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• Repealed March 1766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)

9

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

. 10

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)

11

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

17

Recruiting Poster (Library of Congress)

The Empire in Transition

The Battles of Lexington and Concord, 1775

18

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

19

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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