Britain and Her American Colonies

UNIT 2

England and France

• Global rivals…had been at odds for hundreds of years

• War erupted once again in Europe…the Seven Years War

• In America, the same war called the French and Indian War (the local natives sided mainly with the French)

(war from 1754 – 1763)

Mel tells Heath about the past… (the Battle at Ft. Wilderness during the French & Indian War)

The Patriot (Columbia Pictures, 2000)

No worries if the clip doesn’t play at home…we’ll watch it in class

The Outcome?• England’s defeat of France resulted in:1. France withdrew all of her claims in

North America:– Ceded everything east of Miss. River to England– Ceded everything west of Miss. River to Spain (Spain gave it back ~35 yrs. later)

2. Firmly established English control of the American colonies

After the French & Indian War:

England’s American colonies

Control of the colonies for their resources and as a

growing market for English goods was the

prize for King George III

It did not take long for the Americans to have issues

with English rule.

Find out what happened in the next section….

Separating from Britain

3 important things to keep in mind:

1. The colonies had largely ruled themselves since the beginning (~ 150 years of self-governance)

Separating from Britain

2. The war against France both in Europe and in America had put a huge strain on England’s treasury

3. To pay for the cost of the war AND to maintain control over the Colonies, Parliament passed a number of laws…where do YOU think this is headed?

1763• Parliament issued the

Proclamation of 1763

1. To stop colonists from rushing into lands vacated by the French & provoking conflict with the Indians, colonists cannot buy land west of the Appalachian Mtns.

1764• Sugar Act1. Puts a duty (tax) on foreign wines,

coffee, textiles, & indigo imported into colonies

2. Those caught smuggling will be tried in England without a jury

17651. Stamp Act had to buy a stamp for legal documents,

almanacs, newspapers, pamphlets, playing cards…in effect, it was a tax

1st time Parliament had imposed a direct tax on the colonies violating a principle that ONLY the colonies themselves could do that

Reaction to Stamp Act

• Colonists reacted angrily…• Boycotted British goods and intimidated

stamp distributors

“No taxation without representation”

1765Under pressure from British merchants hurt by the boycott, King George III orders Parliament to repeal the Stamp Act…BUT it also passes the

Declaratory Acts Asserted Parliament’s right to pass

laws governing the colonists

1765• Quartering Act

Req’d. colonists to provide housing for British troops

When the New York Assembly resists, the British governor suspends the assembly

1767• Townshend Acts

Imposes new taxes on imported glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea

1770Boston Massacre:• British soldiers fire on a crowd gathered on

Boston Common (they were protesting passage of the Townshend Acts), killing 5 civilians

1773• Tea Act Allows the East India Tea Co. to sell directly to

distributors, by-passing American wholesalers…

Effect: makes English tea cheaper than the smuggled tea preferred by colonists

By passing the Tea Act, Parliament was bailing out the

E.I.T.C….sound familiar?

Boston Tea Party• Dressed as Indians, Sons of Liberty board

3 ships in Boston Harbor and dump EITC tea overboard

• Britain responds harshly:1. Closes Boston harbor2. Suspends Mass. Assembly…names

British general to serve as Governor3. Calls for housing British troops

1774 Acting as One…

The 1st Continental Congress:• Representatives from each colony (but

Georgia) met in Philadelphia to discuss what should be done…

• Agreed ALL trade with Britain should be suspended

• But…how far were they willing to go? Division within the Americans began to emerge

1775• British Gen. Thomas Gage ordered to use

military force to put down any challenge to Brit. authority

• Sends troops to Concord to destroy hidden weapons…

• Mass. Militia (citizen-soldiers) answered the call (“to arms, the British are coming…”)

“Shot heard ‘round the world”

• Mass. Militia ordered to disperse…a shot rings out

• Armed revolution against British rule has begun…

A question to consider: Were they patriots or traitors?

• We commonly view as patriots, those who opposed what they believed was oppressive British rule and chose to resist

• But were they traitors?

• What made their cause “just”?

Roots of Revolutionary thought

• Well-educated men who were greatly influenced by writings of political philosophers of The Enlightenment

• For instance…

John Locke

• Wrote “Two Treatises of Gov’t.” (1689)

1. Man in a “state of nature”2. “natural rights”3. Social contract and the right of rebellion

Other influential political philosophers of The Enlightenment

• Jean-Jacques Rousseau…also wrote about the social contract…the right to pass laws belongs to the people

• Voltaire: wrote in defense of civil liberties (individual freedoms…speech, religion, etc.)

Thomas Paine

• Wrote a powerful pamphlet:Common Sense

1. Widely read in the Colonies2. Urged open armed rebellion…3. A major effect: it helped persuade those

who were not sure about participating to join the cause