The Road to Revolution

Chapter 7

Mercantilism Wealth and trade =

limited Wealth and power =

having more gold and silver than other nations

“Favorable Balance of Trade”o Exporting more than

importing Encouraged nations who

accepted the theory to become self-sufficiento Colonies helped secure

that

Role of the Colonies Colonies provided:

o Powerful merchant fleet

o Source of raw materials for the manufacturers in the mother country

o Market for the manufactured goods to be sold

Navigation Acts Britain responded to

illegal colonial trade by passing “Acts of Trade and Navigation”

Beginning in 1651, these acts restricted colonial trade in various ways

Enforcing the Acts Colonial merchants,

particularly in Massachusetts, frequently tried to bypass the Navigation Acts

King Charles II removed corporate charter of the colony and it was made a royal colony, under his strict control

More Rebellion from Colonial Merchants

Colonists, as required, sent large amounts of raw materials to Britain and purchased a substantial amount of manufactured British goods

Discovered that other countries were willing to pay more for the same products

Salutary Neglect

What it wasThe period after

the Glorious Revolution in

which Parliament strengthened the Navigation Acts and toughened regulation of

colonial trade.

How it worked

Smuggling trials were held in stricter Royal Courts and a

Board of Trade was established to monitor trade.

The realityBritish control actually decreased. As long as raw materials went to England and colonists bought British goods,

the British did not enforce the Navigation

Acts.

In fact the policy benefited both parties

which is why it was given the name

“salutary neglect”.

Reasons it Worked Loyalty to the

British Crown People considered

themselves “British Subjects”

Lack of communication especially over great distances

Societal and cultural differences

The Sugar Act 1764 Revenue raising from

colonists Required transshipping

through UK ports Nit-picking

paperwork/requirements Guilty until proven

innocent Vigorous enforcement

ordered by Grenville Real effects (revenues,

etc)

Colonial Response to the Sugar Act

Rejected virtual representation

Protests Hit hard by Sugar act

Definitions Virtual Representation - concept

employed by Prime Minister George Grenville to explain why Parliament could legally tax colonists even though colonists could not elect any members of Parliament. The theory held that the members of Parliament did not only represent their specific geographical constituencies, but rather that they took into consideration the well being of all British subjects when considering legislation

Loyal Nine  -  A group of Boston merchants and artisans that formed during the Stamp Act crisis to lead the public in attempts to drive the stamp distributors from the city. This was one of the first steps toward political organization in the colonies.

Sons of Liberty: A secret organizations formed in the American colonies in protest against the Stamp Act (1765). They were organized by merchants, businessmen, lawyers, journalists, and others who would be most affected by the Stamp Act. The leaders included John Lamb and Alexander McDougall in New York, and Samuel Adams and James Otis in New England. The societies kept in touch with each other through committees of correspondence, supported the nonimportation agreement, forced the resignation of stamp distributors, and incited destruction of stamped paper and violence against British officials

The Stamp Act Stamp Act Congress

o NYC 1765 - statement of united opposition to Stamp Act

o Boycott of English products• 40% of English revenue

from sales in NA• Merchants push for

repeal• Grenville dismissed

Stamp Act repealed, March 1766

Declaratory Act Declaratory Act of 1766

o passes same time as Stamp Act repealed (almost unnoticed by most colonials, who saw repeal as a victory)

o stated absolute British power to legislate for Colonies in “All cases whatsoever”

o fundamental disagreement between England and Colonies

Enlightenment Influences

General change in political thought in England and colonies

Locke - natural rights, obligations of government to governedo British oppositionists -

claimed parliament served self first, people second

o General shift by many in view of Crown/Parliament motives

American Protestant clergy influence

Quartering Act - 1766 Indirect tax, resented,

especially in New York (many troops there)

The Tea Act Removed all import tariffs on tea

imported by the Govt. Chartered British East India Company

Britain in dire financial straitso Needed to be able to control

colonial marketo Tea can be directly shipped from

India to N. America (no longer has to go through England)

Reduced cost of tea below all competitors, but.....o colonists saw it as means to raise

money to pay colonial governorso would make colonists accept

principle of Parliamentary right to tax to accept cheap tea (In other words accept the spirit of the Declaratory Act of 1766)

