Colonial Discontent and The Road To The Revolution History Of The United States 2300 PDF

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History of the United States 2300 Professor Verrone Thursday, September 25th, 2014 COLONIAL DISCONTENT AND THE ROAD TO THE REVOLUTION (1763-1775) British Control of the Colonies -When London passed laws in 1763, it was up to representatives to enforce in U.S. -British passed series of laws that would be enforced in some places, but not everywhere, or enforced for different people. -Laws kept coming, colonists annoyed -Goals of British: Enforce Mercantilism, keep colonies around world dependent on London, and restructure all colonial administration. -No independent thinking -Will be shut down -Miscalculations of Parliament: (Reasons why colonists revolt…if right, colonists wouldn’t) -Start passing laws, ignoring fact that they did salutary neglect decades ago—all of a sudden, radically enforced -Underestimates enjoyment of salutary neglect -Parliament ignores colonists’ voice—ignores our process of participating in the rule of the country -Treated like subjects -New King in London (George III) & George Grenville (New British Prime Minister) -5 Things they do: -Permanently station British Troops in colonies -Create new laws on relationship between colonists and Indians -British controls who, when, how many, and where colonists settle in New Frontier -Colonists will never print money again—they control how money is printed and produced -New taxes—everyone is taxed -Colonists won’t revolt right after Britain won the war -They were discontented with the new laws General Issues of Colonial Discontent -Money: New taxes—too harsh -Proclamation Line of 1763: Controlling the movement into the interior was a huge -British soldiers: Not every colonist wanted the soldiers walking around— intimidating, tension. -Why were they there? No reason. (Mutiny Act 1765)

-Quartered soldiers without consent—forced colonists to allow them to live in their homes. -Religion: There is a decree from Grenville and King—the official church is the Church of England. -Could practice other religions, but no longer considered official. -No rights, not supported, not funded -Different political ideas: ideas of how a government should run. -3 Ideas: 1. Representation: In Britain—Parliament represents all colonies over the world. -Need to be elected into Parliament to go there/have a voice -Wouldn’t let colonists in -Elected officials -Colonists wanted to elect own officials under the British Empire to represent themselves 2. Constitution: A document written securing rights for people -Direct descendent of enlightenment thinking 3. Sovereignty: Power -According to Britain, power comes from Parliament -Should be divided between London and the colonies -Parliament said NO, power has always been with Parliament. -Those who thought about these things had to convince colonists that their ideas were good, and if followed through, they could break away from England. -The people who give us the reason for the American Revolution -Population HAS to be convinced to fight. -Could have been avoided if London chilled and backed off. -How these ideas led to a fight: -American Revolution was insurgency against British government -We were the insurgents -Fighting with an idea -Insurgency: Armed expression of organic (natural, original), political, discontent (We don’t like the status quo government—politically discontent) Combinations of all ideas of discontentedness and decide to fight against it -How do you fight a war you can’t win? -Colonists ready to break away—even BEFORE Lexington and Concord. Crises That Lead to Insurgency: -Begins in the mind. If you can’t change people’s minds, you can’t do anything.

-New taxes: Stamp Act (1765), Sugar Act (1764), Revenue Act (1764) (Luxury goods: China, carpet, etc.), and Currency Act (1765) -Stamp Act (1765): MOST IMPORTANT: Affected EVERYONE -Stamp Act Crisis: Taxes the following: Newspapers, books, pamphlets, wills, almanac, licenses: hunting, driving, magazines, and deeds to property (Most common…not all) -Tax on ALL printed items in the colonies. -Raised 10x more money for Great Britain than it did before—worked -Over 60 million 2013 USD -Voice our opinion—they don’t care -Protested -Samuel Adams: Lives in Boston -John Adams: Lawyer (Brother) -Organizes some of the protests -Few hundred people -Names themselves: Sons of Liberty -Secretly meet in bars -Go after people who collect the taxes -Tie the guy to a tree, pour tar on him, and put feathers on him -Strip his clothes off and make him run around nude -Go to his house and take it apart, brick by brick, and pile it in the road -Sends some Liberty boys to make more groups & organize protests -Manhattan, New York: Hold a meeting -Stamp Act Congress: They pass a decree saying that the Stamp Act is unconstitutional (No Constitution yet)—say they won’t follow it and recommend that no colonists do either. -New Prime Minister repeals Stamp Act after one year—caused too much trouble -Put new one in place—The Declaratory Act 1766 -Parliament has control of colonists in all cases (Obviously) -Proclamation Line 1763: Order from London—Line on mountain tops preventing expansion without permission -Colonists did not want to abide by this rule, they wanted to expand westward

