Chapter 7: The Road to Revolution (1763-1775)

The Deep Roots of Revolution The New World's lack of superiors and history was conducive to the development of new ideas One such idea was republicanism, in which each citizen willingly placed the common good above their private, selfish interests, and which opposed hierarchy and authoritarianism Another such idea was the corruption of the British government, as spread by British political commentators the radical Whigs

Mercantilism The British rulers embraced mercantilism, in which a country needed to export more than it imported in order to amass gold or silver in order to increase wealth in order to increase power and Colonial Colonies were a source of raw materials and a guaranteed market for goods Grievances The British government regulated the colonies economically by ex. restricting or requiring the production of a good, passing the 1650 Navigation Act that only allowed British ships to transport goods to and from the colonies, instating tariffs, and restricting to and from whom the colonies could trade and buy There was a currency shortage because the colonies bought more from Britain than they sold to her, so they started to print paper money that depreciated quickly, so the British government forbade the printing of paper money in the interests of British merchants and creditors The British government reserved the right to veto laws passed by colonial assembly that ran counter to mercantilism The Merits But still, Americans largely disregarded the economic restrictions, enjoyed the protection of and Menace Britain's army and navy, and were sometimes paid bounties for producing certain goods, and of the Virginian tobacco planters held a monopoly on the British tobacco market Mercantilism But mercantilism still imposed dependency on the British and was debasing to many Americans The Stamp Tax Uproar War left Britain with a large debt, so under Prime Minister George Grenville it began to tax the colonies, ex. Sugar Act of 1764 increased duties on imported sugar and Quartering Act of 1765 required the provision of food and quarters for British troops 1765 the Stamp Act implemented a tax on certain items and documents which the colonists despised because they felt it violated the liberties they had gained, despite the British people having been paying a similar and higher tax Furthermore, the Sugar and Stamp Acts had offenders tried in admiralty courts, where there were no juries and guilt was assumed, unlike what Britons were guaranteed Also, the presence of British troops in the absence danger from French or Indian attack raised suspicions So the Americans raged, saying that the Parliament, with no American delegates, voting on taxation, though not legislation, of Americans was akin to robbery, but Grenville dismissed them, and the few representatives they might have gotten could not have made a difference anyway The British government said that there was no distinction between the taxing and legislative authority of the Parliament, so Americans were rejecting its authority completely and considering political independence

Parliament Forced to Repeal the Stamp Act

1765 the Stamp Act Congress had representatives from nine colonies meet, but made little impact in England and America, but was still a small step towards intercolonial unity Nonimportation agreements were much more effective, ex. homespun wool became fashionable and lamp chop consumption was discouraged, and made it easier for everyday people to get actively involved in protest, ex. through petitions and spinning bees Some protested violently, ex. the Sons and Daughters of Liberty who tarrred and feathered nonimportation violators and the mobs that attacked unpopular officials' homes 1765 the Stamp Act was nullified when the stamp agents were forced to resign England was significantly affected economically, and many could not understand why the English paid for America's protection while Americans refused to pay for it themselves 1766 Parliament repealed the Stamp Act, but immediately afterwards passed the Declaratory Act that gave it absolute sovereignty over the American colonies Champagne Charley Townshend became leader of the British ministry, and 1767 got the Parliament to pass the Townshend Acts that put an import duty on certain goods, ex. tea, and tried to appease the colonists by keeping it light and indirect But Americans still disliked because tea was popular, the revenues would go towards the royal governors and judges' salaries, and 1767 the New York legislature was suspended for noncompliance with the Quarterting Act Nonimportation agreements were less effective this time because the tax was smaller so taken less seriously, and smuggled tea could be gotten cheaply So 1786 the British sent troops to Boston, and March 5, 1770 a crowd of townspeople led by Crispus Attucks attacked the troops, so the troops fired back and killed some of them By 1770, King George III was trying to assert the crown's power, but was a bad ruler and employed yes men for officials, esp. prime minister Lord North The Townshend Acts were unprofitable, so were repealed, but the tea tax was retained British officials intensified the enforcement of the Navigation Laws 1772 Samuel Adams in Massachusetts organized local committees of correspondence which spread the spirit of resistance through interchanging letters; others followed suit 1773 Virginia was the first to organize an intercolonial committee of correspondence, and soon every colony had one; evolved into American congresses

