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Bribery/Favoritism in Appointed Officials
-Appointed governors, collectors of customs, naval officers, etc. often collected saleries and appointed people to America -
Neglect of Colonies
50 yrs after Glorious Revolution0Parliment passed new laws which worked w/ Navigation Acts -George I and II (German born) prime minsiters held most power
-Prime ministers had power (not over king but over Parliment)
-got support from merchants and landholders
-decentralized and inefficient power
-Board of Trade and Plantation (1696) was advisory w/ little power
-Privy Council (adminstered laws at home and overseas)
-Confusion about colonial authority and some overlapping -
Queen Anne's War
12 Year War that brought fighting in America with Spanish, French, and Natives Ended by Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 (gave Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, original French territory, to England) -
Navigation Acts
-intended to stop trade with Netherlands, France, and other European countries
-led to smuggling
-restricted colonial manufactures, prohibited apper currency, and regulated trade
-Mercantilism focused -
France/Native Relationships
-land around Great Lakes area, Louisiana
-got along with Natives because of their tolerance
-fur traders often cooperated w. Natives and married Native women
-Jesuits converted Natives w/ Catholicism without destroying custums
-enemies w/ most powerful group -Iroquois- (which was distance from all colonists adn played French adn English aganst each other) -
King George's War
-four year war w/ serioes of conflicts btw ENglish adn French
-deteriorated relations btw French, English,ad n Iroquois -
Colonies' Lessening Dependence
-American assemblies climaed rights to levy taxies, make appropriations, approve appointments, and pass laws
-could be vetoed by governor or Privy Council but has advantages over both
-Colonies tried to become self-sufficient and created own parliments -
French and Indian War (Phase 1)
-Three phases
-Virginian colonists attacked French fort, French retaliated by attacking Fort Necessity and forced Washington to surrender (start of French and Indian War) Colonists were fine independently -
Albany Plan
proposal to create a unified government for the Thirteen Colonies, suggested by Benjamin Franklin -
French and Indian War (Phase 2)
-France w/ Austria adn England w/ Prussia brought Seven Years' War into the Eastern hemisphere. English colonies once again under British control (under Pitt.) Forced enlistment of colonists and taking of farmers' supplies -
French and Indian War (Phase 3)
-Pitt relaxed many policies that colonists disliked
-reimbursed for supplies taken from colonists
-returned control of enlisting to colonists
-fall of Quebec in Sept 13, 1759
-French surrendered in Sept 1760 Effects:
-enlarged Britain's debt, angered English bc colonists had few financial contributions, some merchents sold to French throughout war (American military ineptitude)
-allied natives w/ French suffered after defeat
-Iroquois continued to fight w./ English 50 yrs -
Period: to
Problems with Too Much Territory
-Colonies suddenly had double land
-conflicts on who should govern western land and what it should be used for
-intial want to trade Canada for Guadeloupe (commercially valuable French "sugar islands" in West Indies
-colonists' unsatisfiable want to expand prevailed
-English debt caused taxes to incresae -
Reign of King George
-determined to be active/ responsible
-removed poewr of Whigs (who under Pitt goverened much of century) and replaced w/ new coalation -
Teaty of Paris
French ceded to ENgland some of WEst Indina Islands and most of their colonies in India, as well as giving up Canada adn all of the French territory east of the Missisipi except New Orleans (which is instead given to Spain) to Great Britain, -
Proclaimation of 1763
-London, instead of provincial gov adn constitutents, to control westward movement
-slowed movment from coastal colonies, where markets adn investments were and inhibited entrepreneurs
-Natives unhappy to give some land to white, but were eager to quickly draw boundary of white expansion
-key advocators: Stuart & Johnson -
Paxton Boys
-frontiersmen from Pennsylvania who were against Indians after the French and Indian War
- widely known for murdering 20 Susquehannock in Conestoga Massacre.
