AMERICA IN THE BRITISH EMPIRE

1. AMERICA IN THE BRITISH EMPIRE CHAPTER 3 (82-111)

2. THE BRITISH COLONIAL SYSTEM Due to distance, each colony was fairly independent of Crown control Each colony did have an appointed Royal governor (Except Connecticut and Rhode Island) Each colony had a legislature (2 houses) Privy Council in England formulated colonial policy Board of Trade – reviewed all laws passed in the colonies, disallowing some There was never a centralized government for the colonies

3. MERCANTILISM The Board of Trade was also concerned with commerce Economists call their policies mercantilism Mercantilists were concerned with obtaining out of the colonies enough gold, silver, and raw materials to create a favorable balance of trade for England Parliament placed tariffs on foreign manufactured goods in order to stimulate internal production in England and the colonies

4. THE NAVIGATION ACTS First enacted in the 1650’s, the Navigations Acts were designed to bring gold and silver into the royal treasury, develop the imperial merchant fleet, channel colonial raw materials to England, and keep foreign goods and vessels out of colonial ports These acts were for the entire empire, which was growing, and took a wide, long view of its effects

6. THE EFFECTS OF MERCANTILISM Colonists complained heavily Always in debt to England – little hard money available The colonists tended to lose any Anglo-American disagreements in Parliament Mercantilism steered the American economy in England’s direction

7. THE GREAT AWAKENING Religious fervor had died down as succeeding generations turned toward profit rather than God George Whitfield – a brilliant orator, he instilled an emotionalism into religion that had been missing “Old Lights” and “New Lights” The feeling grew that whatever God justified human law could not condemn – thus traditional concepts of authority began to break down

9. THE RISE AND FALL OF JONATHAN EDWARDS “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” His message was too harsh and he was eventually dismissed and became a missionary to Indians By 1754, the Great Awakening had run its course The Great Awakening fostered more religious toleration than ever before The Great Awakening was the first “national” event in American history

10. THE ENLIGHTENMENT IN AMERICA The Enlightenment started in Europe and transferred to America It believed in reason and scientific inquiry Galileo Galilei (1564-1650) - Astronomy Rene Descartes (1596-1650) - Mathematics Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727) - Gravity People began to think that the universe was controlled by natural laws rather than God

11. THE ENLIGHTENMENT IN AMERICA If the universe was controlled by natural laws, then man could learn to control and use some of these laws – the beginnings of the Age of Reason The belief in superstitions begins to die out Some stopped believing in Original Sin and taught the goodness of God, others doubted the divinity of Christ, others became Deists – revering God for his marvelous universe rather than his power over humanity

12. THE ENLIGHTENMENT IN AMERICA Philosophers and political theorists found a larger audience – John Locke, David Hume, Voltaire Newspapers and pamphlets circulated these new ideas to many Americans Colleges were putting out fewer ministers and more lawyers, physicians, and professors Ben Franklin’s Junto – he and his friends gathered regularly to discuss “any point of morals, politics, or natural philosophy”

13. COLONIAL SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENTS John Bartram – a naturalist who classified hundreds of new plant species and studied Indians Benjamin Franklin – experiments in electricity, the lightning rod, iron Franklin stove, bifocal glasses Thomas Pownall – in 1752 predicted that the “weight” of America would force England to change policies or their would be revolution

15. REPERCUSSIONS OF DISTANT WARS The colonies were often mere game pieces in the conflicts between England, Spain, and France They were often in conflict in the colonies as well They fought over harbors in the North East They fought over hunting grounds Indian tribes were also in conflict, often drawing colonists into them The Huron and Algonquin vs. the Five Nations (Iroquois) which became French vs. English

17. REPERCUSSIONS OF DISTANT WARS King William’s War (1689-1697) French and English forces captured various outposts and towns, only to have everything restored in 1697 War of Spanish Succession (1702-1713) fought to prevent the union of Spain and France – Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and the Hudson Bay region were given to England War of Austrian Succession (1740-1748) everything was restored in the peace

