The American Revolution

1. The American Revolution Debts, Taxation, and Misunderstanding lead to war and independence

2. American Heroes: 1763

3. Victory and the treaty of Paris meant? • Peace? An end to French intrusion in the colonies. • Prosperity in commerce with England/ • Protestant unity

4. Impact of Pontiac’s Rebellion • The incredible assault by the Odawa illustrated that the British had to keep an army in North America.

5. Britain accumulated 130,000,000 in war debts. An annual budget of 250,000 to maintain a military presence in colonies. War Debts

6. Lowered the tax (duty) on sugar by ½. Colonial tax burden? 1:26 Set up special courts for smugglers. Response? Led by Samuel Adams—non importation. The Sugar Act

7. Nature of discontent? The Law? The Stamp Act

8. “the right of exemption from all taxes without their consent…would deprive them of every privilege distinguishing freemen from slaves. Virtual Representation

9. Stamp Act Congres Harassment: Andrew Oliver and Thomas Hutchinson Key components of protest: restating of civil rights and non-importation. The Protest

10. The resolves claimed that Virginia was an independent realm of the British Crown, subject to taxation only by its colonial assembly and not by Parliament. The Virginia Resolves

11. “The Repeal”

12. The Declaratory Act asserted Britain's exclusive right to legislate for and tax its colonies The Declaratory Act

13. External v. Internal Taxes • Colonists tended not to mind “external taxes” such as the Molasses Act. • These were meant to regulate trade. • Internal or “direct” taxes were much more contemptible to the colonists. They were designed not to regulate trade, but to raise revenue.

14. Townshend Acts: 1768 • Revenue Act: a duty placed on items such as tea, lead, paper, and barrels. • Townshend’s view on taxes • Taxation and the salary of governors…a key component. • NY Suspending Act

15. Response to the Townshend Acts • Daughters of Liberty • Samuel Adams Circular Letter • Non-Importation (40% dip in already strained British commerce) • Townshend Acts Repealed.

16. Letters from a farmer in Pennsylvania “an imposition on the subject for the sole purpose of levying money.” Opposed to independence: “torn from the body to which we are united…where shall we find another Britain to support us” John Dickinson

17. The Townshend Acts Repealed Boston Massacre Ended a period of calm 3/5/1770: Joy and Sorrow

19. Eyewitness Account • "A number of persons, to the amount of thirty or forty, mostly boys and youngsters, who assembled ... near the sentry at the Custom-house door, damned him, and bid him fire and be damned; and some snow ball were throwed ... I saw a party of soldiers come from the main guard, and draw themselves up ... the people still continued in the street, crying, 'Fire, fire, and be damned,' and hove some more snow balls, whereupon I heard a musket go off, and in the space of two or three seconds, I heard the word 'fire' given ... and instantly the soldiers fired one after another."

20. Changes in the tea policy. Dutch smuggling Cheaper yet better tea! Oh…wait. Merchants role, the new “Consignee” Tea Act of 1773

21. Goal to sell 17,000,000 lbs of tea in the colonies at a discount. Taxes within England were refunded at the expense of the colonies. NO COLONIAL SALESMAN—all done by representatives of the British East India Company.

22. Boston Tea Party:

23. Response: The Coercive Acts • Boston Port Act: prohibited the loading or unloading of ships in the port of Boston after June 1 and until the town had paid for the tea. • Massachusetts Government Act: abolished the charter of 1691 and restored it to English control. • Administration of Justice Act: treasonous criminals tried in England not the colonies. • Quartering Act: permitted British troops to be quartered with towns throughout the entire colonies.

24. Divide the colonies and punish Massachusetts…crush any remnants of revolt. Result: Colonies bound together. Goal?

25. Coordinating event that saw 12/13 (Ga.) colonies meet in Philadelphia. Their powers were limited, but it was unified. Boycott Continental Association Committees of Correspondence First Continental Congress

26. Goal of the 1st CC? • “We ask for only for peace, liberty, and security. We wish no diminution of royal prerogatives, we demand no new rights.”

27. Purpose: coordinate the colonists opposition to the Coercive Acts. Any response such as non-importation would be conducted everywhere. Sought reconciliation minus taxation.

28. Delivered to the 1st CC by Paul Revere. Encouraged people to not pay taxes, disobey the coercive acts, elect militia officials and train for war. Suffolk Resolves

29. Final Steps Towards War • Neither the King nor Parliament willing to back down. • When the colonists submitted their petition to address Parliament on grievances they voted no 218-68 • Referring to them as “unruly children” and “rude rabble”

30. “The New England Governments are in rebellion, blows must decide whether they are to be subject to this country or independent”. King George III King George III

31. Lexington and Concord-response to the British occupation of Boston (since 1768) Gage’s goal was to remove ammunitions from local patriots. His wife foiled the plan by alerting the Patriots. The Battles

32. Colonists had been on high alert of a possible British plot, alarm and messenger systems were established were designed to alert leaders like Adams, and Hancock of any changes. The most famous was Revere’s Ride. Revere’s Ride

33. The Casualties… • Initially the British urged minutemen to disperse. Then a shot was fired, eight Patriots died in the ensuing battle. The British proceeded on to Concord to find the munitions. Finding nothing, they moved back to Boston…guerilla fighting having broken out along the entire route, killing 273 British.

38. Capture of Fort Ticonderoga (1775)

39. 1775 Lord Dunmore of Virginia offered amnesty to all slaves if they assisted the British in putting down the local rebellion. Slavery and the Rebellion

40. Bunker Hill • Bunker Hill: costly British Victory. Colonist gain confidence. • “it was a dear bought victory another would have ruined us.” • Chose not to pursue the Americans

42. Pursue Peace: Olive Branch Petition Pursue War: Declaration of Independence, Cont. Army This contradiction made this first government of this country most difficult. Dual Roles of the 2nd CC

43. Perspectives • Most of the delegates who attended the Second Continental Congress were not yet prepared for a total break with England. Most eager for independence were the Massachusetts men, whose colony had been stripped of civil government by the Coercive Acts. Delegates from the middle and southern colonies were more inclined toward reconciliation, fearing that fighting for independence would disrupt trade, create civil unrest, and leave the colonies vulnerable to enemies like France and Spain. Despite hopes to contain the conflict, all agreed that a military buildup was necessary to counter the invading British army.

44. Thomas Paine • The most clear case for Independence came from Paine. Many Americans “wavered”. • Document sold 150,000 copies in a matter of weeks.

45. By early July spurred on by Paine’s appeal for common sense, calls were being made for Independence. By July only New York a loyalist hotbed remained outside the other colonies. Declaration of Independence

46. Tale of the Tape: Americans • The American forces had the advantage of being highly motivated to fight and theoretically could mobilize considerable manpower. Cause, patriotism… • However, Americans traditionally had relied on militia, which were good for limited engagements but not for long wars requiring military campaigns far from home

48. Role of Women? • Over the course of the war, some 231,000 men spent time in military service, amounting to roughly one-quarter of the white male population over age sixteen. Close to 20,000 women served in the Continental army as cooks, washerwomen, and nurses.

49. Key Battles • British retreated from Boston in 1776 taking the fight to the Middle States. • Defeat in New York: Washington suffers defeat by the Howe brothers as he is outnumbered and late arriving.

50. On December 26th, Washington's Army crossed the Delaware and surprised the British at Trenton. The main attack was made by 2,400 troops under Washington on the Hessian Garrison. Washington's troops achieved total surprise and defeated the British forces. The American victory was the first of the war, and helped to restore American morale. Victories come slowly