The Deep Roots of Revolution

• The war could have had lasted for 8 years but a sense of independence had begun to develop amongst the colonists due to England being over 3,000 miles away

• Sailing across the Atlantic in a ship took 6-8 weeks

• Survivors of the war felt physically and spiritually separated from Europe

• Many colonists started to think of themselves as American

Mercantilism and Colonial Grievances

• Georgia was the only colony out of the original 13 that was formally planted by the British government

• Britain embraced the theory of mercantilism to justify their control of the colonies

• A country’s economic wealth should be measured by the amount of gold or silver it has in its treasury

  • To accumulate gold and silver, a country needs to export more than it imports and basically have a favorable balance of trade

  Countries with colonies were at an advantage as the colonies could supply the mother country with raw materials, wealth, supplies, a market for selling manufactured goods, and so on and for America

  • This meant giving Britain all the ships, ships’ stores, sailors, and trade that they both needed and wanted

• The Navigation Laws were the most famous of laws that enforced mercantilism

  • The first Navigation Law was enforced in 1650 and was aimed at rival Dutch shippers who were trying to partake in American shipping

  • The Navigation laws restricted commerce from the colonies to England and back (nothing else)

The Merits and Menace of Mercantilism

• The merits of mercantilism were that while they were hated, until 1763, they weren’t enforced as much, which had led to widespread smuggling

• Disadvantages of mercantilism included that Americans couldn’t buy, sell, ship, or manufacture under their most favorable conditions

• Theodore Roosevelt later went on to say, “Revolution broke out because England failed to recognize an emerging nation when it saw one.”

The Stamp Tax Uproar

• Britain had a huge debt after the Seven Years’ War and felt that Americans should pay off one-third of the cost as the Redcoats had been used for American protection

• The Sugar Act of 1764 was enforced with it increasing duty on foreign sugar import from the West Indies

• The Quartering Act of 1765 required colonies to provide food and quarters for British troops, adding to negative opinions of the British in American minds

• A stamp tax was imposed in 1765, to raise money for the new military force

  • Americans felt that they had been unfairly taxed especially since the tax act had been passed in a British Parliament in which they, Americans, had no representation: “No taxation without representation!”

Forced Repeal the Stamp Act

• Representatives from 9 of the 12 colonies met to discuss the Stamp Tax in 1765 in New York city

• The colonists agreed to boycott supplies from Britain until the act was repealed

• The Sons and Daughters of Liberty took the law into their own hands, an turned to violence to get their message across

• Parliament repealed the Stamp Act in 1766 but passed the Declaratory Act which proclaimed that Parliament possessed the right “to bind” the colonies “in all cases whatsoever”

The Townshend Tea Tax and the Boston “Massacre”

• Charles Townshend persuaded Parliament to pass the Townshend Acts in 1767

  • The Townshend Acts acts put light taxes on lead, paint, paper, and tea with them being repealed later, except tea

• Tea started to be smuggled and in order to enforce the law, the British had to send troops to America

• On March 5, 1770, a crowd of about 60 townspeople in Boston were harassing ten redcoats which led to the Boston Massacre

The Seditious Committees of Correspondence

• The colonies set up Committees of Correspondence to spread propaganda and keep the rebellious mood

• The committees of Correspondence was a network of letter-writers and forerunner of the Continental Congress

• The first committee was started by Samuel Adams and were the key to keeping the spirit of revolution going

Tea Brewing in Boston

• The British East India Company, overburdened with 17 million pounds of unsold tea was facing bankruptcy in 1773 leading to the British deciding to sell it to the Americans

• On December 16, 1773, some Whites, led by Samuel Adams, disguised themselves as Indians and opened 342 chests and dumped the tea into the ocean (“Boston Tea Party”) with people in Annapolis doing the same and also burnt the ships to water level

  • Reactions from the tea duming ranged from approval to outrage to disapproval

Parliament Passes the “Intolerable Acts”

• Parliament passed the “Intolerable Acts” in 1774, to punish the colonies, especially Massachusetts

• The Boston Port Act closed the harbor in Boston

• Self-government was limited through putting a limitation on town hall meetings without approval

• The charter to Massachusetts was revoked

• The Quebec Act guaranteed Catholicism to the French-Canadians, allowed them to retain their old customs, and extended the old boundaries of Quebec all the way to the Ohio River

Bloodshed

• The Continental Congress met to discuss problems in September of 1774

• The Continental Congress didn't want independence yet, and instead came up with a list of grievances which were ignored by Parliament

• 12 of the 13 colonies met, with the exception of Georgia at the Congress and came up with a Declaration of Rights

• The Continental Congress agreed to meet again in 1775 if nothing happened.

• In April 1775, the British commander in Boston sent a detachment of troops to nearby Lexington and Concord to seize supplies and to capture Sam Adams and John Hancock

• Minutemen pushed the Redcoats back with shots being fired and war breaking out

Imperial Strength and Weaknesses

• Britain had a heavy advantage with its larger population, wealth, and superior navy

  • Many British men had no desire to kill their American cousins

  • English Whigs at first supported America and felt that if George III won, then his rule of England might become tyrannical.

  • Britain’s generals were second-rate, and its men were brutally treated

  • Provisions were often scarce

• Britain was fighting a war 3,000 miles away from home

• America was expansive with there being no capital to capture that could cripple the country

American Pluses and Minuses

• Americans had great leaders like George Washington and Ben Franklin and had indirect and secret French aid in the form of guns, supplies, gunpowder, and such as the French

• Colonials were fighting in a defensive manner and were self-sustaining

  • Americans enjoyed the moral advantage in fighting for a just cause but were lacking in unity

• Jealousy was prevalent, as colonies resented the Continental Congress’ attempt at exercising power

• Americans had little money and didn’t have a navy

A Thin Line of Heroes

• American army was desperately in need of clothing, wool, wagons to ship food, and other supplies

  • Many American soldiers had received rudimentary training

• By the end of war more than 5,000 blacks had enlisted

  • African-Americans also served on the British side

• Americans won due to a select few throwing themselves wholly into the cause