-Britain’s leadership finds out that we are not abiding by their laws -Decide to enforce laws as much as possible -Need more troops, administrators, etc. -Realized they can’t arrest everyone—needed a way to stop -Added Townsend Acts of 1767 under Declaratory Act of 1766 -Taxes paint, lead, paper, glass, tea -Raises money—items only affect certain people -Colonists found ways around -New York Colonial Assembly: Do not approve Townsend Acts for the state. -Refused to buy the taxed items -Political Elites who refused to go along -Disbanded—do not exist anymore according to Britain -Why did the colonists try to fight the biggest superpower on the planet, with an awful army, no country, and no allies? -Boston agreed with New York Colonial Assembly -Supplied paint, lead, paper, glass, and tea—they lose costs, but do it to support -2 Other colonies back them up -Board of Customs Commissioners: (Pay taxes at Customs House—law house) (1767) -Invented by Parliament -Put people in charge to get rid of commission -More enforcement -Pisses off a lot of ocean-traders -Boston, Charleston -In Boston, they tell their people not to even interact with Board of Customs Commissioners (Public call by leaders to not follow British law) -Britain wanted to make money, but instead creates tons of resentment -Non-Importation Agreement (1768): -Colonial Act (Boston) stating that they will not buy the taxed goods under Townsend Acts -London sends about 4,000 troops (Army—not police) ONLY to Boston to take over the city. -New Prime Minister comes in—Repeals all Townsend Acts EXCEPT Tea. -Mostly upper-class drank tea -Boston takes action to make a statement -Men assemble at night by docks -Boston Tea Party (December 16, 1773)

-Indians show up—they get tied up and thrown in water, then dump the tea in the water, and sail the other way as British troops assemble at shore. -There was more than one tea party in the other colonies -Delaware dumped tea and burned ship -Colonists and British troops talk -The political elite made the decisions for the country -Economic elite also had an influence -The ones who seem to be the political leaders -Not always well known/liked -The Boston Massacre (March 5th, 1770): -5 colonists killed -Crispus Attucks was the first casualty of the revolution (Black Guy) -8 soldiers on trial in Boston, 2: murder charge dropped to man-slaughter. 6 get off. -Represented by John Adams -Paul Revere and Billy Dalls take story to use as anti-British propaganda, and call it a massacre. The story is sent to all the colonies -British want to know who was responsible -Colonists twist story to make it look like they didn’t retaliate against the British -The spreading of the word: Ship (Boston to Charleston) Horse-to-horse chain messages, newspapers. -Organized revolution through information -Need to change people’s minds -Committees of Correspondence: Need to organize group around colonies—not just Boston -Organized by Samuel Adams -Comes up with ways to spread info among colonies as well as London -Information distribution is key in forming the colonial-wide discontent -If they get caught, they get arrested -Stays intact, helps in 1770s -British take first step toward military control

-Come up with the Coercive (Intolerable according to the colonists) Acts of 1774 -All designed to hit Massachusetts -Shut down Boston Harbor -Kills Boston economy -Any British troops who do something wrong, only go back to England. No other punishment. -Not held liable for actions in colonies -All British officers could take over private homes in Boston -Mandatory quartering of British troops in homes -Other colonies support Boston -Immediate lifeline set up to New York into Philadelphia -Seed is growing based on Great Britain’s actions (Driving the insurgency) -They are trying to control the situation, but the more they try, the more the colonists want to rebel. -Committees of Correspondence wanted to get information out and make it sound worse—Coercive Acts renamed (by colonists) to Intolerable Acts. -First Continental Congress (September 1774, Philadelphia): -Call themselves the CC, but there is NOTHING that they’re in charge of. -Political elites decide to get together and talk about what is happening. -Coordinate their response -Just like in 1754 in Albany—the difference is the new mindset that people have. -Virginia Delegates get together and issue the call -Georgia doesn’t agree to go -Political center shifts from Boston to Philadelphia -Decide to reject the plan for colonial union under the British -Wrote a list of grievances to the King of London -Rejected -Drafted and tried to organize militia -Word gets out to colonies -Proposed a colonial-wide boycott of all British goods

-Appoints one subcommittee to run the boycott -The Continental Association -First colonial government outside of British rule -Last decision was to make a second Continental Congress and move to another structure (Now called Independence Hall) -King/Parliament hear about it and want to go after them -How to implement decisions of the Continental Congress -Sam Adams came up with idea for another committee(s) to run military, organize boycott, and enforce it, get political elite in colony -Committee of Public Safety -Ones who really form colonial government that runs the colony during the war...