The Empire in Transition The Thirteen Colonies in 1763 1

The Empire in Transition

The Thirteen Colonies in 17631

New Imperialism

• King George III– Political Blunders

• Standing armies

• George Grenville– Sugar Act (1764)

• Lowers excise tax on foreign molasses

• Increased enforcement• Admiralty Courts

– Mutiny Act (1765)

New Imperialism

• Currency Act (1764)• Targeting Virginia

– Virginia war bonds– inflation

• Only Great Britain can create currency

• Impacted other colonies• All taxes paid in British

legal tender

Stamp Act

• Revenue• February 1765

– Tax all paper goods: contracts, playing cards, books, etc.

• “Virtual Representation” – “constituent

representation”

• Repealed March 1766

Colonial Responses

• Pamphlet War• Public sphere• Patrick Henry

– Self-taxation

• Doc. 27

Stamp Act Congress (Oct. 1765)• 9 of 13• Declaration of Rights and

Grievances (John Dickinson of PA)

• 12 Resolves– External Tax– Internal Tax

• Taxes: “gifts of the people”

• Correspondence networks

Non-Importation Agreements• New York, Albany,

Philadelphia, Boston– National Strike

• Dec. 1765– Most stamped paper

destroyed– Act defeated

• Grenville replaced– 300K pound sterling lost

• Declaratory Act (1766)

Crowd Reaction to Stamp Act

• “Crowd Action”• Boston (Port city)• Sons of Liberty

– Bankrolled by J. Hancock

• Effigy• August 1765

– Thomas Hutchinson

• Doc. 29

The Tory’s Day of Judgment (Library of Congress)

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The Empire in Transition

• Townshend Crisis (1767)

• Mutiny Act– New York, Boston

• Duties on imported goods (luxury items)– Governor’s salaries

• Boycott of British goods– Nonimportation

Agreements– Daughters of Liberty

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The Empire in Transition

Stirrings of RevoltStirrings of Revolt– The Boston MassacreThe Boston Massacre

Rebellious BostonRebellious Boston March 5, 1770March 5, 1770 ““Tavernites & lobsterbacks”Tavernites & lobsterbacks” 5 dead5 dead

The Boston Massacre (Library of Congress)

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Crisis of Empire: Or How England Lost Its North America

Colonies

1770-1776

Problems of the East India Company

• British vs. Dutch East India Co.

• Indian bumper-crops• Coffee• Anti-Importation

Agreements• British shareholders

The Tea Act (1773)

• Mercantilism– Innovation

• Cheaper than smuggled tea

• Tea, not coffee– nationalism

• Save company– monopoly

• “British East India Company Enabling Act”

Boston Tea Party (Dec. 1773)

• “gesture politics”– 1770-71 Trade Boom

• Tea Destroyed• Merchants undermined• British Occupation• Sam Adams• Politics of provocation

Coercive Acts, 1774 (Intolerable Acts)

• Aim: pay for Boston Tea Party

• Boston Port Bill– Harbor closed

• Quartering Act– Soldiers in Private

homes

• “Murder Act”– Transfer of trials to

London

• MA govt. act– Ending town-halls

• Quebec Act– Securing French loyalty– French civil rights

• First Continental Congress– 1774

The Empire in Transition

Cooperation and WarCooperation and War– Lexington and ConcordLexington and Concord

““Minutemen”Minutemen” General General

Thomas GageThomas Gage The War forThe War for

IndependenceIndependenceBeginsBegins

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Recruiting Poster (Library of Congress)

The Empire in Transition

The Battles of Lexington and Concord, 1775

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The American Revolution

Common Sense (Library of Congress)

The States UnitedThe States United– Defining American Defining American

War AimsWar Aims Divergent AmericanDivergent American

War AimsWar Aims Common SenseCommon Sense

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Declaring Independence: Revolutionaries vs. Loyalists

• Thomas Paine, Common Sense (1776)

• Doc. # 31

• James Chalmers, Plain Truth (1776)

• Doc. 32

The American Revolution

The States UnitedThe States United– The Declaration of The Declaration of

IndependenceIndependence Independence DeclaredIndependence Declared Articles of ConfederationArticles of Confederation Thomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson A-9 – A-12 (appendix)A-9 – A-12 (appendix)

Thomas Jefferson (Library of Congress)

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