Pontiac's War and British Colonial Policy

Background and Conflict

• Ottawa and Delaware Tribes: Launched attacks on more than a dozen British forts in the Great Lakes region.
• Siege of Fort Detroit: Native Americans besieged the fort, killing hundreds of settlers and English troops.
• British Response: Troops put down the uprising, adding to the war's cost and British debt.
• Biological Warfare Attempt: British distributed smallpox-infected blankets during a truce, which was ineffective.
• Impact on Native Food Supplies: British attacks led to starvation, forcing Pontiac to accept a peace treaty in 1766.

British and Native American Relations

• Diplomatic Gifts: The British attempted to adopt the French tactic of giving gifts and encouraging trade.
• Colonial Attitudes: Post-Bacon's Rebellion, English colonists viewed all Native Americans as enemies.
• Vigilante Groups: Formed in the West to protect colonist interests and attack Native Americans (e.g., the Paxton Boys).

Proclamation Line of 1763

• Purpose: To avoid future costly conflicts by stopping westward expansion into Native American territories.
• Details: Declared land west of the Appalachian Mountains off-limits to colonists, reserving it for Native Americans.
• Colonial Reaction: Colonists were angered, especially those who had fought for this land during the Seven Years' War.

Challenges to Compliance

• Existing Settlements: Colonists already settled in the area were ordered to leave but many ignored the proclamation.
• Continued Illegal Settlement: Many colonists continued moving westward, causing further conflict.

Shift in British Policy

• Need for Revenue: Post-war debt necessitated new policies to increase revenue from the colonies.
• George Grenville: Became First Lord of the Treasury in April 1763, overseeing plans to pay off war debt.
• Post-war Recession: Economic contraction following the war due to decreased government spending.

Revenue Acts and Enforcement

• Sugar Act of 1764: Known as the American Revenue Act, taxed sugar and molasses to pay off debt.

  • Lowered tax from six cents to three cents but enforced it strictly.
  • Attempted to make colonists pay taxes honestly instead of bribing customs agents.

• Navigation Acts Enforcement: Increased restrictions on smuggling to raise revenue.

• Admiralty Courts: Violations tried without juries, which colonists saw as violations of their rights.

Colonial Insistence on Rights

• Opposition to Parliament's Taxing Power: Colonists argued only their legislatures could pass revenue-raising taxes.
• Virtual Representation: British argument that Parliament represented the entire empire, rejected by colonists.
• Precedent of Benign Neglect: Colonists argued 60 years of British neglect gave them quasi-autonomy.

Key Terms

• Pontiac's War: A conflict between Native Americans and the British post-Seven Years' War.
• Proclamation Line of 1763: Boundary set by the British to limit colonial expansion.
• Sugar Act of 1764: First direct tax imposed on American colonies to generate revenue.