The Road To Revolution

1. The Road To Revolution

2. Actions & Reactions • The road to the revolution was paved with a series of actions and reactions by both the English Government and the Colonials.

5. Charles Townshend • New Finance Minister of Britain - 1766 • Responsible for passage Townshend Duties of 1767 • External taxes on colonial imports • Glass, paint, lead, paper & tea • $ raised would pay governors & other British officials, making them independent of colonial legislatures

6. Renewed Colonial Protests • John Dickinson’s Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania - 12/1767 • Argued that Parliament had no right to tax commerce for purpose of raising $ • Legality of external tax depended on intent - no tax if elected reps did not vote for it • 1768 - Sam Adams to drafts “circular letter” of protest

7. Circular Letters • Condemned taxation w/out rep & threat to self-government - called for resistance • Sent to other legislatures • VA sent out own circular letter calling for opposition to policies - more radical • Brit. Sec. of State threatened colonial legislatures if they endorsed the circular letters

8. Circular Letters cont. • Colonial governors dissolved legislatures for not disowning the letter • Move resulted in even sharper opposition • Sons (& Daughters) of Liberty led new protests & enforced boycotts on British products • Growing mob actions divided colonial opinion & led to more troops (1768)

9. Repeal of Townshend Duties • April 1770 - under PM Lord North • Hastened by widening boycotts • Parl. retains tax on tea to under-score its authority • 2nd time in 3 years that colonial pressure led to changes • Tea duty was a nagging reminder of Parliamentary power

10. Boston Massacre (3/1770) • Boston mobs threatened customs officials - leading to more troops • Friction between troops & citizens high • March 5 - a mob led by Crispus Attucks confronted Red Coats w/ insults & snowballs • Troops fired into the crowd, killing 5 • Became a spark for colonial radicals

11. Committees of Correspondence • 1772 - Samuel Adams called for formation of Committees of Correspondence between Mass. towns • For exchanging information & planning measures to defend colonial rights • Idea eventually spread to other colonies & later served as a link between colonies • By 1774 - colonial leaders linked by C of C’s

12. Tea Act of 1773 • Designed to bail out East India Co. • Company given monopoly on tea in America - only co. agents could sell tea • Taxes reduced as incentive to buy • Undercut colonial merchants & made taxed tea competitive w/ smuggled tea • C of C’s call for non- violent consumer boycott

13. Boston Tea Party - 12/16/1773 • Colonies resisted allowing tea to be unloaded • In Boston, 150 men disguised as Mohawk Indians boarded 3 EIC ships • Dumped 45 tons of tea in harbor • No one hurt & no property damaged except the tea

14. The Coercive (Intolerable) Acts • Passed by Parliament in 1774 • Reaction to Boston Tea Party • Boston Port Bill closed Boston Harbor to commerce until tea was paid for • Mass. Govt. Act suspended the colonial charter of 1691 • All colonial officials appointees of crown • Town meetings forbidden w/out permission of governor

15. Coercive Acts cont. • Administration of Justice Act permitted trials of British officials to be held in England or other colonies • A new Quartering Act ordered Mass. to provide lodging & food to troops there • General Thomas Gage made Gov. of Mass. - gave appearance of military rule

16. Quebec Act of 1774 • Passed along w/ Coercive Acts • Granted land west of Alleghenies & north of Ohio R. to Quebec • To be governed by British officials • Special privileges given to Roman Catholic Church

17. Response to Intolerable Acts • Pushed colonies toward brink of revolution • Repeal became a non-negotiable demand • 6 of 27 reasons given in Dec. of Ind. for breaking from England related to I.A.’s • Reps from all colonies but GA sent delegates to Phila. in Sept. 1774 • Known as First Continental Congress

18. First Continental Congress • 56 delegates - prominent colonial leaders (Adams, Jay, Lee, Washington, etc.) • Initially endorsed Suffolk Resolves which declared Intolerable Acts unconstitutional • Originally drafted by Mass. Legislature • Formed Continental Association to coordinate boycotts of British goods • Committeesformed locally to enforce boycotts

19. First Continental Congress cont. • Issued Declaration of Rights & Grievances to King George III • Declaration demanded repeal of Parliamentary measures that produced their grievances since 1763 • It conceded to Parliament’s right to regulate commerce but not tax, disband assemblies, etc. • Addressed King, hoping he would dismiss ministers responsible for Coercive Acts

20. First Continental Congress cont. • The delegates at the C.C. agreed to meet again in the Spring of 1775 if the issues had not been solved. • As scheduled, the Second Continental Congress met the next year.