Chapter 5: The Crisis Between the Colonies and Britain

Background

• End of the Seven Years War (1763)
  • Britain in heavy debt.
  • Shift from salutary neglect to hands-on approach.
  • Changes drastically alter the relationship between Britain and the colonies.

Taxation and Acts

• Navigation Acts

  • Loosely enforced before 1763.
  • Smuggling was common.

• Representation Issue

  • Colonists upset over lack of representation.
  • British argued for "virtual representation."

• Writs of Assistance

  • Open-ended search warrants for smuggled goods.
  • Smugglers faced admiralty courts (guilty until proven innocent).

• Currency Act

  • Prohibited printing of paper money.
  • Requirement to use hard currency.

• Stamp Act (1765)

  • Direct tax on colonists for revenue.
  • Tax on 50 commonly used goods (paper goods).
  • "No taxation without representation" becomes a rallying cry.
  • Resistance: Stamp Act Congress, Sons of Liberty.

• Repeal of the Stamp Act (1766)

  • Realization that resistance led to repeal.

Colonial Movements and Tensions

• Regulator Movement

  • Western settlers in South Carolina under-represented.
  • Criticized wealthy colonial elites.

• Tensions in Vermont

  • Conflicts over land between New Yorkers and New Englanders.

The Townshend Acts

• Tax on glass, lead, paint, etc.

• John Dickinson's Letters

  • Advocated for reconciliation and fair treatment.

• Boycotts and the Daughters of Liberty

  • Encouraged homespun clothing.
  • Artisan products gained popularity.

Boston Massacre (1770)

• British soldiers vs. colonial crowd.
• 5 colonists killed, including Crispus Attucks.
• Paul's Revere's Engraving fueled tensions.

The Tea Act and Boston Tea Party

• Tea Act (1773)

  • Tax on tea to bail out British East India Company.
  • Colonist boycotted cheaper taxed tea.

• Boston Tea Party

  • Resulted in the Intolerable Acts (Coercive Acts).
  • Closed Boston port, new Quartering Act, Massachusetts charter revoked.

The First Continental Congress

• Reaction to Intolerable Acts.

• Suffolk Resolves

  • Encouraged disobedience and war preparation.

• Continental Congress Goals

  • No trade with Britain.
  • Committees of Safety developed.
  • Arguments based on natural rights.

Prelude to War: Lexington and Concord (1775)

• "The shot heard round the world."
• Colonists pushed British back.

Second Continental Congress

• George Washington named military commander.

• Olive Branch Petition

  • Rejected by King George.

• Thomas Paine's Common Sense (1776)

  • Advocated for independence.
  • Influential and widely read.

Declaration of Independence (1776)

• Written by Thomas Jefferson.
• Grievances against King George III.
• Enlightenment ideas (natural rights, social contract).

The American Revolutionary War

• British Advantages

  • Better trained army, more men, Hessian soldiers, elite Navy.

• American Advantages

  • Home-field advantage, strong will, leadership (e.g., George Washington).

• Key Battles and Events

  • Saratoga: Turning point, led to French support.
  • Yorktown: Last major battle, led to Treaty of Paris.

Treaty of Paris

• British recognize U.S. independence.
• U.S. gains land to the Mississippi River.
• Fishing rights off Canada.

Recap and Important Concepts

• Impact of salutary neglect.
• Key acts and colonial responses.
• Role of propaganda and public sentiment.
• International influence of American independence.

Reflections

• American exceptionalism and global influence.
• Lessons from colonial resistance and unity.