18. REPERCUSSIONS OF DISTANT WARS These wars often angered the colonies who considered events in Europe relatively unimportant, yet they paid a high cost These wars also heightened tensions between French and English colonists, each blaming the other for any Indian attacks, and conflict over territory mounted – some was claimed by both nations

19. THE GREAT WAR FOR THE EMPIRE As the English moved west into the Ohio area, they came into direct contact and competition with the French The French struck hard and fast, building more defensive forts Pennsylvania Lt. Governor Robert Dinwiddie sent a young George Washington to deliver a message, the next year he was sent back at the head of a small army, now a Lt. Colonel

21. THE GREAT WAR FOR THE EMPIRE Washington was inexperienced and his men lost the battle where he was tricked into signing a confession that he had assassinated a French officer. Still, he returned to Virginia a hero. This set off a war that came to be known as the French-Indian War – 1.5 million English against 90,000 Frenchmen – but the French were well organized where the English were not Many Indians took the French side and caused a great deal of devastation and panic

22. THE GREAT WAR FOR THE EMPIRE In 1756 the war spilled over into Europe, coming to be called the Seven Years War Prussia sided with Great Britain, Austria sided with France The English were fairing so poorly that King George II was forced to allow William Pitt to direct the war effort – his policies, though costly, secured victory for Great Britain – he promoted good generals, built up the navy, won victories in Cuba, the Philippines, most of North America and Canada, and in the West Indies and India

24. BRITAIN VICTORIOUS: THE PEACE OF PARIS France abandoned all claims to North America except a couple of islands near Newfoundland Britain took control of Canada, the Mississippi Valley, and Florida – but gave back Cuba and Manila to Spain Spain got control of New Orleans and the rest of North America west of the Mississippi “Half the continent had changed hands at the scratch of a pen”

26. BRITAIN VICTORIOUS: THE PEACE OF PARIS British gold paid for most of the war and British troops fought most of the battles – colonials were difficult to get to enlist and unreliable when they did A surge of pride and support for the king and for Great Britain, now truly a proper empire, came from the colonists

27. BURDENS OF AN EXTENDED EMPIRE The new Empire was much larger, much more difficult to administer, and much more expensive – the cost to administer North America alone soared to 5 times what it was before the war Britain had also incurred massive debts in order to win the war – debts which now had to be serviced Britain still ruled the colonies in a haphazard manner, treating them as uncouth and inferior

28. BURDENS OF AN EXTENDED EMPIRE British leadership still considered the colonies only as far as what advantage they brought to England British officers complained about colonial militia as being unfit, unruly and worthless As Americans grew richer, some English began to resent them Population began to catch up as Franklin had predicted, doubling between 1750 and 1770

29. TIGHTENING IMPERIAL CONTROLS After the French-Indian War, the British government once again tried to be more active in American governance The American colonies were still a huge drain on the British treasury, mostly due to the cost of fighting Indians – they also were not taxed Pontiac’s Rebellion – one last effort to push the English back failed – by 1764, most Indians had accepted the peace terms offered

31. TIGHTENING IMPERIAL CONTROLS Proclamation of 1763 Settlers could not cross the Appalachian divide Only licensed traders could do business there Purchase of Indian land was forbidden This frustrated many colonists who were engaging in land speculation in Ohio and other areas – men like George Washington Originally to be temporary, it became permanent and the government saw in it a way to save money, prevent further Indian trouble (this was part of a deal they had made), and keep the colonies tied to England – Like trying to contain a tidal wave

33. THE SUGAR ACT 1764 – the Sugar Act placed tariffs on sugar, coffee, wines, and other things imported into America Measures were also taken to enforce the trade laws – the were no longer willing to look the other way It was not long before the customs service was collecting 15 times what the had before the war The Sugar Act was a true tax, resented in every way by the Americans – they felt that Parliament had no right to tax them

34. AMERICAN COLONISTS DEMAND RIGHTS The British reasoned that either Parliament was sovereign in America or it was not – thus tax laws were no different than any other laws They also reasoned that as loyal subjects, the colonists should cheerfully bear their fair share of the burden “Virtual” representation made no sense to the colonists who had been practicing direct representation for many years

