Chapter 7The Road to Revolution

Objective: TSW explain the sequence of events that led to the Revolutionary War.

Essential Question

To what degree was Great Britain unfair to the colonists?

Mercantilism

•Mercantalism dictated that the colonies should be carefully managed to serve England’s needs.

Problems:•American population was expanding.•British demand could not keep up with American supply.•Colonists traded with the Spanish, French, and Dutch anyway.

Mercantalism

The Navigation Acts and the Molasses Act, intended to regulate colonial trade, was not a burden on colonists because the colonists ignored the Mercantalist policies (and Britain did nothing - Salutary Neglect)

The South wasn’t concerned about mercantalism because the South had a monopoly on tobacco and London paid good money for tobacco.

Many colonists felt mercantalism was fair because they got British protection throughout the world.

New England, on the other hand, was getting the shaft because they were prevented from developing a banking system and paper currency.

British Rights

Freedom of the Press (established by the Peter Zenger trial)

Petition of Rights

Trial by jury

No martial law

No housing soldiers without the homeowner’s consent

King must obey the laws

English Bill of Rights

No standing army in times of peace, except with consent of parliament

All elections are fair and free

Taxes on citizens must be approved by parliament

People are allowed to voice their displeasures to the king

Right to a fair trial

No cruel and unusual punishment

The Stamp Act Uproar

Prime Minister George Grenville (Tory)Enforced the Navigation Laws

Sugar Act of 1764Trying offenders in an admiralty court

Burden of proof on defendants

Quartering Act of 1765

Stamp taxPlaying cards, bills of sale, pamphlets, newspapers, diplomas, marriage licenses

PM George Grenville

Time to pay for the Seven

Years’ War y’all

Colonial Resistance Against the Stamp Act

Nonimportation AgreementsMake your own clothesA step toward colonial unity (united the colonists under a common cause)Ordinary American men and women began to feel a revolutionary spirit

Stamp Act Congress of 176527 delegates from 9 coloniesAsked the king and Parliament to repeal the Stamp ActEngland says “whatever.” Another step toward colonial unity

Congress held in New York City

Forced Repeal of the Stamp Act

Sons (and daughters) of LibertyLiberty, property, and No Stamps!

7.5 million Britons pay heavy taxes

2 million colonists refused to pay for only 1/3 of their own defense

Repeal of the Stamp Act in 1766Touchdown losers!

Declaratory Act (1766)

Parliament repeals the Stamp Act.

But parliament also says that the colonies must listen to parliament

We got punked-out

guys. Time to save face.

British East India Company

3 pence tax on all tea, except for British East India tea

British East India Company was essentially given a monopoly

Colonists in New England freaked out because they saw it as Parliament trying to undermine colonial resistance to taxation without representation

Boston Tea Party

Sons of Liberty dump 342 chests of British East India Company Tea into Boston Harbor

Parliament responds by closing port of Boston.

Townshend Act (1767)

Townshend becomes the new Prime Minister (leader of Parliament) – Grenville was fired.

Import tax on glass, lead, paper, paint, and tea.

Part of the money would be used to pay the salaries of the royal governors and judges in the colonies.

New York legislature suspended because they refused to obey the Quartering Act

Quebec Act

To make matters worse, Parliament, under the Quebec Act, extended Catholic jurisdiction and a non-jury judicial system into the western Ohio country.

Say what

?!

Boston Massacre

Smugglers importing tea, so Townshend sends two regiments of soldiers to Boston in 1768.

1770: a fight breaks out in Boston

Engraving attributed to Paul Revere

Tea Tax

Townshend gets the boot.

• Lord North becomes prime minister and gets rid of the taxes under the Townshend Act (except for the tax on tea).

Intolerable Acts (1774)

• Actually a series of acts but the colonists lumped all the acts together under the title “intolerable.”

• Boston Port Act closed Boston Harbor until damages were paid.

• Restrictions on town meetings in Massachusetts.

• New Quartering Act in Massachusetts (officers get to stay in private homes).

Colonial Reations

• The First Continental Congress meets in Philadelphia.

• One of the most important actions of the Congress is the formation of The Association.

• The Association promotes a complete boycott of all British goods.

Do I look fat in this outfit?

Committees of Correspondence

• Spread the spirit of resistance by exchanging letters between cities

• Intercolonial committees were created– First one created in Virginia’s House of Burgesses– Soon every colony had a committee of

correspondence

Bloodshed in 1775

• British commander sends troops from Boston to Lexington and Concord to gather colonial supplies and arrest Sam Adams and John Hancock.

• Minute Men refuse to get out of the way in Lexington

British Leaders

Lord North

They were also worried about a revolution starting in

Ireland.

England was worried about a war starting with France.

This sucks!

King George III

British Strengths

Great Britain hired foreign soldiers, like German Hessians, Native Americans, such as most of the Iroquois tribes, and lots of Loyalist colonists.Do I look

manly?

Long live the King!

Colonists take our land, I’m

going with the British

Colonial Strengths

• Fighting a defensive war

• They are agriculturally self-sufficient

Samuel Adams

John Hancock

John Adams

Benjamin Franklin

George Washington

Paul Revere

Patrick Henry

Question to Consider

• Was war inevitable? Why or why not?