MONDAY GUEST LECTURE PAUL

FINKLEMAN

Course Requirements

There will be three sections of a portfolio due during the semester. This portfolio will be based on written answers based of the questions from Kierner, Revolutionary American

Portfolio I due Thursday February 18th Portfolio II due Thursday April 1st Portfolio III due

Day of Final (acts as final)

The Kierner book contains 14 chapters Each chapter has a short introductory essay and a

number of primary documents – the number of document varies from 7 to 10

Each document is preceded by a number of “questions to consider”

You should a)      Read the introductory essay b)      Read all the primary documents c)      Select four of the documents and answer the

“questions to consider” – your answers only need to be brief a paragraph or two

d)      On three occasions during the semester you will hand in your answers – dates as shown on syllabus – you will need to include the chapter relevant to the week that you hand in the portfolio, i.e. the 1st portfolio is due in week 6 and you will have to answer all the work up to and including Asserting Independence

Research paper: Students will select a topic on some aspect of Revolutionary American history and prepare a research paper of 2800 – 3200 word paper, type-written and double spaced.

Paper due Thursday April 22nd

Henry, a lawyer of 25, was new to the house having been elected only ten days earlier

However he had been involved in several high profile court cases

He had also chosen his timing with intent

The House of Burgess only needed 20% of its members present to constitute a quorum

It was the end of the session and on 39 out of 116 members were left in town

Summary

Henry initially had seven resolves

The first four were accepted the fifth, a radical statement, was passed after much debate and was rescinded the next day

Last two never presented or debated

Resolved, That the first Adventurers and Settlers of this his majesty’s Colony and Dominion of Virginia brought with them, and transmits, to their Posterity, and all other his Majesty's Subjects since inhabiting this his Majesty's said Colony, all the Liberties, privileges, Franchise and Immunities, that have at any, Time been held, enjoyed, and possessed, by the People of Great Britain.

Resolved, That by two royal Charters, granted by King James the F. the Colonists aforesaid are declared entitled to all Liberties, Privileges and Immunities of Denizens and natural Subjects, to all Intents and Purposes, as if they had been abiding and born within the Realm of England

Resolved, That the Taxation of the People by themselves, or by sons chosen by themselves to represent them, who can only know w Taxes the People are able to bear, or the easiest method of raising them and must themselves be affected by every Tax laid on the People, is,' only Security against a burthensome Taxation, and the distinguishing characteristick of British Freedom, without which the ancient Constitution cannot exist.

Resolved, That his Majesty's liege People of this his most ancient:; loyal Colony have without Interruption enjoyed the inestimable Right of being governed by such Laws, respecting their internal Polity` Taxation, as are derived from their own Consent, with the Approbation of their Sovereign, or his Substitute; and that the same hath never been forfeited or yielded up, but hath been constantly recognized by the Kings and People of Great Britain.

News quickly spread

See Newport Mercury Handout

What if any are the differences between the resolves and the newspaper story

Each newspaper report made events in Virginia sound more and more extravagant

Through the newspapers, private letters, and word of mouth news of events in Virginia spread and inspired, or incited, actions elsewhere

By the end of 1765 lower houses in 8 other colonies passed resolutions

By early 1766 politics in America had been transformed

BOSTON

Where Violence began and politics was transformed

During 1765 the people of Boston had heard of the act and of the Virginia resolves

A group calling themselves the “Loyal Nine” Which included Benjemin Edes,

publisher of the Boston Gazette Newspaper

Meet on several occasions, usually in the Chase and Speakman distillery on Hanover Square

Initially they planned to do nothing more than talk and publish

Eventually they began to plot violence against Andrew Oliver, stamp distributor for the city

However, the Loyal Nine – who after a short time changed there name, and are better known as the Sons Of Liberty – were all artisans

Money 1£ = 20s., 1s. =

12d 1760 average

worker earned approx 5 shillings per year

About $390 - 440 in modern dollars

Artisan Skilled craftsman Number of years as

apprentice Usually member of guild Guilds controlled

production and distribution

If successful in apprenticeship became journeyman

To become “master artisan” had to create a “masterpiece” as approved by members of the guild