35. AMERICAN COLONISTS DEMAND RIGHTS “Taxation without representation” became the phrase of the day – though the colonists probably would not have been happy had they been given representation The colonists could not organize a coherent resistance to the Sugar Act, though various forms of boycott and protests were tried

36. THE STAMP ACT: THE POT SET TO BOILING The Stamp Act placed a heavy excise tax on printed matter – everything from newspapers and pamphlets to diplomas and legal papers Those in England were already paying a similar tax These monies were intended to help pay for the defense of the colonies The protests were so fierce that almost no money was collected (Georgia was one of the few colonies who cooperated)

37. THE STAMP ACT: THE POT SET TO BOILING 1765 – Patrick Henry of Virginia proposes that the Virginia Legislature is the only entity legally able to levy taxes on Virginians Massachusetts created a Stamp Act Congress, which passed several resolutions of protest Sons of Liberty – irregular organizations of dissenters – the first resistance movement outside of official channels Often used violence – stamps were stolen and burned, officers were threatened, Thomas Hutchinson’s home was vandalized, riots were happening all over

39. RIOTORS OR REBELS? The Stamp Act had potential to hurt many businesses – the protest of these powerful men had a great impact on public opinion The Quartering Act – local legislatures were required to house and feed new British troops sent to the colonies This was considered an indirect tax and a threat to their liberty Americans were concerned that Parliament didn’t seem to care about them

40. TAXATION OR TYRANNY? At this time the English are recognized as the freest people in the world All British felt that they had a balanced government – power was shared by the Crown, the House of Lords, and the House of Commons The reality was that there was no real balance, but there were no seriously divisive issues either To the Americans, these new laws seemed to threaten that balance

41. TAXATION OR TYRANNY? The British began seeing the colonies as a child in need of discipline while the colonies began recognizing that they were no longer so dependent on the mother country They began seeking to deal with Britain on more equal terms, terms which the British were unwilling to give I addition to not using the stamps, British goods were boycotted as well – in 1766 the law was repealed

42. THE DECLARATORY ACT This act stated that the colonies were subordinate to Parliament and that it could enact any law and bind them on the colonies Americans and British were coming to assign different meanings to important words: representation, constitution, sovereignty

43. THE TOWNSHEND DUTIES 1767 – this imposed taxes on glass, lead, paints, paper and tea – another indirect tax However, Americans were watchful and immediately began boycotting British goods again – imports were halved by 1769 Several other changes were made to enforce these trade laws, each more infuriating than the last

44. THE TOWNSHEND DUTIES The Massachusetts General Court sent a “circular letter” to the legislatures of the other colonies expressing that the Townshend Duties were infringing their natural and constitutional rights Debates were held over the limits of British power in America Still, separation from Britain was not seriously considered – though some, like Sam Adams, were getting very close

45. THE BOSTON MASSACRE As the British began cracking down on the colonies, tensions rose – more troops had been transferred into places like Boston, the legislature had been dissolved, and resentment was high – 4000 troops into a city of 16000 On March 5, 1770, a crowd of idlers began throwing snowballs at British troops. Some contained rocks as well. The crowd grew, the soldiers panicked, and 5 Bostonians were dead

46. THE BOSTON MASSACRE John Adams defended the soldiers, attempting to get them a fair trial – most were acquitted Later that year almost all the Townshend Duties were repealed A sort of peace followed, British imports rose, and things seemed to go back to normal

48. THE TEA ACT CRISIS 1773 – the British East India Company held a monopoly of all trade from India Tea was to be sold directly to Americans, to which Americans realized that Parliament could then offer American markets to whomever it chose – they violently resisted In New York, the tea ships were not even unloaded, they were sent back In Boston, several colonists dressed as Indians snuck on board the tea ships and dumped the tea into the harbor

50. FROM RESISTANCE TO REVOLUTION The Coercive Acts (1774) Boston harbor was closed until the cost of the tea was repaid Massachusetts’ charter was revised, strengthening the power of the governor and weakening the local authorities The British were now treating the colonists like criminals – Americans referred to these acts as the Intolerable Acts