-January 1764 about 250 Paxton Boys marched to Philadelphia to present their grievances to the legislature. and agreed to disperse on the promise by Benjamin Franklin that their issues would be considered. -
Pontiac's Rebellion
-confedertation of natives around Great Lakes region unhappy w/ polcies established after French and Indian War
-Warriors from numerous tribes joined the uprising in an effort to drive British soldiers and settlers out of the region
-after the Ottawa leader Pontiac
-British tried to infect natives w/ smallpox using blankets -
Period: to
George Grenville
-brother in law of Pitt and aggressor of many forecoming troubles
-control of colonists and collection of colonial poessiosn -
Sugar Act
-designed to eliminate illegal sugar trade betw colonies and French/Spanish West Indies
-raised taxes on sugar -
Currency Act
-stop issuing paper money and retire all paper money in circulation -
Stamp Act
-tax on printed documents (newspaper, almanacs, phamphlets, deeds, wills, licenses)
-tried to strengthen merchantilism and proved highly effective in that much money was collected
-often, conflicts are around societies further west "backcountry"
-later, forced colonists to buy stamps for ships' papers and legal doc, and tavern owners and pol leaders had to buy stamps for licenes, and printers had to buy stamps for publications
-not that harmful to econmy but put colonists in an anxious mindset -
Opposition to Stamp Act
Patrick Henry-dramatic speech to House of Burgesses prediction that George III would lose head if policies not changed and declared "treason." Stated Americans had same rights and HoB defeated most of Henry's resolutions" Stamp Act Congress-led by James Otis where delegates petitioned that colonies owed subordination to Parliment but could only be taxed through colonies' provincial assemblies Sons of Liberty-led mobs and boycots and acted as symbol for liberty and commonwealth -
Mutiny/Quartering Act
-Rockingham gov. believed Declaratory act sacrificed landed gentlemn to interests of traders and colonists
-were later dissembled -Pitt was called back and created act, requiring colonists to provide quarters and supplies to troops
-in order to defend colonists while reducing costs but colonists were furious -
Regulator Movement Revolts
North and South Carolina uprising, up to 1771, in which citizens took up arms against corrupt colonial officials
-catalyst to the American Revolutionary War -
Philosophy of Revolt
-Inspiration drawn from John Locke
-humans are inherently corrupt adn selfish, gov is necessary to protect individuals from evil of one another
-gov needs safeguards from abuses of power
-nobody has too much power
-Parliment can legislate for England and empire, but only provincial assemblies can legislate individual colonies -
Declaratory Act
-repeal of Stamp act -
Townshend Duties
-diassembled New York Assembly until colonists obeyed Mutiny Act
-to avoid angering all colonies at once, but colonists stuck up for New York
-levied Townshend Duties on English goods (lead, paint, paper, and tea)
-purpose to raise revenue
-Massacbhusetts Assembly wrote letter for all colonial governments urging Parliment (fought back from Lord Hillsborough of London)
-established new board of customs commisioners in America to stop corruption
-dispelled all acts but tea in 1770 -
Bostom Massacre
-Boston angered at arrogant and intrusive soldiers adn the British soldiers, on teh other hand, were poorly paid and treated
-"liberty boys" pelted sentries at custom houses w/ rocks adn snowballs
-Captain Thomas Preston and soldiers protected it, and after one soldier was knocked down, there was open fire
-one killed was mulatto sailor, Cripus ttucks
-used as propoganda to symbolize oppression and violence -
Samuel Adams "Committee of Correspondence"
-created by Samuel Adams aftre Boston Massacre
-publicize grievance against England -
Tea Act
--British East India Company had large stocks of tea and was almost bankrupt
-Parliment passed Tea Act of 1773, giving company right to export to colonies w/o paying taxes
-lower prices than American merchants
-replenished colonists' spirits of revolt against England
-December 16, 1773, Colonists dressed up as Mohawks and went to three British tea ships and dumped it, later refusing to pay for it -
Coercive/Intolerable Acts
-following Boston Tea Party
-provide civil gov for French-speaking Roman, Catholic inhabitants of Canada adn Illinois country and reorganized legality of Roman Catholic Church
-considered threat although the act wasn't that unfair, thinking Churhc of England wanted to appoitn bishop to America to impose Anglican authority -
First Continental Congress
-Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia
-rejected plan to unify under British authorty, endorsed statement of grievances, approved series of resolutiosn of Suffolk County, Massachusetts conevntion had passed to make military preparations for possible attack, nonimport/export/consuption of British trade, and delagates agreed to meet next spring -
Lord North & Conciliatory Prepositions
-colonists tax themselves at Parliment's request
-hopign to separate extremists to moderatists
-effort too little too late -
Lexington & Concord
--General Gage of Britain was sent to capture rebel leaders Adams and Hancock in Lexington
-thought his army was too small until reinforcements
-wanted to surprise colonists adn seize illegal supplies w/o bloodshed
-William Dawes adn Paul Revere warned colonists adn minutement prepared
-American took most gunpowder stored but British burned rest -
Declaration of Independence
-free from British control
-relatd to ideas of John Locke, which stated gov are formed to protect life, liberty, and property (pursuit of happiness)
-declared crimes of king and claimed colonists forfeited claim to their loyalty
-all men are created equal
-idea that America now is a soverign nation led to increased foreign aid -
Common Sense
-Pamphlet written b Thomas Paine
-sold widely
-encouraged Patriots to declare independence from Britain in July 1776. In clear, simple language it explained the advantages and the need of immediate independence