Birth of the Republic

1

The American Colonists

Mainly of English descent

– Scotch-Irish / Germans --> Pennsylvania

– Black Africans --> the South

Believed they were preserving the true traditions of English history, as exemplified in the Glorious Revolution of 1688.

2

American colonists were overwhelmingly Protestant, and Calvinist in origin.

Majority of colonists in every colony made their living from the soil

– most lived on land they cultivated.

3

Widespread ownership of property

single most important fact about Americans before the Revolutionary period

– social classes not as divided as in the old world

– there were aristocrats, but was no permanent underclass

property ownership gave economic independence and political independence to the average American.

4

Every American colony had a representative assembly elected by property holders.

– Assemblies made laws, levied local taxes

Colonists took pride in being subjects of Great Britain

– Great Britain left the colonies alone (1713-1763)

5

King appointed the Royal Governor; carried out royal policy.

– relied on colonial assemblies for funding

– assemblies controlled local taxation, power of the purse

6

Navigation Acts a series of acts passed by

Parliament to

– regulate colonial trade so

– raw materials flowed to the mother country, from colonies, and

– manufactured goods flowed to the colonies (Mercantilism)

Purpose of the Navigation acts: to promote the economic welfare of the Empire in general.

7

Enforcement of the Acts was left to the King (prior to 1763)

– King left enforcement to his Sec. of State

– Board of Trade and Plantations advised the Sec. of State on how to run the colonies

– Sec. of State told Royal Governors

– Royal Governors told colonists

– Colonists pretty much did as they pleased

8

Colonial perceptions prior to 1763

British 'salutary neglect' gave colonists perceived power over their own affairs.

Colonial assemblies and the colonists were not prepared for direct Parliamentary legislation affecting the colonies.

9

Sugar Act and the Stamp Act: 1764-1766

10

End of the Seven Years War1763

Doubled the national debt of England

added huge territory to administer (east of Miss. R.; Canada)

tax burden in England was already very high

11

The Sugar Act & George Grenville

became Chancellor of the Exchequer (1763)

Sugar Act passed by Parliament (1764)

– revised old customs law

– purpose was to raise money for the Empire

12

Colonial reaction

the question of Property became the first great challenge of the Revolutionary period.

Right of Parliament (Assemblies) to levy taxes was the most important feature of supremacy over the King.

13

Ideas of John Locke

– man's property must not be taken away without his consent.

– consent must be given either in person, or by his representative.

14

Colonial Englishmen (Americans) were not represented in

Parliament.

English believed in virtual representation.

– all members of Parliament represented all Englishmen

Colonials believed in actual

representation.

15

Stamp Act of 1765

A duty paid on all legaldocuments

Parliament saw Stamp Act as a way to raise revenue

Colonists saw Stamp Act as an attack on the security of propertybecause it was levied without their consent

16

Effect of Stamp Act

colonial boycott of imported British goods

mobbed stamp distributors

9 colonies sent representatives to New York (Oct., 1765)

– sent petitions/resolutions to Parliament

– petitions denied Parliament's authority to tax colonies

17

Developing governmental

Principles

no taxation without representation

– colonial mindset rejected virtual representation

Colonies believed they were wholly beyond the control of Parliament

– Colonial view was Parliament had the right to legislate, but not the right to tax (without their consent!)

18

Parliament Repealed Stamp Act, Feb., 1766

Parliament believed colonies objected only to internal taxes

Parliament passed the DECLARATORY ACT affirming their authority over the colonies "in all cases what so ever.“

– implied the right to tax

19

Townshend Duties, 1767

An attempt to raise duties through external taxation on imported goods.

– Was an attempt to replace L 400,000 in tax relief given England landowners

– duties were to be assessed and collected in America

American customs service were to be re-organized, and headquartered in Boston

20

Effect of Townshend Duties

Colonists agreed to boycott & non-importation of English goods

Colonists denied right of Parliament to levy duties for the purpose of raisingrevenue

Parliament sent British Army Regular troops to Boston (Sept., 1768)

21

Boston Massacre occurred March 5, 1770.

– troops harassed with snowballs, rubbish

– troops opened fire; 3 Bostonians died, 8 wounded

Townshend Duties repealed (March, 1770)

– all duties repealed, except small tax on tea

– non-importation agreements broke down

– coincided with beginning of 3 years of

commercial prosperity

22

The Evolution of

Revolution

1770-1774

23

American view of taxation

Taxation was the exclusive right of their own elected representatives.

– control over taxation seen as the only security for life & property

– Colonists saw each Parliamentary attempt at direct or indirect taxation as an attempt to deprive them of control over their possessions.

24

Colonists wondered if they were threatened by Parliamentary legislation.

A series of incidents caused colonists to re-examine their relationship with Great Britain

25

June, 1772 "Gaspee" incident:

British revenue ship burned by colonists

Massachusetts Royal Gov. & Judges began being paid by the King, not the colonial assembly

26

November, 1772

Formation of Committee of Correspondence (Samuel Adams)

denounced Parliament for violating colonial liberties

Committees spread to other colonies

27

May, 1773

Parliament passed the Tea Act to help East India Tea Co.

Company able to sell directly to retailers– no Colonial

middlemen

– No Colonial profits

28

December, 1773

Boston Tea Party

www.politicaldogs.org/uploaded_images/boston-...

29

April, 1774

Parliament passed the Coercive Acts

– closed port of Boston to commerce

– changed Mass. form of government (charter to Royal)

– quartered troops in Boston

30

June, 1774

Parliament passed the Quebec Act

– extended the boundaries of Quebec as far south as the Ohio River.

31

September, 1774 - First Continental

Congress met in Philadelphia

adopted non-importation, non-exportation, non-consumption agreements

questioned the legitimacy of anyParliamentary authority in the colonies at all.

32

April, 1775

Battle of Lexington was a British attempt to seize gunpowder/arms stored at Concord, Mass.

Colonials drove British into Boston; laid siege to the town

33

May, 1775

SecondContinental Congress met

chose Geo. Washington to lead Continental Army

34

August, 1775

George III declared the colonies in rebellion

hired Hessian (German) mercenaries to use in colonies

35

1776- The Year of

Decision

36

January, 1776

Thomas Paine published Common Sense

mission was to liberate America from the very

idea of monarchy

37

May, 1776

Continental Congress adopted a resolution advising the colonies to assume complete powers of government within their boundaries.

38

June 7, 1776

Richard Henry Lee (Va.) introduced a resolution formally declaring the colonies independent

39

July, 1776

Lee's resolution was adopted July 2nd

Declaration of Independenceadopted by

Second Continental Congress on July

4th

40