The Road To Revolution

1. The Road To Revolution

2. The Deep Roots of Revolution • New ideas took hold in America from the 1st settlements • Change came easier to Americans • Less acceptant of old ways • Able to make the world over

3. The Enlightenment • Basic philosophy • “Darkness” of the past ages could be corrected by using human reason to solve many of the days problems. • John Locke & Jean-Jacque Rousseau

4. What is the “social contract”? • In a state of nature there is no law. Man entered into a contract with rulers to rule them but protect their natural rights.

5. What are “natural rights”? • Rights every human has been given by God that he doesn’t involve himself with but must be protected by rulers. • Economic and political freedoms

6. What are a government’s responsibilities? • Governments must promote well being of its citizens and protect their rights.

7. What if governments fail in this attempt to protect natural rights? • Citizens have the right to rebel and enter into a new contract with other rulers that will protect their natural rights.

8. What is republicanism? • People subordinate their private, selfish interests to the good of the community. • Stability depends on virtuous citizenry and civil involvement.

9. Who were the “radical whigs”? • Political comments made by radical whigs in England affect the way the colonists view their relationship with Europe. • Whigs are afraid of arbitrary power exercised my monarchs because it threatens liberty. • Warned citizens to be on guard against encroachments against liberty by arbitrary powers.

10. Americans respond • Americans alert to threats to liberty. • Americans were used to running their own affairs and distance from the mother country weakens their authority in America.

11. Mercantilism

12. Mercantilism justifies British control over Colonies • Wealth was power and could be measured by amount of gold and silver • Export more than import (balance of trade) • Colonies gave a distinct advantage for raw materials and a market for finished products.

13. London saw colonies as tenants • Expected to furnish raw materials • Not to compete with British manufacturers • Not worry about self sufficiency

14. Navigation Laws • To regulate mercantilist policies in colonies • Aimed at Dutch shippers trying to gain American trade

15. Three rules • 1. All commerce had to be carried on British and American ships only • 2. All products bound for America had to stop in Britain first and pay a tax • 3. Some products could only be sold to Britain (tobacco) (expanded later)

16. Currency • Problems for Americans • Bought more British goods than sold • Creates cash shortage in America of gold and silver

17. What colonists do • Barter for products • Print their own money (inflation) • Parliament stops printing of money or trading with money except gold and silver • American interests being sacrificed for British merchants • They could also nullify any colonial law they did not like (scared Americans)

18. Merits of Mercantilism • Wasn’t that burdensome • Americans disregarded them anyway • Liberal bounties for colonial producers of ship parts • Virginia tobacco planters have a ready market • Protection of the British navy

19. Problems of Mercantilism • Stifled economic initiative • Dependency on British creditors and agents • Felt used and humiliated • Was America an emerging nation?

20. The Stamp Act

21. Why do the British move to tax the American colonies? • Huge debt after the 7 Years War • Felt the Americans should pay their share for the protection Britain gives them. • Changes the relationship between Britain and the Colonies. • King George III wants larger role in controlling the colonies.

22. George Grenville • New finance minister • Begins to strictly enforce Navigation Acts • Wants to raise money to pay the nation’s debts.

23. The Sugar Act • 1764 • To raise money for the crown • Increased duty for sugar from West Indies • Agitation lowered the tax. • Beginning to change the relationship with Britain and colonies

26. Quartering Act of 1765 • Required certain towns to provide food and quarters for British troops stationed in America. • Americans don’t feel a need for the troops after the French & Indian War is won.

28. The Stamp Act • Purpose • To raise money to support the military in America • Tax on paper products using stamps and required many new uses for stamps • Want colonist to pay their fair share for their own defense

29. Americans respond • Struck at liberties that they have always assumed was theirs • Offended their basic rights as Englishmen • Offenders could be tried in admiralty court • What about jury of you peers? • Felt rights were being taken away

30. “No taxation without representations” • Americans felt they were not represented in Parliament • They had always taxed themselves

31. Virtual Representation • Parliament said colonists were represented • Parliament represented all of its British subjects • Colonists felt this was robbery by taking their money without giving them a voice in their own taxation laws

32. Conspiracy? • Was this to whip colonists into shape? • Americans begin to attack the Stamp Act

33. Stamp Act Congress in 1765 • New York City • 27 delegates from 9 colonies • Statement of rights and grievances and ask for repeal of Stamp Act • Appeal ignored in England • Began to erode sectional suspicions • Step toward colonial unity

34. Non importation agreements • Stop importing British goods into colonies • Americans begin to make own clothes and products • Spontaneously united the country for the first time

35. Mobilization • Gives citizens chance to participate • Get off the sidelines • Groups assembled and met • Helps revolutionary war fever

36. Sons of Liberty • Violent and radical groups • Enforced the non importation agreements in their own colonies • Sometimes violently • Used peer pressure and other means • Pressured tax collectors and government leaders

37. Tax collecting break down • Many tax collectors forced to resign • No one to sell stamps • Law defied or nullified

38. England hit hard • Non importation agreements affect British trade • ¼ of British exports go to America • ½ of British shipping devoted to America • People thrown out of work • British people and businesses call on Parliament to repeal the Stamp Act

39. Repeal • Parliament could not understand why Americans would not pay their share • Colonists rejoice • Parliament passes Declaratory Acts • Reaffirms Parliament’s right to bind colonies in “all cases whatsoever” • England draws line in the sand • Colonist want measure of self rule

41. Charles Townshend • Takes over British finance ministry • Champagne Charley • Promises to deliver taxes with minimum colonial agitation

42. The Townshend Acts • Tax on tea, glass, lead, paper, paint • Tax paid at American ports makes it an internal tax • Colonists don’t care for the distinction • Tax on tea bothers colonists the most • 1 million tea drinkers

43. The tax • Salaries of governors now paid with tax and not colonial legislatures • Another attempt to control colonies • New York assembly suspended for not complying with Quartering Act

44. Non importation again • Revived • Less effective this time • Tax not liked but not taken too seriously • Too many smuggling tea anyway

45. Troops • Britain land troops in Boston in 1768 to keep order in colonies • Soldiers drunk and disorderly • Not good Puritans • Colonists mocked them • Lobster Backs

46. Boston Massacre • March 5, 1770 • Mob taunting troops • First shot? • Crispus Attucks killed first • Runaway black slave • John Adams defends soldiers • Get off with minor punishment • Paul Revere paints propaganda • Well known depiction of Massacre

48. Lord North • Gets repeal of Townshend Acts • Weren’t producing anything but rebellion • Left tax on tea • To show colonists who rules • Begins to insist on enforcing Navigation Acts

49. Sam Adams • Master propagandist and engineer of the rebellion • Sensitive to infractions of colonial rights • Agitator and rebellion organizer • Appealed to the trained mob • Failed at all other endeavors