies to believing in suppressing colonial liberties for the common good.

What did the people do to Thomas Hutchinson

He was ransacked and vandalized and left Boston to never return.

Boston Tea Party

Bostonians disguised as Indians docked the ships and dumped 342 chests of tea into the Atlantic

Many people watched as the harbor became a teapot and sympathetic colonists applauded but many conservatives that this violated the law and could cause anarchy

How did Parliament respond?

Passed a series of acts designed to control Boston and Massachusetts “the massacre of American liberty”

Boston Port Act

Closed the tea-stained harbor until damages were paid or consequences were inflicted

Intolerable Acts

The name colonists gave these acts, quickly swept away rights and placed restrictions on town meetings and quartering was brought back

People who killed colonists got off scot-free from a trial in Britain

Quebec Act

A good law in bad company, French were guaranteed Catholic religion and retained customs and institutions (still no trial by jury)

Boundaries of Quebec extended to Ohio River

How did Americans view this

Although good for the Canadians, it showed Britain can easily take away their trial by jury

Alarmed people as they were granted more land, aroused anti-Catholic due to Protestant lands being taken over, may angered over this gain of “popery”

What happened when Boston Port Act initiated?

Flags at half mast and sister colonies like South Carolina shipped in food

First Continental Congress

Meeting in Philadelphia to fix colonial grievances

had many men from 12 colonies, worked together to unite and converse.

John Adams

Helped defeat any favor toward British direction, influenced the creation of papers to the king and British people like Declaration of Rights

The Association

Called for complete boycott of all British goods, wanted to return to happy days before parliamentary taxation

How were tensions boiling in America?

Parliament rejected the petitions, Association was taken very seriously and men began to drill for battles, clash was imminent

General Gage

The general in charge for the beginning of the war, desperately wanted to suppress the revolution in Boston/Massachusetts

lexington and Concord

British troops sent to seize stores of gunpowder and artillery while capturing rebel leaders like Sam Adams and John Hancock

Killed the unprepared “Minute Men” at Lexington but were pushed into Concord where they were forced to retreat. The war was on

How did King George improve the army?

Already had a professional army but hired Hessians (foreign German soldiers), Loyalists, and Indians

Still weaker than they seemed, due to the lack of a strong leader (defeated by Irish and French)

English Whig Factions

Cheered for American victories, believed that battle for British freedom was fought in America

If George III won, rule may become tyrannical

Difficulties in British army

many generals were incapable while the soldiers were mistreated

Supplies rancid and rotten, distances caused delays and uncertainties

Why were Americans not angry about losses?

Traded time for space, cities being taken were negligible and army was training

Revolutionary Advantages

had great leaders like Washington, Ben Franklin and even help from France through Marquis de Lafayette (great general who had political connections) and other European pay-hunters

Fought defensively

American Army Organization

Very messy, lacked in coordination similar to the bickering in the Continental Congress

Jealousy boiled up between soldiers due to leader appointments and colonies charged each other for not contributing to the war

Economic Difficulties

Inescapable, money became rare so paper money was printed in great amounts

Eventually depressed

What did the inflation of the currency cause?

Families were hard hit, husbands deserted

Debtors acquired worthless money and paid debts.

Why were military supplies scarce?

Men needed weapons for training and they usually relied on Britain for supplies, costs of defense mounted.

Relied on French to sustain war efforts

What were some other shortages?

Troops in Pennsylvania froze and went without food, many people down south also fainted due to lack of food

Manufactured goods including clothing were scarce, many troops were nearly naked

How were individual militiamen?

They were poorly trained and too chickened to face off against British troops

Women in Revolution

Many maintained farms and businesses

Camp followers: Accompanied army to cook and sew for them in order to get cash and rtations

How were these “ill-disciplined” militiamen trained?

Whipped by stern drillmasters
Baron Von Steuben: Came from German but taught men to be violent, performed exceptionally well against Brits

Blacks for Revolutionaries

Fought and died for American cause, many were free blacks or slaves bribed and forced into war by planters

Fought in important wars and became military heroes or prominent cooks, drivers, and more

british Africans

Lord Dunmore issued proclamation promising freedom to enlisted Africans, many came to British army and evacuated as Black Loyalists to Nova Scotia, Jamaica, England

How was morale eroding?

American profiteers sold British weapons and avoided helping their army

Washington never had 20000 effective troops at once even with bounties.

Only a few people were dedicated to risk for defeat.

Second Continental Congress

Full 13 colonies represented and strong, wanted to draft new appeals to Britain but also to raise money and establish an army and navy

George Washington

Tall dignified planter who had experience as a colonel, more of a moral genius than a military genius. (selection was political)

Chosen by the 2nd Continental Congress, was patient and self-disciplined, became a great leader

How were the clash of arms “contradictory”?

Americans were trying to mend the relationships but on the other hand they were shooting down troops from Britain

How did the tempo of the battle increase?

Capture of Fort Ticonderoga: Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold captured British garrisons at upper New York, store of gunpowder and artillery secured

Battle of Bunker Hill

Known as Breed’s Hill at the time, captured by colonists and menaced enemy in Boston

British blundered bloodily and launched an attack, causing a bunch of casualties but became the technical winners (colonists ran out of supplies)

What happened to General Gage?

He was fired for the embarrassing amount of losses during his campaign

Olive Branch Petition

Professed loyalty to the crown and begged to prevent hostilities

How did King George III prevent peace

Rebels were now treason-convicts, punishable by hanging

Hired German troops (Hessians) from profit-seeking Germans to defeat colonists, shocked the colonists

hessians

Proved to be good soldiers but on paper, many were more interested in profit

Many were seduced by land and eventually deserted to become American citizens

Why did rebels want to invade Canada?

Wanted to add a 14th colony while depriving the British of a base

Thought French were willing to strike back

Fate of Canadian revolt

Was more offensive, narrowly missed success

Richard Montgomery captured Montreal and went to Quebec with Arnold’s messy army, eventually killed and armies forced to retreat

Why did French not involve themselves?

Had no interests to welcome the anti-Catholic invaders

What were some victories that lead to independence?

North: British were forced to evacuate from Boston, taking them away

South: Although British set fire to Norfolk in Virginia, colonists eventually won against Loyalists in North Carolina and an invading fleet in Charleston