Empire under strain

1. Empire under strain Despite the frequent resistance, colonists considered themselves loyal!

2. The French and Indian War • The War raged from 1750’s-1760’s. • In Europe the war was known as the SEVEN YEARS WAR! • The war brought Americans closer to British authority than ever before. • It showed the underlying tensions of the colonial relationship.

3. Background1750s • French settlements were expanding in North America. • It stretched from Louisiana to Canada. • The French built fortresses, missions, trading posts, and towns to hold this vast area. • Native Americans • French and English knew they needed help from the natives. • Native alliances and allegiances were determined by which side offered more. • English offered better quality and more plentiful goods. • French offered tolerance of native ways • They adjusted their lives to match the Natives. • Result: French had a better and closer relations than the English.

5. Smaller Wars • King William’s War- 1689-1697: Mostly indecisive clashes. • Queen Anne’s War- 1701-1711: More indecisive clashes. The Treaty of Utrecht ended this conflict. • English gained Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. • King George’s War- 1744-1748: The Native Americans began to have poor relations with both the English and the French.

6. The Great War for Empire (French and Indian War) • 1754 • Governor of Virginia- Sent troops under George Washington to capture Fort Duquesne. • Washington was forced to surrender. • This attack was the start of the French and Indian War. • This war lasted for nine years. • 1754-1759 • The Colonists fought largely on their own and were defending themselves. • 1757 • English Secretary of State- William Pitt • He planned and controlled the British Army. • To replenish the army, British commanders began to use impressments. • The Colonists were forced to join the British army. • Officers seized supplies, equipment, and shelter from the colonists without compensation. • How Do You think the Colonists Reacted?

8. The Great War for Empire (French and Indian War) • 1758 • Pitt agreed to reimburse the colonists for what the army took. • He returned control of military recruitment to colonial assemblies. • Also he dispatched large numbers of additional troops to America. • Mid 1758 • British regulars and colonial militias were seizing one French stronghold after another. • September 1759 • Quebec fell to the British • September 1760 • The French surrendered in Montreal.

9. British Tactics • British used population dispersal to keep areas firmly under their control. • They would displace the French throughout the colonies. • Scalp bounties were offered for evidence of a dead native.

10. The Formal End of the War • Peace of Paris 1763 • Was the Treaty to end the war. • Terms: • British gained more islands in the West Indies, colonies in India, Canada, and all of the French territory east of the Mississippi. • Spain gained French lands west of the Mississippi.

11. Effects of the War • Expanded England’s territorial claims. • Enlarged their debt. • British leaders resented the colonists for starting the war. • Colonist made very few contributions • Parliament began to feel that they needed to have more direct control over the Colonists.

12. After the War • England had huge debts. • England wanted the colonists to pay for those debts. • Colonial assemblies were not eager to impose taxes. • Parliament soon decided that taxation was the only way to raise the needed money.

13. 1760 • George III • King of England • Determined to be an active and responsible monarch. • He was psychotic, insane, and insecure from time to time. • Result: British Government became unstable. • 1763 • King George III- Named George Grenville to be the Prime Minister. • He quickly increased authority over the colonies by permanently stationing troops in the colonies. • He also passes a series of acts aimed at controlling the colonies.

14. The Acts • Sugar Act 1764 • Raised the duty on sugar. • Aim: Wanted to eliminate the sugar trade between the colonies and the French and Spanish West Indies. • Currency Act 1764 • Colonial assemblies were to stop issuing paper money. • Mutiny Act 1765 • Colonists were to assist in provisioning and maintaining the army. • Stamp Act 1765 • Placed a tax on printed documents, like newspapers, pamphlets, almanacs, deeds, wills, and licenses.

15. Reaction to the Acts • Most Americans found ways to get around with the new laws. • Colonists: • The political laws were worse than the economic ones. • The British government was challenging the basis of colonial political power: control over public finance. • To the colonists: Home rule was not something to be fought for but something familiar to be kept. • The revolution was a movement to conserve liberties Americans believe they already possessed.

16. 1765 • Riot broke out in Boston. • Sons of Liberty: • Terrorized British stamp agents, and burned stamps. • Many agents hastily resigned and the sale of stamps in the colony ceased. • A separate mob attacked the Lt. Gov. of Mass and virtually destroyed his house.

17. The Boston Massacre • Colonial harassment had grown intense that the British felt it was necessary to place troops throughout Boston. • March 5, 1770 • Mob of dockworkers called liberty boys began pelting British soldiers at the Custom House with rocks and snowballs. • British commander feared an attack on the house so he lined his troops up in front of the building to protect it. • A scuffle broke out. • A soldier got knock to the ground. • Several soldiers fired into the crowd killing five bystanders. • Those killed were hailed as martyrs and the British viewed as murders.