The Road to the Revolutionary War

Key Concepts

  • Collect taxes without colonial representation

  • Imperial authority

Proclamation Line of 1763

  • With the defeat of France, colonists felt free to move west

  • King George prohibits this

  • Britain couldn’t enforce this law, colonists began settling in new territory

Navigation Acts

  • Define

    • Laws that restricted trade within the British Colonies (restricts colonial movement)

  • Why the change in British policy?

    • Britain needed money, so they began to enforce these laws and tax goods coming into the 13 colonies

Sugar Tax, 1764

  • Define

    • An act passed by the British parliament that imposed a tax on sugar and molasses to eliminate smuggling from the Dutch and French West Indies and to bring in money after the war

  • Colonial issue against this act

    • British continue to raise taxes and enforce strict customs enforcement into colonies from non-British Caribbean sources

    • Colonists were making a lot of money without any British interference

      • Incomes were hindered, colonists were obviously mad and didn’t support the Sugar Tax

Stamp Act, 1765

  • Tax on legal documents, paper, newspapers, playing cards, licences, etc.

  • Money collected used to help pay the costs of troops defending the American colonists

    • England has stationed 10,000 troops during the Seven Years’ War (EXPENSIVE!)

Townsend Acts, 1767

  • After repeal of Stamp and Sugar Act, British tried to raise revenue and assert imperial authority over the colonies

  • New taxes placed on paper, glass, lead, and tea (tea was most common drink in the colonies)

  • Colonists protested!!

Virtual Representation

  • Define

    • British lawmaking → theory of “Virtual Representation”

      • British legislators make decisions for colonists (colonists don’t have much of a say)

  • Colonists’ opposition

    • Identify as American, believe they have same rights as Englishmen

    • Fell back on old traditions (Salutary Neglect, Great Awakening, Enlightenment)

      • Argued that British legislating for colonies was tyranny

Colonial Response to Townshend Acts

  • Boycotts

    • Symbol of British resistance led by women called “Daughters of Liberty”

    • Boycotted British goods, like tea, sugar, all things that had a tax placed on them

British seize the Liberty

  • John Hancock

    • Wealthy merchant in Boston

      • Opposed British Tax laws

    • Owned a ship and was smuggling goods in and out of colonies

    • Ship was seized by British custom officials

      • Bostonians were angered by this; formed an angry mob and rioted. Attacked a custom official, broke windows of other officials’ homes

        • King George sent 4000 British troops to Boston to prevent future riots

Boston Massacre

  • British troops stationed in Boston to try to keep peace; townspeople viewed them as threats

  • March 5, 1770; a young apprentice shouted an insult at a British soldier → soldier hit apprentice in the ear with the butt of his rifle

    • Angry mob formed and started throwing snow and ice at soldiers

    • British fired into rowdy crowd, killing four and injuring six

Economic downturn/Boycott/Change in policy

  • 1770s → Colonial Elite couldn’t afford to continue with nonimportation agreements

  • British imports eventually made their way back into everyday life, boycott was dead

  • Townshend Act repealed; only tea was now taxed

  • British troops removed

Boston Tea Party

  • British East India Company was struggling financially due to boycotts

    • King George allowed for the sale of tea untaxed so colonists would buy it

      • Forced colonist tea merchants out of buisness

  • December 16, 1773: Sons of Liberty, disguised as Native Americans, destroyed entire supply of tea sent to Boston from East India Company

    • Took nearly 3 hours and 100 colonists to empty tea into harbor

    • Over 90,000lbs — translates to about $1,000,000 today of tea wasted

Characteristics of Colonial Rebellion

  • All groups of Colonial society, embodied a much greater working class presence

  • Prone to more direct physical actions (tarring and feathering, intimidation of royal officials, destruction of property)

  • Boston Massacre and Boston Tea Party- examples of public defiance

  • Women were critical to the success of boycotts

  • Production of handmande alternatives to imported British goods was a political statement

  • Boycotts required discipline from all members of society in order to be successful

Crown’s Response to Boston Tea Party

  • Boston Harbor

    • Boston Harbor was shut down, even more restrictions placed on colonists

  • Quatering Act

    • Colonists required to house and supply British soldiers

  • Town Meetings

    • Town meetings outlawed, allowed governor to appoint council members who had been previously elected

  • Marital Law

    • Boston under rule of military forces

Quebec Act, 1774

  • Extended southern border of Quebec to Ohio River

  • Granted legal toleration to Roman Catholic Church of Canada

    • Colonists convinced Britain was trying to strengthen Catholicism

      • Feared religious and political tyranny

Colonists React and Organize

  • Committees of Correspondence

    • MA and VA set up committees to communicate with other colonies about British government

      • Made up of leaders in colonies

      • Discussed threats and shared stories concerning restrictions on American liberty

  • Intimidation

    • Elaborate network of committees

    • Opposition spread

First Continental Congress

  • 1774 → colonies sent representatives to Philly (except GA)

  • Delegates declared boycott of all British goods

  • Petitioned King to correct all of their grievances

British attempts to contain the rebellion

  • Seize Weapons- success?

    • April 1775, 700 British troops march from Boston to Concord to confiscate illegal weapons

      • Patriot colonials already knew this was going to happen weeks in advance → moved most weaponry to other locations

        • SUCCESS

  • Lexington and Concord

    • April 19, 1775 → minutemen waiting in Lexington

      • British troops entered town, standoff and shots fired. Colonists outnumbered, fell back

    • British troops continued to Concord; arsenal of weapons was gone when they arrived!

  • March back to Boston

    • Minutemen assulted and massacred British troops

      • Used hit and run strategy: attacked from woods alongside road

      • 90 soldiers dead, 174 wounded

  • Second Continental Congress

    • Following Lexington and Concord, Second Continental Congress met and took charge of war effort

Immediate effects of Lexington and Concord

  • News quickly spread through colonies

    • May 1775, militiamen surrounded Fort Ticonderoga, NY and forced it to surrender

    • Following winter, weapons were brought to Boston

  • Two months after Lexington and Concord → British dislodged colonial militiamen at Breed’s Hill, many casualties (known as Bunker Hill)

  • Second Continental Congress authorized raising of an army, printed money to pay for war

    • Appointed Geroge Washington as commander

Ideological causes of American War of Independence

  • Colonists had a fear of government power

  • Colonists believed in natural rights

  • Before Revolution, many non-British immigrants came to colonies, many of them didn’t take side of British

  • The Great Awakening- religious movement which encouraged people to question authority and enjoy equality of one another

    • Played a key role in development of democratic concepts

    • Helped create a belief in the equality of man