The Birth of a Democratic Nation – Part I

1. TheBirth of a Democratic Nation – Part I

2. After years allowing the colonists to manage their own affairs (salutaryneglect),the British began to take an active interestin the colonies.

3. What is salutary neglect? HOW CAN NEGLECT BE BENEFICIAL?

4. Why did England start to take an “active interest” in the colonies? Economics There were economic reasons why England wanted close control over the colonies

5. The prevailing economic theory in the 1600 & 1700s was mercantilism

7. Characteristics of Mercantilism • A nation’s wealth is measured by the amount of gold & silver in its country

8. Characteristics of Mercantilism • A nation should export more than it imports

9. A trade surplus: exports > importsA trade balance: exports = importsA trade deficit: exports < imports

10. Characteristics of Mercantilism • The government should place tariffs on imports

11. Characteristics of Mercantilism • The government should allow only unfinished products (raw materials) to be imported

12. Characteristics of Mercantilism • The government prohibits finished products to be imported

13. Characteristics of Mercantilism • The government should subsidize key industries

14. Characteristics of Mercantilism • The government takes an active role in the economy

15. Protectionism is the modern-day equivalent to mercantilism

16. Mercantilism is the opposite of laissez-fair

17. Laissez-Faire is free enterprise.Businesses compete for consumer dollars without much government regulation/intervention.

18. Colonial America was both a source of rawmaterialsfor England and a market for its finished goods

19. England wasn’t about to lose control over this economic gold mine!

20. The key development in the relationship between England and the colonies was the French IndianWar (1754-1763)

21. Background

22. Both the English and the French claimed the land west of the Appalachian Mountains

23. Beginning in the 1740s, England & France had merchants engaged in the fur trade with the Native Americans in Ohio

24. Colonial possessions in 1750 Ohio Country

25. The French Indian War refers to the two main enemies of the British:the French forces and the various American Indian forces allied with them

26. The French Indian War was but one in a series of wars fought between England and France beginning in the late 1600s

27. France & England fought a lot in the late 1600’s & 1700sKing William’s War (1689 – 1697)Queen Anne’s War (1701 – 1713)King George’s War (1738 – 1748)

28. What made the French Indian War different from earlier conflicts was that it began in the New World

29. The reason why the French Indian War began in the New World involved the Ohio Country(Ohio River Valley)

30. Right here

31. By the 1750s, English colonists, especially the investors in a venture called The Ohio Company, secured the rights to 500,000 acres in the Ohio River valley.They hoped to convert the wilderness into viable farms

32. At the same time, the French had built a series of forts in the same area as a way to keep lines of communication and supply open between Canada and Louisiana

33. In the 1750s, the French & the English each moved to denythe other access to the Ohio Country

34. France & England were pretty even matches in 1750 • ENGLAND • Better navy • Larger population – 1.5 m • Varied economy • Protection of the English navy • Support of the Iroquis League • FRANCE • Better army • Smaller population – 80 K • Better military leaders • Less quarreling among themselves • More Native American allies

35. Start of the war…

36. In 1754, George Washington, a 22-year old Virginia militia captain, was sent to the Ohio Country with 150 men

37. Notice what he is wearing!

38. The British soldiers wore redcoats!

39. Washington & his soldiers ran into a French detachment, the Virginians fired, and the French fled

40. The French counter-attacked a hastily erected fort Washington had set up (“Fort Necessity”) forcing Washington to surrenderThe French let Washington lead his men home

41. In the early stages of the conflict, the French enjoyed success, mainly because of help from their Native American allies

42. Why did the native Americans side with the French?

43. Ohio Country natives enjoyed trading with both the English and the French. However, most tribes feared the large number of British colonists in North America.

44. Natives west of the Appalachian Mountains feared that the number of English colonists would continue to grow

45. As the English population increased, the Indians believed that white settlers would seek their fortunes in the west, driving the natives from their land

46. (I wonder why the Natives would think that!)So most of the natives fought with the French

47. The British government requested a meeting of colonial representatives in Albany, New YorkThe British wanted more unity among the colonies → easier to fight the French & easier to govern the colonies8 of the 13 colonies met in Albany

48. The Albany Plan of Union (1754) • At the Albany Congress, Benjamin Franklin proposed a plan of union

49. Franklin designed this political cartoon! It was later used as a symbol of unity against the ENGLISH!!!

50. The gathered representatives approved the planHowever, the individual colonies rejected it → gave up too much of their independence