07. The American Revolution pt. I

1. 07. The American Revolution pt. I • Purpose: To gain an understanding of the origins of the American Revolution, specifically: • Different agendas and expectations after the French and Indian War • The series of crises that led to the Declaration of Independence • Basic political theories, ideas, and interpretations on both sides • The gradual evolution of a revolutionary government • Timeframe: 1763-1776 07. The American Revolution pt. I

2. 1.1 Postwar America: Sugar Act and Currency Act • After the French and Indian War, colonials hoped to return to the era of salutary neglect. • But king George III and a series of prime ministers starting with George Grenville hoped to organize the British empire into a more coherent, powerful entity. They needed money to pay the massive war debt. The 1764 Sugar Act raised the duties on molasses and previously untaxed items. • The 1764 Currency Act outlawed colonial issues of paper money. • Colonial critics argued that the laws were counterproductive and of dubious legitimacy, but no general protest was organized. George Grenville (1712-1770)prime minister April 1763 - July 1765 07. The American Revolution pt. I

3. 1.2 The Stamp Act • In 1765, Parliament passed the Stamp Act, requiring all official transactions to be on specially stamped and taxed paper. • The effect of the Stamp Act was pervasive, including wills, marriages, property titles, playing cards and newspapers. • The Grenville ministry hoped to reduce the disparity in taxation between England and America. • Violators against the Stamp Act were to be tried in vice-admiralty courts without a jury. A tax stamp 07. The American Revolution pt. I

4. 1.3 “No taxation without representation” • The Virginia legislature passed resolves criticizing the law for raising an internal (direct) tax in the colonies. • In English legal theory, the colonist and many Englishmen were “virtually” represented in Parliament, even though they did not elect any Members of Parliament. • Most Americans, in contrast, believed in direct representation. They felt that their own legislatures properly held the power of taxation over the colonies. • The Stamp Act Congress gathered representatives from 9 colonies in NY, who petitioned for the repeal of the Act. Patrick Henry (1736-1799)Virginia politician and orator, author of the Virginia Resolves against the Stamp Act 07. The American Revolution pt. I

5. 1.4 Stamp Act Resistance and Success • Across the American colonies, protests against the Stamp Act erupted. • The Sons of Liberty intimidated appointed tax collectors through mobs, through hanging in effigy. Merchants boycotted British goods. • Colonial legislatures, English merchants and the Stamp Act Congress petitioned Parliament for repeal of the Stamp Act. • Under the new prime minister Rockingham, Parliament repealed the Stamp Act in 1766, but also passed the Declaratory Act, claiming the right to legislate the colonies in “all cases whatsoever.” • Colonists interpreted this to mean only general legislation, but Parliament also meant taxation. The main issue of representation remained unresolved. A stamp tax collector, hanging in effigy from a “liberty tree” 07. The American Revolution pt. I

6. 2.1 The Townshend Duties • In 1766 most power came to rest with Charles Townshend, Chancellor of the Exchequer, a supporter of colonial taxation. • Parliament in 1767 passed the Townshend duties (a trade regulation) to strengthen the imperial power in the colonies. • Taxes on important trade goods like glass, paper, and tea going from England to the colonies were collected. The revenue was meant to pay the salaries of royal officials in the colonies. • Their use to pay for royal officials directly threatened the influence of the colonial legislatures. Charles Townshend (1725-1767) 07. The American Revolution pt. I

7. 2.2 Protesting the Townshend Duties • In “Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania,” John Dickinson argued that the Townshend Duties were unconstitutional, because they raised a revenue without representation. • Samuel Adams, an organizer of the Boston Sons of Liberty, drafted a circular letter against the duties. The ministry’s secretary for the colonies forbade it. • Resistance movements in many towns and boycotts reduced colonial imports from Britain by ca. 40 percent. • Partly as a result, the Townshend Duties did not bring in enough income. The British Parliament repealed the duties in 1770, but kept the tax on tea. • By now the conflict was a matter of principle: Colonials continued to boycott taxed English tea. John Dickinson (1732-1808)Pennsylvanian politician, author of “Letters from a Farmer” 07. The American Revolution pt. I

8. 2.3 The Boston “Massacre” • Because Boston was the frequent site of violent protest, ca. 1,700 British troops were stationed there in 1768. • In February 1770, protesters threw rocks and ice at soldiers guarding the customs office. Panicked, one soldier fired and the rest followed, wounding 11 and killing 5. • Royal and colonial leaders tried to defuse the situation, but many colonials saw the “massacre” as a premeditated atrocity. • Images such as Paul Revere’s engraving established the image of a “massacre.” The Boston Massacre by Paul Revere (1770) 07. The American Revolution pt. I

