Chapter 7 - The Road to Revolution (1763-1775)
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| 934121432 | John Hancock | Rebel ring leader. 1775 - British commander in Boston sent troops to nearby Lexington and Concord to seize stores of colonial gunpowder and to bag the rebel ringleaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock "Lexington Massacre" British had to fight of fire from militiamen crouched behind stone walls | |
| 934121433 | George Grenville | British Prime Minister - 1763 - ordered British Navy to enforce navigation laws. Imposed the Sugar Act, Quartering Act and Stamp Act In response to "taxation without representation" protest, he said that all Americans - even colonists - were represented in Parliament. | |
| 934121434 | Sam Adams | From Boston - John Adams cousin Unimpressive in appearance - hands shook Loved politics Appealed to mobs Organized local committees of correspondence Spread the spirit of resistance by interchanging letters. Kept alive opposition to British policy Some felt they were very negative | |
| 934121435 | Crispus Attucks | One of first citizens to die in Boston Massacre. Powerfully built "mulatto" runaway Leader of the mob of colonists against the British soldiers | |
| 934121436 | Marquis de Laffayette | Wealthy young French nobleman Made a major general in Colonial Army Helped secure aid from France 19 years old | |
| 934121437 | Baron von Steuben | German born Stern leader of the Colonial Army Spoke no English when he arrived Trained the soldiers | |
| 934121438 | Hessians | Germans who were hired by British to be soldiers in British Army Britain had a professional army of 50,000 men American army not as large But British army had to be concerned w/Ireland and France | |
| 934121439 | Mercantilism | Wealth is power and a county's economic wealth and political power can be measured by the amt of gold and silver in it's treasury. To amass gold/silver - must export more than is imported. The colonies gave an advantage - could supply raw materials to mother country -reduce need to import and guarantee a market for export. | |
| 934121440 | Stamp Act | Prime Minister George Grenville first aroused the resentment of the colonists in 1763 by ordering British Navy to begin strictly enforcing navigation laws. Also secured sugar act of 1764 - first law ever passed by that body for raising tax revenue in the colonies for the crown. | |
| 934121441 | 1765 - stamp tax - | - to raise new revenues to support new military force. Mandated the use of stamped paper or affixing stamps certifying payment of tax. Stamps were required on bills of sale for about 50 trade items as well as on certain types of commercial and legal docs Playing cards, pamphlets, marriage licenses, bills of lading, newspapers, diplomas Grenville simply asking Americans to pay fair share of their defense through taxes already familiar in Britain. Stamp tax in Britain was heavier Colonists aroused at Grenvilles' fiscal aggression. Offenders were tried in courts where there were no juries Defendants assumed GUILTY unless they could prove they were innocent | |
| 934121442 | - Townshend Acts | light import duty on glass, white lead, paper, paint and tea indirect customs duty payable at American ports - unlike the Stamp Act - collected differently ocolonists still upset b/c it was taxation w/o representation. Tax on tea was especially bothersome Approx 1 million people drank tea twice a day Funds raised by these taxes were to pay royal governors and judges in America. | |
| 934121443 | - Boston Massacre | March , 1770 60 townspeople set upon a squad of 10 British soldiers (redcoats) under extreme provocation, troops opened fire and killed or wounded eleven "innocent" citizens. | |
| 934121444 | - Stamp Act Congress | brought together in NYC 27 distinguished delegates from 9 colonies members drew up a statement of their rights and grievances and asked the king and parliament to repeal the repugnant legislation largely ignored in England. Ripples began to erode suspicions - brought together around same table leaders from rival colonies Step toward colonial unity More effective than congress was the wide spread adoption against import of British goods. When Act was to go into effect, there was no one to enforce it | |
| 934121445 | - Virtual representation | o Theory that Americans WERE represented in Parliament even though they did not live in Britain. o British denied that sovereign power could not be divided between legislative power in London and taxing authority in America - the Colonists had to consider their own political independence. | |
| 934121446 | - Sons of Liberty | • Took law into their own hands when protesting against British Acts • Sometimes violent • "Liberty, Property and No Stamps" o the enforced the non-importation agreements against violators often with tar and feathers. | |
| 934121447 | - Boston Tea Party | o British official stubbornly refused to turn away - tried to deliver the tea. • Mass governor Thomas Hutchinson was determined not to budge - thought colonists had not right to disregard the tea tax • Dec 16, 1773 - Colonists disguised as Indians boarded the ships and smashed open 342 chests and dumped the contents into Boston harbor. | |
| 934121448 | - Intolerable Acts | o 1774 - series of acts designed to punish Boston in particular, Massachusetts in general. • Boston Port Act - closed the Boston harbor until damage could be repaired o Many of the rights of Mass. were swept away • Restrictions on town meetings. • Soldiers who killed colonial citizens were sent to Britain for trial • Colonists skeptical of this - didn't think • the soldiers would actually be tried | |
| 934121449 | - Quebec Act | o Passed at same time as intolerable acts • Good law in bad company • How to govern the French subjects it had taken in Canada o French guaranteed religion o Permitted to retain many old customs • No trial by jury • French Canadians thought it was a shrewd and conciliatory (to pacify or appease) measure. • Americans did not like the act o Feared that it set a dangerous precedent against jury trials o Feared it would allow Catholicism to spread | |
| 934121450 | - Divisions among the colonists regarding support for the Revolution | o States believed they were sovereign - independent of each other • Resented Congress exercise of its powers. • Economic issues • Metal money had been eheavily drained away o Had to print money o Money had no value • inflation | |
| 934121451 | - The importance and role of the first Continental Congress | • Consider ways of addressing Colonial grievances. • 12 of 13 colonies were there - not Georgia o 75 men attended o 7 weeks o Intercolonial frictions were reduced - men socialized with each other • Not legislative - rather it was consultative o Convention rather than a Congress • John Adams played key role - helped defeat the proposal by moderates which would have had America exist as a nation which ruled itself under British direction. • Most significant action - creation of The Association o Called for complete boycott of British goods • Nonimportation, nonexportation, nonconsumption • But, not yet calling for independence | |
| 934121452 | - Ways the colonists resisted the varying British acts passed prior to the Revolution | o Stamp act drew most furious fire of colonists o Americans Protested • "no taxation without representation" • Americans made a distinction between legislation and taxation • Only their own elected officials could tax them • Not distant British • Boycotted items • Didn't eat lamb chops • Didn't buy cloth • Stopped importing items from Britain • Non-importation hit Britain hard o Shippers suffered o Hundreds of laborers were thrown out of work | |
| 934121453 | - Reasons why the independence of the 13 colonies was inevitable | o London govt o asked colonies to shoulder some of the financial cost of the empire. Change in British financial policy o European immigrants wanted to claim land as their own - not as willing to accept their lowly station in life as people living in the old world - not as much history in the new land o Britain said they could not split legis power in London and taxing power in Colonies |
