History: Chapter 4 Outline

Chapter 4: Imperial Wars and Colonial Protest, 1754-1774

I.  Empires at War

A. A series of four wars broke out from 1689 to 1763

a. Worldwide, stakes were high, winner got W. Indies and Canada for colonial trade.

B. The First Three Wars

a. Named after king/queen ruling @ the time.

1. King William’s War (1689-1697) *two wars*

2. Queen Anne’s War (1702-1713)

• goal= capture Quebec, failed for William’s War agains N. Ams and French.  Won w/ Queen’s, gained both Nova Scotia from France, trading rights in Spanish Am.

3.  King George’s War (1744-1748)

• Brits under attack of Fr. and Sp. again.
• John Oglethorpe= leads colonial army= repulse spanish
•   North= Captured Fr. fortress, Cape Breton Island, get access to St. Lawrence River.
• Peace treaty= give Louisbourg back to French, in exchange for political and economic gains in India.
• New Englanders furious about loss, worked hard for Louisbourg.

C.  The French and Indian War

1. Began in colonies, spread to Europe.  Fr. and En. realize colonies= important > send many troops = French and Indian War.

2. Beginning of the War

• Brits: French provoked war by building chain of forts in Ohio River Valley.
• French: Reason was to stop w. growth of brit. colonies.
• July 3, 1754- G.W. lost to Fr. and N. Ams.= beginning of war
• General Edward Braddock= led defeat in 1755.

• Ft. Duquesne.
• Algonquin allies
• Brit invasion of Fr. Canada= fail in 1756 and 1747.

3. The Albany Plan of Union

• Call a meeting of congress in Albany, NY in 1754. Delegates from 7 colonies made Albany Plan of Union.

• By B. Franklin.
• Intercolonial gov’t and sys. recruiting troops, taxes for defense.
• Never took effect, but precedent of Rev. Congresses.

4. British Victory

• William Pitt = Brit. Prime minister.

• Concentrated Gov’t. militarty strat. on conq. Canada.
• Competed- took over Louisbourg in 1758, surrender of Quebec to General James Wolfe in 1759. Montreal= 1763.
• Peace of Paris- Brits got Fr. Canada and Sp. Florida

5. Immediate effects of the war.

•   Won Fr. In. War = Supremacy, estab. as dominant naval power.
•   Brits saw colonies in new light
• The British View

•   Low opinion of colonial military effort.

•   The Colonial View

• Proud of military, thought could provide own defense.

D. Reorginization of the British Empire

1. Salutary Neglect- nav. laws going unenforced, now abandoned.

• Past 4 wars = cost lots of money

2. Pontiac’s Rebellion

•   1763- Chief Pontiac attacked colonies, angry b/c of westward growth, and no gifts.

3. Proclamation of 1763.

•   Prohibited colonists from moving past Appalachian Mts, stop fighting b/w N. Ams and colonists.  Colonists mad.

II.  British Actions and Colonial Reactions

A.  New Revenues and Regulations

1. Sugar Act

• 1764. Stricter enforcement of Navigation Acts, stop smuggling.

2. Quartering Act

• 1765. Provide food and living space for Brit. soldiers.

3. Stamp Act

• 1765. Required revenue stamps on printed paper.
• All colonies very angry.  Patrick Henry- Stood up in House of Burgesses, demanded no taxation w/o representation.
• James Otis- Stamp Act Congress- only own elected reps. had authority to approve taxes.
• Sons and Daughters of Liberty- secret organization, intimidation
• Boycotts- most effective.  1765 and 1766.

• London merchants try to repeal Acts.

4. Declaratory Act

• 1766.  Grenville replaced, Stamp Act repealed.
•   Parliament had the right to tax and make laws for colonies in all cases whatsoever = new conflict.

B. Second Phase of the Crisis, 1767- 1773

• The Townshend Acts

• 1767, Parliament says raised revenues used to pay officials in colonies.  Homes, ships, etc, can be searched anytime, anywhere.
• Writ of assistance- license to search, judge not needed.

• Colonial Reaction

• John Dickinson, Samuel Adams, James Otis of MA start to argue new taxes.
• Dickinson: Letters From.... in PA, agreed w/ Parliament can regulate commerce, but not in tax form w/o representation.
• 1768- Otis, Adams wrote MA Circulatory letter, sent copies to legislatures.
• Urged to repeal Townshend Acts.
• Colonists boycotted again, more smuggling.

6. Repeal of the Townshend Acts

• Lord Frederick North- tells Parliament to repeal acts b/c it damaged trade.
• Small tax on tea kept as a symbol.
• 1770- Repealed, end of boycotts

7. Boston Massacre

• March 1770- Colonists harassed guards near customs house.

• Guards killed 5: Af. Am, Crispus Attucks.
• John Adams acquitted, Sam Adams said it was massacre

B. Renewal of the Conflict

1. Committees of Correspondence made by Samuel Adams in 1772.

• Sent letters b/w members of suspicious Brit. activites
• House of Burgesses took next step: intercolonial committees, 1773

2. The Gaspee

• Gaspee- Brith customs ship.
• 1772: went offshore in RI.  Colonists as N. Ams, set fire to ship.

3. Boston Tea Party

• Con’t refusal to buy Brit goods b/c of tax collections.
• Parliament wants to help Brit. E. India Co., passed Tea Act, 1773.

• Made tea cheaper than smuggled Dutch Tea, even w/ tax.
• Colonists still refused- would say they had a right to tax.
• Tea arrived, no buyers.
• Bostonians as N. Ams. boarded ships, dumped tea into harbor. Dec 1773.

4. Intolerable Acts

• Coercive Acts (1774)

• Port Act: closed port of Boston, no trade in or out until tea paid for.
• MA Gov’t Act: Reduced power of MA legislature, increased power for loyal governor.
• Admin. of Justice Act: Let royal officials accused of crimes to be tried in England instead of colonies.
• Expanded Quartering Act: let soldiers be in private homes.

• Quebec Act (1774)

• Organized Canadian lands from France.
• Provisions
• Est. Roman Catholicism as official in Quebec, set up gov’t w/o rep. assembly, extended boundary to OH River.
• American Anger
• Colonists say Quebec Act was direct attack to them, they claimed land in OH River.
• Feared Brits would take away rep. gov’t.
• Catholicism = yucky for Protestants.

III. Philosophical Foundations of the American Revolution

A. The Enlightenment

1. John Locke: Two Treatises of Government, state supreme, natural laws