SSUSH1 The student will describe European settlement in North America during the 17th century.
- Explain Virginia’s development; include the Virginia Company, tobacco cultivation, relationships with Native Americans such as Powhatan, development of the House of Burgesses, Bacon’s Rebellion, and the development of slavery.
- Describe the settlement of New England; include religious reasons, relations with Native Americans (e.g., King Phillip’s War), the establishment of town meetings and development of a legislature, religious tensions that led to the founding of Rhode Island, the half-way covenant, Salem Witch Trials, and the loss of the Massachusetts charter and the transition to a royal colony.
- Explain the development of the mid-Atlantic colonies; include the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam and subsequent English takeover, and the settlement of Pennsylvania.
- Explain the reasons for French settlement of Quebec.
- Analyze the impact of location and place on colonial settlement, transportation, and economic
development; include the southern, middle, and New England colonies.
development; include the southern, middle, and New England colonies.
- Virginia
The first permanent English colony in North America was Virginia. It was a business venture of the Virginia Company, an English firm that planned to make money by sending people to America to find gold and other valuable natural resources and then ship the resources back to England. The Virginia Company established a legislative assembly that was similar to England’s Parliament, called the House of Burgesses. The House of Burgesses was the first European-type legislative body in the New World.
People were sent from England to work for the Virginia Company. They discovered no gold but learned how to cultivate tobacco. Tobacco quickly became a major cash crop and an important source of wealth in Virginia. It also helped to create major social and economic divisions between those who owned land and those who did not. Additionally, tobacco cultivation was labor-intensive, and the Virginia colony’s economy became highly dependent on slavery.
Virginia’s rich soil, temperate climate, coastal harbors, and river systems aided the colony’s growth, especially the Jamestown settlement. Easy access to commercial waterways allowed colonists to export tobacco and other natural resources to England, as well as to import much-needed manufactured goods from English markets. The trans- Atlantic trade made it possible for the colony to prosper and expand.
Native Americans had lived for centuries on the land the English settlers called Virginia. A notable Native American chieftain in the region was Powhatan. Soon after the English settlers arrived, they forced the Native Americans off their own land so it could be used by the settlers for agricultural purposes, especially to grow tobacco. Their actions caused many Native Americans to flee the region and seek new places to live. However, all the colonists did not own land. Poor English and slave colonists staged an uprising against the governor and his landowning supporters. In what is called Bacon’s Rebellion, the landless rebels wanted harsher action against the Native Americans so more land would be available to the colonists. The rebellion was put down, and the Virginia House of Burgesses passed laws to regulate slavery so poor white colonists would no longer side with slaves against rich white colonists.
#f00917 New England
The first New England colonies were established by the Puritans in present-day Massachusetts. Most of the colonists came with their whole family to pursue a better life and to practice religion as they saw fit. As a result of strict religious beliefs, the Puritans were not tolerant of religious beliefs that differed from their own. Rhode Island was founded by religious dissenters from Massachusetts who were more tolerant of different religious beliefs.
Communities were often run using town meetings, unless the king had established control over the colony. In colonies that the king controlled, there was often an appointed royal governor and a partially elected legislature. Voting rights were limited to men who belonged to the church, and church membership was tightly controlled by each minister and congregation. As more and more children were born in America, many grew up to be adults who lacked a personal covenant (relationship) with God, the central feature of Puritanism. In response, Puritan ministers encouraged a “Half-way Covenant” to allow partial church membership for the children and grandchildren of the original Puritans.
The first New England colonies were established by the Puritans in present-day Massachusetts. Most of the colonists came with their whole family to pursue a better life and to practice religion as they saw fit. As a result of strict religious beliefs, the Puritans were not tolerant of religious beliefs that differed from their own. Rhode Island was founded by religious dissenters from Massachusetts who were more tolerant of different religious beliefs.
