Ch 5 The Road to Revolution Sec

Ch 5: The Road to Revolution

Sec 1: The French & Indian War

Competing Empires • Br & Fr ctrld empires which shared a border in N. Am. (1700 s) – Wanted to own area – Feared ea other • Nat. Am. lived on most of terr claimed by Fr – Few Fr settlers (not a threat to Nat Am) – Br. wanted farmland & pushed into Ohio R Valley (claimed by Fr)

Ohio River Valley • Claimed both by Fr. & Br. • Fertile—good for farming • Fur trade

French & Indian War • 1753: Fr. built fts to back land claims btwn Lk Erie & Ohio R • VA colony claimed same lands & VA governor ordered Fr to leave lands • Gov sent soldiers led by G. Washington • Militia: force of civilians trained as soldiers but not part of a regular army • Fr rejected warning

• 1754 GW ordered to build ft where Allegheny & Monongahela R meet to form OH R • Fr already there building Ft Duquesne • GW built own ft—Ft Necessity • GW’s trps attacked & defeated a sm Fr force but were later forced to give up Ft Necessity • Start of war

Albany Congress • Br wanted col to help defeat Fr • Invited Iroquois hoping to form an alliance (agreement btwn countries to help against other countries) • Ben Franklin drew up Albany Plan of Union – Council of reps elected by col assemblies – Auth to deal w/ W settlements & Nat Am – Org armies & collect taxes • Rejected by col assemblies

British Advantages • Strong economy • Best navy in the world • Large colonial population French Advantages • Strong central government • Nat. Am alliances • Fts t/out N Am

Ft Duquesne • • • 1755: Br. Gen Braddock wanted to capture ft Used traditional fighting methods Didn’t want to listen to or respect col soldiers Br. red uniforms were targets @ ft, Br. ambushed by Fr & Nat Am ½+ Braddock’s forces were killed or wounded, incl Braddock • Suffered other setbacks as well during 1 st few years • 1756 full blown war btwn Fr. & Br— 7 Yrs War

Br. Turn the Tide • • • 1757: Wm Pitt became PM of Br Chose generals w/ genuine military talent Sent needed supplies to N Am Encouraged col to support Br 1758—took Fr fts @ Louisburg & Duquesne (renamed Ft. Pitt) • Led Iroquois to side w/ Br

Quebec • • • Cap of New France Located on cliff overlooking St. Lawrence R Fr led by Gen Montcalm Br led by Gen Wolfe Br climbed cliffs @ night & defeated Fr on plains in front of city • Key battle—Fr loss meant couldn’t defend rest of N Am territory

Treaty of Paris 1763 • Ended war • Fr ceded (surrendered) Fr Canada & all other terr E of Miss R (except New Orleans) to Br • Sp Florida given to Br • Sp received New Orleans & all Fr land W of Miss R • Nat Am no longer could stop Br from moving onto land

Sec 2: Br Increase Ctrl over Colonies

Conflict w/ Nat Am • By 1763, Br ctrld almost all of N Am E of Miss R • Led to fighting btwn Nat Am & Br settlers over land

Pontiac’s War • Pontiac—ldr of Ottawa nation, formed alliance w/ other Nat Am • 1763 attacked Br fts & settlements in W • Destroyed about ½ doz fts & killed @ least 2 K settlers • Br responded by killing Nat Am even if they hadn’t attacked • Pontiac’s forces defeated by fall 1764

Proclamation of 1763 • Banned col settlement W of Appalachian Mts • Meant to prevent problems w/ Nat Am • Angered col • Ignored by col & difficult for Br to enforce

Br Rules Lead to Conflict • 1763: col considered selves to be loyal Br. subjects • Proud of contribution to Fr & Indian War • Expected Br to be grateful • Fr & Indian War left Br in debt • Had to keep troops in N Am • Felt col should pay part of debt

Sugar Act (1764) • Placed duty (import tax) on sev products incl molasses • Harsh punishment of smugglers

Quartering Act (1765) • Purpose—save $ • Req col to quarter (house) Br trps & provide them w/ food & supplies • Col felt this violated their rights

Stamp Act (1765) • Had to buy stamps for newspapers, wills, licenses, insurance policies, land titles, contracts & other docs (even playing cards) • Widely protested • Col org boycott (refusal to buy certain products)

Stamp Act Congress • Oct 1765 • Delegates from 9 col met • Sent petition (written request to gov’t) demanding end of Sugar & Stamp Acts • 1766 Stamp Act repealed • Passed Declaratory Act stating Parl had total ctrl over col

Townshend Acts • 1767 • Taxed good brought into col (sugar, tea, lead, paint, etc) • Writs of assistance used—ct orders allowing officials to make searches w/o saying what they were looking for • Angered col—violation of rights • Chas Townshend (in charge of Br Treas) wanted to weaken col assemblies

• Suspened NY Assembly when it refused to supply $ for soldiers under Quartering Act • Col boycotted Br. gds in response