Committees warned that tea cargoes should not be landed

Boston Tea Party

Hutchinson (Mass Governor) ordered tea landed in Boston

50 or so men disguised as Indians dump tea into harbor November 1773 (45 tons, 1 million pounds)

British Response to the Boston Tea Party

Outraged, Parliament responds with the Coercive (Intolerable) Acts.o Boston Port Bill - closed port of Boston until tea paid for (still

waiting)o Mass . Government Act - revoked Mass charter, removed elected

upper house, governor to name all sheriffs, judges, only one town meeting per year

o Administration of Justice Act - persons enforcing British justice in colony could be tried only in England

o Quartering Act - any empty building could be taken to house British troops

o Replaced Mass governor with British military commander for North America, General Thomas Gage

o Quebec Act - also passed at same time as Coercive Acts, perceived by colonists as part of them.

o Established Catholicism as official religion of Quebeco Extended Quebec’s territory South to the Ohio and West to the

Mississippi (several colonies claimed lands in this region which had now become part of Canada

Colonial Reaction to the Intolerable Acts

Although aimed at Mass as punishment, the acts inflamed all colonies

Many of the provisions of the Acts are listed as grievances by Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence

Virginian upper class and lower class join in opposition to crown and in support of Mass

Boston Massacre 1700 troops into Boston

1768, resented by Bostonians

“Occupied city” 1770 - troops fire into

angry, threatening crowd surrounding customs office

Crispus Attuckso A leader of crowd, free man

of color (African/native American descent)

o usually conceded to be first casualty of the Revolution

Soldiers tried (defended by John Adams)o All but two acquitted

Townshend Acts Intended to raise revenue,

tighten customs enforcement, and assert imperial authority in America

Sponsored by Chancellor of the Exchequer Charles Townshend and enacted on June 29, 1767

Key statute levied import duties on glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea

Purpose was to provide salaries for some colonial officials (such as Judges and Governors) so provincial assemblies could not coerce them by withholding wages

First Continental Congress

Philadelphia, 1774 All but Georgia attend (remember

that Georgia had only been a colony 35 years, many still felt English, compared to Carolinas, New Englanders)o Endorsed Suffolk Resolves

(Mass statement that no colony owed obedience to any of the Coercive Acts)

o Voted to boycott all British imports after Dec. 1, 1774 and even harsher, stop all exports to British Caribbean islands after Sept 1775 unless reconciled

o Appealed direct to George III to dismiss ministers responsible for the Coercive acts

o Many colonies began forming volunteer militias

First Continental Congress (continued)

Agreement not unanimouso Some upper class still sided with

British, feared irreparable damageo Feared mob ruleo Called Tories (after the majority

party in Parliament, whom they supported) or Loyalists , because the did not favor confrontation

o Frequently harassed by patriotso During the entire course of the

Revolutionary war, the new nation was split about evenly three ways. About a third favored independence, a third opposed and a third cared little as long as they did well financially

Lexington and Concord April 1775 - Mass militia rumored to be stockpiling military

supplies at Concord Ma. Gage sends 700 British regulars to seize supplies, arrest

Hancock and Adams if able Dawes and Revere ride, warn “minutemen” the redcoats are

coming At Lexington 70 militia skirmish with 700 Brits (first firefight

of Revolutionary Waro Brits win, 8 militia dead, one Brit wounded, press on to Concordo Battle begins continues all the way back to Boston, 273

redcoats killed, British understand that the game has changed By April, 20,000 New Englanders surround Boston

o Green Mountain Boys under Ethan Allen seize Fort Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain, take cannon for siege of Boston

Common Sense Tract by Thomas Paine,

immigrated in 1770s Radical revolutionary,

wrote “Common Sense”, promoting cause and reasons for American Independence

Spoke of new kind of nation, government, model for the world

Sold 100,000 copies in three months, convinced many who had hoped for reconciliation with England

Independence July 2, Continental congress announces the United States of

America July 4th approved draft of Declaration of Independence

(written by Jefferson) o Like Paine, aimed at King George III never mentions

Parliamento Jefferson acknowledged debt to John Locke for ideas,

spirit of a man created Govt and natural rights of citizenso Stressed that England had violated the “social contract”

with its citizens in the colonieso Typical enlightenment philosophyo Aim - to convince the Americans to be willing to die for

liberty, masterful political propaganda