9. Critical colonials had their own, idealized interpretation of the English constitution. They felt the revered system guaranteed them civic rights, freedom from harassment, and a share in government. They believed that only vigilance by the people and their representatives could prevent abuses of government power (influence of John Locke, Radical Whigs) From this point of view, the crises with England seemed a conspiracy to destroy liberty in America and even Britain. Heavy-handed measures against smuggling, the killing of dissenters in England and America, taxation without representation, a bishop for America: all these were seen as part of the conspiracy. Some felt the idea was to drive Americans into rebellion, then establish a despotic government. Some colonials felt that the “conspiracy” was orchestrated by royal officials. 2.4 Constitutional Theory and Conspiracy Theory 07. The American Revolution pt. I

10. 2.5 The Tea Act and the Boston Tea Party • In 1773, in order to save the East India company, Parliament eliminated all duties on tea – except the Townshend duty. Legal tea was now cheaper than smuggled tea. • In Boston, governor Thomas Hutchinson insisted that tea ships would be unloaded and the tea offered for sale. • To prevent this, a mob of Bostonians artisans dressed up as Indians, boarded a ship and threw £10,000 worth of tea into the harbor. • To punish Boston, Parliament in 1774 passed the Coercive Acts: Boston Port Bill closed Boston Harbor; Massachusetts Government Bill outlawed town meetings etc. • Colonials called them the Intolerable Acts and interpreted them as a conspiracy against liberty. An impression of the Boston Tea Party 07. The American Revolution pt. I

11. 3.1 The First Continental Congress • The First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia in 1774. • Most delegates were elected by extra-legal conventions because governors had forbidden elections. • The Congress issued a “Declaration of Rights and Grievances” rejecting external or internal taxation and demanding the repeal of the Coercive Acts. • It decided to implement an economic boycott, and that the colonies should elect local governments. John Adams of Massachusetts, a leading member of the First Continental Congress 07. The American Revolution pt. I

12. 3.2 The Outbreak of the Revolutionary War • In April 1775, British officers in Boston decided to disarm the growing Massachusetts militia. • Warned by “minutemen” messengers, militia leaders decided to stop the British Redcoats, but were beaten at Lexington. • American Reinforcements at Concord then beat back the British. A battle to Boston ensued. • George III declared New England to be in rebellion; shortly afterward, Parliament declared all colonies rebellious. 07. The American Revolution pt. I

13. 3.3 The Second Continental Congress • In 1775 the Second Continental Congress acted as inter-colonial government. • Congress endorsed John Dickinson’s “Olive Branch Petition”. It insisted on a ceasefire, repeal of the Coercive (= Intolerable) Acts, and negotiations about American rights. It was rejected by Great Britain. • Congress established the Continental Army with George Washington as its commander. • In 1776, Congress recommended that the colonies should establish revolutionary governments and constitutions. George Washington (1732-1799) 07. The American Revolution pt. I

14. 3.4 Common Sense • Despite the frustration with Parliament, there was still considerable hesitation to break with the English monarchy.There was no real “American” identity. • In 1776, a bestseller entitled „Common Sense“, written by Thomas Paine, severely criticized the principle of monarchy and urged the American colonials to assume control of their own destiny. Thomas Paine (1736-1809) 07. The American Revolution pt. I

15. 3.5 The Declaration of Independence • On June 7, 1776 Richard Henry Lee of Virginia formally proposed independence to the Second Continental Congress. • Thomas Jefferson of Virginia wrote a draft for a Declaration of Independence. • Congress voted for Independence on July 2nd, 1776. It endorsed the Declaration on July 4. • The Declaration consisted of a statement of principles and a long list of accusations against George III. It was also an appeal to all American colonials to support independence. The Declaration of Independence 07. The American Revolution pt. I

16. Stamp Act Policy implemented by the ministry of George Grenville in 1765 in order to raise money for the administration of the colonies. All official paper in the colonies was to be stamped and taxed. The colonials and their Stamp Act Congress protested against taxation without representation, but Parliament believed in virtual representation. Through boycotts and intimidation, the colonials achieved a repeal of the Stamp Act in 1766, but the conflict remained unresolved. Sample Keyword 07. The American Revolution pt. I