The Townshend Tea Tax and the Boston Massacre

The Seditious Committees of Corresponden ce

Tea Parties at Before 1773, rebellion was avoidable because nonimportation was flagging and taxed tea was Boston and cheap Elsewhere But 1773 the British government granted the nearly bankrupt British East India Company a monopoly on the American tea market, where they sold their tea cheaply but still with the tax, so Americans saw it as a ploy to get them to pay the tax British officials decided to enforced the law, so strong colonial resistance, ex. ships forced to turn away or burned and tea seized But in Boston, governor Thomas Hutchinson sided strongly with the British after he was targeted during the Stamp Act protests, so December 16, 1773 men disguised as Indians dumped chests of tea into the harbor Most British officials thought that the colonists needed discipline, while some, ex. Edmund Burke realized that granting some home rule could prevent rebellion

Parliament Passes the Intolerable Acts

1774 the Parliament passed a series of acts to discipline Massachusetts and esp. Boston, ex. the Boston Port Act that closed Boston Harbor until damages were paid, and others that got rid of chartered rights and placed restrictions on town meetings 1774 the Quebec Act was coincidentally passed that guaranteed freedom to Catholicism, permission to retain traditional, non-representative and jury-less institutions, and extended the boundary of Quebec to the Ohio River; French-Canadians liked But the Americans saw the Quebec Act as wide-ranging and anti-democratic, and upset land speculators and anti-Catholics with the sudden extension of French territory

The Other colonists were sympathetic to the overly harsh punishment of Boston and sent food Continental Also, 1774 summoned the First Continental Congress to redress colonial grievances: Congress and Only Georgia did not send delegates, and socialization between delegates increased unity Bloodshed Was a consultative, not legislative, body John Adams helped defeat the moderates' proposal for a British-directed home rule plan Drew up a Declaration of Rights and appeals and created The Association that called for a complete boycott of British goods, not outright rebellion But rebellion drew closer as the Parliament rejected the Congress' petitions April 1775 British troops were sent to Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts to seize gunpowder and capture rebel leaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock; the British killed several colonist minute men at Lexington but suffered more casualties and were forced to retreat at Concord Imperial Strength and Weakness Strengths: 3x larger population that that of the colonies Professional army that included German mercenaries, American loyalists, and Indians Weaknesses: Oppressing Ireland made for tension and diversion of manpower France had a thing against Britain for France's recent defeat Government under King George III and Lord North was confused and inept Many, esp. members of the Whig party, did not want to kill and even supported the Americans because they believed that British freedom would be determined by the outcome of American revolution Troops faced hard conditions in America, ex. second-rate generals, brutal treatment, inadequate provisions, slow communication with Britain, and lack of American urban centers Pluses: Good leaders, ex. Washington and Franklin Foreign aid from France Mercenaries, ex. the Marquis de Lafayette Were agriculturally self-sufficient Moral advantage from believing that they were fighting for a just cause Minuses: Were disorganized and disunified, with the Continental Congress deteriorating and the first written constitution, the Articles of Confederation, only adopted in 1781 Individual colonies were jealous and sovereign-minded

American Pluses and Minuses

 The Continental Congress had to print rapidly depreciating paper currency because lack of metal currency and reluctance to tax, so skyrocketed prices and debts repaid A Thin Line of Heroes The colonial army was lacking in arms, provisions, manufactured goods, clothing and shoes, and training But at the end of the war, German Baron von Steuben drilled several thousand regulars into shape Blacks fought in both American and British armies: On the American side, were initially barred from fighting, but some, ex. Prince Whipple, became military heroes On the British side, November 1775 royal governor or Virginia Lord Dunmore promised freedom for enslaved black Virginians who joined the British army and kept his word American profiteers sold goods to the British instead of to Americans because of the higher profit margin Only a small minority of Americans were actually devoted to independence Britain, following the principles of mercantilism and in debt from the French and Indian War, levied taxes and economic restrictions, such as the Stamp Act and the Navigation Acts, on the Americans without their consent The Americans disregarded these laws and held protests and intercolonial meetings and succeeded in repealing some of these measures, but the British tightened control in response The resistance movement was growing, but revolution was not inevitable until the Boston Tea Party and the subsequent Intolerable Acts The First Continental Congress was called to attempt to redress the colonies' grievances, but the Parliament rejected its petitions War was kicked off by the British attacks on Lexington and Concord

Summary