Colonial DiscontentU.S HistoryMr. Szyzdek

Wars of Empire

• France, Britain, Spain and the Netherlands were the major players in colonization throughout the world.

• In North America, Britain's greatest rival was France.

• French controlled territory that extended from the St. Lawrence River to the Gulf of Mexico.

French and Indian War, 1754

• Both claimed Ohio River Valley• French built forts close to British Settlements• British population 1,500,000 vs. French 70,000• French treated Natives better than British

colonists did.• Natives sided with French during the conflict.• Wars were fought not only in North America

but all over the world.

Pontiac’s Rebellion, 1763

• Treaty of Paris: British got Canada, Great Lakes, Ohio River Valley, Florida.

• Natives were angered because British stopped supplying them with goods.

• Many tribes allied together and began to harass British settlements and forts.

• Eventually, Natives ran out of gun powder.• Britain and Natives made peace.

Why did the British tighten their control over the colonies?

• British interest in the colonies grew mainly because they were in debt from their “wars of empire.” (French and Indian War, Pontiac’s Rebellion)

• The colonies:•Were viewed as a source of money• Should be responsible for paying off the

debt.

British Laws that Affected the Colonies

• Proclamation of 1763– Reduced tension between the colonists and the

Native Americans• The Army would be withdrawn and save

government money• This angered colonists because the British

seemed to be on the side of the Indians.• Sugar Act of 1764– The law set taxes on cloth, sugar, coffee and wine.

• Stamp Act, 1765– Imposed taxes on every legal document, pamphlet,

newspaper, and deck of cards• Quartering Act, 1765– Required innkeepers and public officials to house

and feed British soldiers• Declaratory Act, 1766– This law gave Parliament the right to pass laws for

the colonies in “all cases whatsoever” and reminded them who was boss!

• Tea Act, 1773– Gave the East India Company the sole right to sell

tea to the colonists and raised the tea tax!

Resistance Against the British

• Colonists began to protest against the British• Colonists were angered over the lack of

colonial representation in Parliament…they were paying taxes but had little say.• “No taxation without representation”

became the slogan against the burdening taxes set by Britain

The Boston Massacre, 1770• British soldiers had been sent to Boston to enforce

the laws passed by Parliament• Tensions had been rising between the colonists and

soldiers• On the night of March 5, 1770 some colonists began

harassing the soldiers.– Some began throwing snowballs and rocks at the

soldiers• One of the soldiers who was hit opened fire on the

crowd• 5 colonists eventually were killed

The Boston Tea Party, 1773• Grew out of colonial protests, “No taxation without

representation”• On Dec. 16th, a group of men boarded the ships

carrying the taxed tea– They dumped all the tea into the harbor

• In response Parliament passed a set of acts called the Intolerable Acts:–Closed the harbor and required the colonists to pay

for the tea–Revised the quartering act–Colonial government was brought under the control

of the King

The End