Communities were often run using town meetings, unless the king had established control over the colony. In colonies that the king controlled, there was often an appointed royal governor and a partially elected legislature. Voting rights were limited to men who belonged to the church, and church membership was tightly controlled by each minister and congregation. As more and more children were born in America, many grew up to be adults who lacked a personal covenant (relationship) with God, the central feature of Puritanism. In response, Puritan ministers encouraged a “Half-way Covenant” to allow partial church membership for the children and grandchildren of the original Puritans.
King Phillip’s War (1675–1676)
was an early and bloody conflict between English colonists and Native Americans. It was named after the leader of the Native Americans. King Phillip’s Native American name was Metacom. Many colonists died in the war, but it caused such a heavy loss of life among the Native American population that large areas of southern New England became English settlements.
In 1686, the British king canceled the Massachusetts charter that made it an independent colony. To get more control over trade with the colonies, he combined British colonies throughout New England into a single territory governed from England. The colonists in this territory greatly disliked this centralized authority.
was an early and bloody conflict between English colonists and Native Americans. It was named after the leader of the Native Americans. King Phillip’s Native American name was Metacom. Many colonists died in the war, but it caused such a heavy loss of life among the Native American population that large areas of southern New England became English settlements.
In 1686, the British king canceled the Massachusetts charter that made it an independent colony. To get more control over trade with the colonies, he combined British colonies throughout New England into a single territory governed from England. The colonists in this territory greatly disliked this centralized authority.
In 1691, Massachusetts Bay became a royal colony.
In the 1690s, the famous Salem witch trials took place. In a series of court hearings, over 150 Massachusetts colonists accused of witchcraft were tried, 29 of which were convicted and 19 hanged. At least six more people died in prison. Causes of the Salem witch trials included extreme religious faith, stress from a growing population and its bad relations with Native Americans, and the narrow opportunities for women and girls to participate in Puritan society.
In the 1690s, the famous Salem witch trials took place. In a series of court hearings, over 150 Massachusetts colonists accused of witchcraft were tried, 29 of which were convicted and 19 hanged. At least six more people died in prison. Causes of the Salem witch trials included extreme religious faith, stress from a growing population and its bad relations with Native Americans, and the narrow opportunities for women and girls to participate in Puritan society.
Mid-Atlantic Colonies
Pennsylvania, located between New England and Virginia, was a colony founded by the religiously tolerant Quakers led by William Penn. Farther north, New York was settled by the Dutch, who called it New Amsterdam. In 1664, the British conquered the colony and renamed it New York.
A diverse population kept alive this center of trade and commerce founded by the Dutch, whom the British invited to remain there. With members of various British and Dutch churches, New York also tolerated different religions.
New York’s harbor and river systems significantly contributed to its economic growth and importance. New York’s convenient location along water trade routes allowed farmers to easily ship wheat and other agricultural goods to markets in America and in Europe, as well as to import manufactured goods from markets abroad. This allowed New York to grow into a major commercial hub and one of the biggest cities in the British colonies.
Pennsylvania, located between New England and Virginia, was a colony founded by the religiously tolerant Quakers led by William Penn. Farther north, New York was settled by the Dutch, who called it New Amsterdam. In 1664, the British conquered the colony and renamed it New York.
A diverse population kept alive this center of trade and commerce founded by the Dutch, whom the British invited to remain there. With members of various British and Dutch churches, New York also tolerated different religions.
New York’s harbor and river systems significantly contributed to its economic growth and importance. New York’s convenient location along water trade routes allowed farmers to easily ship wheat and other agricultural goods to markets in America and in Europe, as well as to import manufactured goods from markets abroad. This allowed New York to grow into a major commercial hub and one of the biggest cities in the British colonies.
Quebec
France, like its European rival, Great Britain, settled colonies to secure the valuable natural resources of North America and export them to Europe. Quebec was the first permanent French settlement in North America.
The French instructed their colonists to spread the Catholic faith in the New World. The British encouraged their colonists to establish Protestantism, but the British were more interested in the wealth of natural resources the colonists could send back to Britain. Still, the reason many British colonists moved to the New World was for the opportunity to establish societies tolerant of, and built on, their own religious beliefs.
