America in the 1700s

1. America in the 1700s

2. Timeline 1760 George III 1763 French and 1765 Stamp Act Crowned king of England Indian War ends

3. Timeline 1760 George III 1763 French and 1765 Stamp Act Crowned king of England Indian War ends

4. French and Indian Wars • French and Indian Wars • 1689–1763, the name given by American historians to the North American colonial wars between Great Britain and France in the late 17th and the 18th cent. They were really campaigns in the worldwide struggle for empire and were roughly linked to wars of the European coalitions. At the time they were viewed in Europe as only an unimportant aspect of the struggle, and, although the stakes were Canada, the American West, and the West Indies, the fortunes of war in Europe had more effect in determining the winner than the fighting in the disputed territory itself. • To the settlers in America, however, the rivalry of the two powers was of immediate concern, for the fighting meant not only raids by the French or the British but also the horrors of tribal border warfare. The conflict may be looked on, from the American viewpoint, as a single war with interruptions. The ultimate aim—domination of the eastern part of the continent—was the same; and the methods—capture of the seaboard strongholds and the little Western forts and attacks on frontier settlements—were the same. • The wars helped to bring about important changes in the British colonies. In addition to the fact of their ocean-wide distance from the mother country, the colonies felt themselves less dependent militarily on the British by the end of the wars; they became most concerned with their own problems and put greater value on their own institutions. In other words, they began to think of themselves as American rather than British.

6. Timeline 1760 George III 1763 French and 1765 Stamp Act Crowned king of England Indian War ends

7. Stamp Act • Stamp Act • First direct British tax on American colonists. Instituted in November, 1765. Every newspaper, pamphlet, and other public and legal document had to have a Stamp, or British seal, on it. The Stamp, of course, cost money. The colonists didn't think they should have to pay for something they had been doing for free for many years, and they responded in force, with demonstrations and even with a diplomatic body called the Stamp Act Congress, which delivered its answer to the Crown. Seeing the hostile reaction in the colonies, the British government repealed the Stamp Act in March 1766 but at the same time passed the Declaratory Act, which said that Great Britain was superior (and boss of) the American colonies "in all cases whatsoever." The Stamp Act gave the colonists a target for their rage. Indeed, the Sons of Liberty was formed in response to this Act. The Stamp Act Congress also gave the colonists a model for the Continental Congress.

8. Timeline 1767 Townshend Acts 1770 Boston 1773 Boston Tea Party passed Massacre

9. Townshend Acts • Series of 1767 laws named for Charles Townshend, British Chancellor of the Exchequer (Treasurer). These laws placed new taxes on glass, lead, paints, paper, and tea. Colonial reaction to these taxes was the same as to the Sugar Act and Stamp Act, and Britain eventually repealed all the taxes except the one on tea. In response to the sometimes violent protests by the American colonists, Great Britain sent more troops to the colonies.

10. Timeline 1767 Townshend Acts 1770 Boston 1773 Boston Tea Party passed Massacre

11. Boston Massacre • The Massacre was the 1770, pre-Revolutionary incident growing out of the anger against the British troops sent to Boston to maintain order and to enforce the Townshend Acts. The troops, constantly tormented by irresponsible gangs, finally on Mar. 5, 1770, fired into a rioting crowd and killed five men: three on the spot, two of wounds later. The funeral of the victims was the occasion for a great patriot demonstration. The British captain, Thomas Preston, and his men were tried for murder, with Robert Treat Paine as prosecutor, John Adams and Josiah Quincy as lawyers for the defense. Preston and six of his men were acquitted; two others were found guilty of manslaughter, punished, and discharged from the army. • The Massacre became a legendary event of the American rebellion against the British with many controversies and myths surrounding the true facts. Even when the gun smoke faded away, the subsequent murder trials raised high emotions and the results were not considered fair by either side. • The impact of the incident on the cause of the American Revolution was profound. Despite the best efforts of the governing authorities to cool down anti-British sentiments, such as immediately removing the troops from Boston and postponing the trial by several months, the net result was the increase of support for the independence. The next five years preceding the start of the Revolution gave Patriots many chances to put in practice the lessons learned during the Boston Massacre.

12. Timeline 1767 Townshend Acts 1770 Boston 1773 Boston Tea Party passed Massacre

13. Boston Tea Party • On December 16, 1773, American colonists disguised themselves as Indians, and raided three ships in Boston Harbor. This came to be known as the 'Boston Tea Party'. The colonists emptied 342 chests of tea to keep from paying taxes to England. • The British Parliament has placed import taxes on several items to America in 1767. The colonists thought it was illegal and were determined not to pay them. All of the taxes were repealed by the British parliament in 1770 but one, the tea tax. Then, in 1773, they passed the Tea Act to help get the British Trading Company, East India company, out of financial trouble. It enabled them to ship tea to America for lower prices, but the import tax was still there. The colonists didn't want to pay the taxes, because they feared if they do, England would just impose more taxes on them. • The colonists tried to get the tea sent back to England, but with little help. Governor Thomas Hutchinson, the leader of the Boston Tea Party, rejected the efforts of the colonists to have the ships returned to England. So, perhaps as many as 100 men boarded the ships, probably on a signal from Samuel Adams, and dumped all the tea overboard. This caused the English to pass the Intolerable Acts rule in 1774, which led to the First Continental Congress, a gathering of representatives from all 12 American colonies.

14. Timeline 1775 Revolutionary War 1776 Declaration of 1783 Revolutionary War Begins and 2nd Continental Independence ends Congress Meets- Washington is approved named Head of Continental Army

15. Second Continental Congress • On May 10, 1775, the members of the Second Continental Congress met at the State House in Philadelphia. There were several new delegates including: John Hancock from Massachusetts, Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, and Benjamin Franklin from Pennsylvania. The Second Continental Congress meeting started with the battle of Lexington and Concord fresh in their memories. The New England militia were still encamped outside of Boston trying to drive the British out of Boston. The Second Continental Congress established the militia as the Continental Army to represent the thirteen states. They also elected George Washington as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army.

16. Timeline 1775 Revolutionary War 1776 Declaration of 1783 Revolutionary War Begins and 2nd Continental Independence ends Meets- Washington is named approved Head of Continental Army

17. Declaration of Independence • The Declaration of Independence is one of the most important documents in the history of the United States. It represents the official first step toward the separation of the 13 colonies from the control of Great Britain. The document was written by Thomas Jefferson in seventeen days, during the Second Continental Congress. • Although the Declaration of Independence was not officially signed until August 1, 1776, Congress voted to approve the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. This is why we celebrate July 4th as Independence Day.

18. Timeline 1775 Revolutionary War 1776 Declaration of 1783 Revolutionary War Begins and 2nd Continental Independence ends Meets- Washington is named approved Head of Continental Army

19. Treaty of Paris • The Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783, and approved by the Congress of the Federation on January 14, 1784, formally ended the American Revolutionary War between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the thirteen colonies or the United States of America, which had rebelled against British rule starting in 1775. The treaty document was signed at the Hôtel de York – now 56 Rue Jacob – by John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and John Jay (representing the United States) and David Hartley (a member of British Parliament representing the British Monarch, King George III).