Boston Massacre • Boycott hurt Br merchants & manufacturers • 1770 all of Townshend Acts except tea tax repealed • Mar 1770 col surrounded grp of Br soldiers in Boston • Threw snowballs & rocks • Soldiers fired into crowd, killing 5 & wounding 6, incl Crispus Attucks, Afr Am sailor

• Soldiers put on trial • John Adams defended them b/c he believed in right to a lawyer & fair trial • Only 2 soldiers convicted • Events of the Boston Massacre used by the colonists as propaganda (anything used to gain support for a cause) against the British

Committees of Correspondence • • • Est by Samuel Adams Purpose: keep col informed of Br actions Dev in other col Wrote letters & pamphlets Helped unite col

Sec 3

Dispute over Tea • Issue w/ paying taxes: didn’t choose reps for Parl • Tea Act passed 1773 • Intended to help Br E India Co • Boycott had hurt company • Although Tea Act price of tea, it gave comp monopoly on selling Br tea in col • Monopoly: total ctrl of a market for a certain product • Hurt col merchants

Boston Tea Party • Sons of Liberty: org in port cities to stop tea from being unloaded • No tea unloaded in NY, Phil, or other ports • Boston—MA gov wanted tea unloaded • Dec 16, 1773: grp of men disguised as Nat Am boarded ship & threw tea into harbor • Destroyed 90 K lbs of tea worth thousands of $

Methods of Col Protest • • • Boycotts Petitions Committees of Correspondence Sons of Liberty Daughters of Liberty—helped support the boycotts by making supplies col needed • Mercy Otis Warren wrote plays about what was happening in colonies

Intolerable Acts • Passed by Parl to punish MA for tea party • 1—closed port of Boston • 2 -- pwr of royal gov, abolished upper house of MA legislature, cut pwrs of twn mtgs • 3—Br officials had to be tried in Britain • 4—stronger Quartering Act

Quebec Act • Set up gov’t for Fr Canada • Claimed some land btwn Ohio & Miss R as part of Canada • Took away land from sev col & blocked other col from moving W

Reaction in Other Col • Sent food & supplies to MA • Committees of correspondence org mtgs • 1 st Continental Congress met in Phil in Sept 1774 • 12 col sent delegates – Demanded repeal (official end) to Intolerable Acts – Decl col had right to tax selves – Called for training of militias in col – New boycott – Would meet again in May 1775 if demands not met

Shot Heard Round the World • Col began to org militias • Minutemen: citizen soldiers who could be ready to fight @ a minute’s notice (MA) • Apr 1775—MA Gov Gen Gage learned minutemen were storing weapons in Concord • Apr 18—sent trps to seize them & capture important col leaders

• Patriots signaled warning—org by Revere & Dawes • 77 men waiting in Lexington for Br • Shot rang out (unknown who fired it) • Start of Amer Rev—Apr 19, 1775 • Battle of Concord fought on same day

Sec 4

2 nd Continental Congress • Col not looking for independence when war began • Ready to use force to defend rights • May 1775—met in Phil – Becomes col gov’t during war • Divided about what to do @ 1 st • Made 3 decisions – Formed Continental Army – GW would be leader of army – Printed paper $

Patriots V Loyalists • • • Patriots favored independence Loyalists remained loyal to Br 1/3 took no side Patriots took ctrl of local gov’t Loyalists incl some of wealthiest families in col, leading merchants, landowners, gov’t officials – Didn’t want a change in gov’t or to lose property • Afr Am sided w/ Br hoping to win freedom • Nat Am sided w/ Br b/c didn’t want to lose land to col

Olive Branch Petition • Sent to George III • Stated col were loyal to king • Asked for end to fighting so disputes could be solved peacefully • Not answered by George III

Ft Ticonderoga • May 1775 col made surprise attack on Ft Ticonderoga in Northern NY @ S end of Lk Champlain • Protected H 2 O route to Can • Col led by Ethan Allen & his followers (Green Mt Boys) • Br surrendered almost immediately • Important – Ft ctrld main rt btwn Can & Hudson R Valley – Held valuable weapons incl cannons

Battle of Bunker Hill • Near Boston • Br Gen Howe decided to attack up the hill • Amer opened fire when Br were 150 ft away • Killed or wounded hundreds of Br soldiers • 1 st 2 Br attacks failed • 3 rd succeeded b/c col ran out of ammo • Br won battle b/c col had to retreat

• Importance: Am proved they could fight & stand up to professional Br soldiers • Boston was still surrounded by Amer forces • GW arrived • Sent for cannons from Ft Ticonderoga • Placed cannons on high ground over Boston, making it impossible for Br to defend city • Br w/drew Mar 1776 & never returned to area

Br Advantages • Strongest navy in world • Blockaded Am ports – (blockade: shutting off ports to keep ppl or supplies from moving in or out) • $ & supplies • Well-trained troops • Mercenaries— soldiers who serve another country for $ Am Advantages • Knew territory (fighting on homeland) • Had goal worth fighting for • Had support • Good leaders