Loyal nine looked elsewhere for people to carry out the violence

They turned to Boston’sNorth and South End Gangs

Traditional enemies craftsmen and

unskilled workers fought regularly

recently formed an uneasy peace

Leader of the new combined gang was

Ebenezer McIntosh The Sons of Liberty

turned his head to Oliver and the chaos began

Aug 14 1765 Boston awakes to find effigy of Oliver hanging from a tree

Several local people attempted to take it down, but warned not to

LT Governor Thomas Hutchinson order the Sherriff to remove it

Sherriff reported that to do so would cost his men their lives

In the evening of the 14th Mob appears and marches

the effigy past the council house

Then they went to a building Oliver owned

Named it the “Stamp Building” and ripped it down

Then they marched to Oliver’s house where they beheaded the Effigy

After a further tour around the town during which they all “stamped” on the effigy

Before returning to Oliver’s house ripping down barricades and searching for him

Governor Bernard ordered the Colonel of the Militia to beat the alarm and raise troops

Colonel replied that if he could find a drummer who wasn’t already in the mob

he would be stoned as soon as he started drumming

August 15th

Another group, this time artisans and gentlemen, paid Oliver a visit and urged him to resign

Oliver who did not as yet officially have the commission, it was still on its way from Britain, promised to do so

August 26 Mob Gathered again Split into two groups

Group 1 Charles Paxman Marshal of

Vice-Admiralty court William Story Deputy registrar

of Vice- Admiralty court

The both groups reunited and headed to the home of Thomas Hutchinson

Group 2 Benjamin

Hallowell Comptroller of

Customs

The mob took there time there

Everything that could be moved or stolen was smashed or taken

Walls were smashed slate roof was removed

Pillars were demolished

When the rioters left at dawn the house was ruined

The Lt. Gov, reported that by the next morning

“one of the best furnished houses in the Province had nothing remaining but the bare walls and floors.”His trees and garden were ruined his valuable library was lost

The mob “emptied the house of every thing

whatsoever except a part of the kitchen furniture.”

The two protests in Boston during August 1765 exposed divisions

Divisions which continued to characterize subsequent colonial protests

Artisans, merchants, lawyers, and other members of the educated elite preferred orderly demonstrations confined to political issues

The city’s laborers, by contrast, focused on economic grievances

Anti-Stamp Act protests occurred from Salem, MA to Savannah, GA.

So successful that by November 1, when the law was scheduled to take effect

not one stamp distributor was willing to carry out his official duties

On the other hand, wealthy men recognized that mobs composed of the formerly powerless

Posed a threat to their own dominance of the society

Elite attempted to channel resistance into acceptable forms

Created an inter-colonial association, the Sons of Liberty

First group New York, in the fall of 1765

Composed of merchants, lawyers, prosperous tradesmen like Paul Revere and others

By early 1766 linked protest leaders from Charleston, SC to Portsmouth, NH

 

But still the Sons of Liberty could influence events but not control them.

1765 Charleston SC Informally organized crowd

shouting “Liberty Liberty and stamp’d paper”

forced the resignation of the South Carolina stamp distributor.

The victory celebration a few days later – the largest demonstration the city had ever known – featured a British flag with the word Liberty emblazoned on it

But new Charleston chapter of the Sons of Liberty was horrified when in January 1766

local slaves paraded through the streets similarly crying “Liberty.”

That was not the sort of liberty elite slave owners had in mind

During the fall and winter of 1765-66, opposition to the Stamp Act proceeded on three separate fronts.

1) Political Colonial legislatures petitioned

Parliament to repeal the hated law and in October sent delegates to an inter-colonial Congress

The Stamp Act Congress met in New York to draft a unified but conservative statement of protest

Stamp Act Congress Adopted a Declaration of Rights and

Grievances and sent petitions to the King and Parliament

In addition to the specifics of the Stamp Act taxes, the declaration asserted that

Only the colonial assemblies had a right to tax the colonies.

Trial by jury was a right, and the use of Admiralty Courts was abusive.

Colonists possessed all the rights of Englishmen.

Without voting rights, Parliaments could not represent the colonists.

2) Popular protest Sons of Liberty held

mass meetings, attempting to rally public support for the resistance movement

 3) Business American merchants organized non-

importation associations to pressure British exporters

Important inclusive tactic

1760s approx. one-quarter of all British exports were being sent to the colonies

American merchants reasoned London merchants whose sales suffered severely would lobby for repeal

In addition a general moratorium on future purchases would also help to reduce their bloated inventories

March 1766, Parliament repealed the Stamp Act.

Non-importation appeared to have worked