France, like its European rival, Great Britain, settled colonies to secure the valuable natural resources of North America and export them to Europe. Quebec was the first permanent French settlement in North America.
The French instructed their colonists to spread the Catholic faith in the New World. The British encouraged their colonists to establish Protestantism, but the British were more interested in the wealth of natural resources the colonists could send back to Britain. Still, the reason many British colonists moved to the New World was for the opportunity to establish societies tolerant of, and built on, their own religious beliefs.
SSUSH2 The student will trace the ways that the economy and society of British North America developed.
a. Explain the development of mercantilism and the trans-Atlantic trade.
b. Describe the Middle Passage, growth of the African population, and African-American culture.
c. Identify Benjamin Franklin as a symbol of social mobility and individualism.
d. Explain the significance of the Great Awakening.
Mercantilism
The founders of the British colonies were greatly influenced by an economic theory known as mercantilism. This theory held that Earth had a limited supply of wealth in the form of natural resources, especially gold and silver, so the best way to become a stronger nation was to acquire the most wealth. Because the world’s wealth was thought to be limited, the more one country had, the less any other country could have. Consequently, as a nation became stronger and wealthier, its enemies became poorer and weaker.
Mercantilism inspired the British government to view its American colonies as sources of wealth that would make Britain wealthier and stronger. The more land the British could colonize in America, the less land in the New World there would be for France and other European countries. The more American goods the British could sell to other countries, the less money those countries would have for themselves. Great Britain would get stronger, and its European rivals would get weaker.
Mercantilism also inspired Parliament to control transatlantic trade with its American colonies. All goods shipped to or from British North America had to travel in British ships, and any goods exported to Europe had to land first in Britain to pay British taxes. Some goods could be exported to Britain only. These restrictions were designed to keep the colonies from competing against Britain. Some Americans responded by becoming smugglers.
The founders of the British colonies were greatly influenced by an economic theory known as mercantilism. This theory held that Earth had a limited supply of wealth in the form of natural resources, especially gold and silver, so the best way to become a stronger nation was to acquire the most wealth. Because the world’s wealth was thought to be limited, the more one country had, the less any other country could have. Consequently, as a nation became stronger and wealthier, its enemies became poorer and weaker.
Mercantilism inspired the British government to view its American colonies as sources of wealth that would make Britain wealthier and stronger. The more land the British could colonize in America, the less land in the New World there would be for France and other European countries. The more American goods the British could sell to other countries, the less money those countries would have for themselves. Great Britain would get stronger, and its European rivals would get weaker.
Mercantilism also inspired Parliament to control transatlantic trade with its American colonies. All goods shipped to or from British North America had to travel in British ships, and any goods exported to Europe had to land first in Britain to pay British taxes. Some goods could be exported to Britain only. These restrictions were designed to keep the colonies from competing against Britain. Some Americans responded by becoming smugglers.
Growth of the African Population
As tobacco farmers and other cash-crop farmers prospered, they greatly expanded the size of their farms. There were never enough workers available to plant, grow, and harvest the crops, so farmers turned to African slaves to do this work. Many white colonists believed every black person was a savage who needed to be taken care of by white people. When the Virginia Company founded Jamestown in 1607, there were no African slaves in British North America. By 1700, however, there were thousands of African slaves throughout the British colonies. The vast majority of these slaves were located in the southern colonies, where they supplied the labor required to support the region’s agriculturally based economy.
As tobacco farmers and other cash-crop farmers prospered, they greatly expanded the size of their farms. There were never enough workers available to plant, grow, and harvest the crops, so farmers turned to African slaves to do this work. Many white colonists believed every black person was a savage who needed to be taken care of by white people. When the Virginia Company founded Jamestown in 1607, there were no African slaves in British North America. By 1700, however, there were thousands of African slaves throughout the British colonies. The vast majority of these slaves were located in the southern colonies, where they supplied the labor required to support the region’s agriculturally based economy.
The Middle Passage
The sea voyage that carried Africans to North America was called the Middle Passage because it was the middle portion of a three-way voyage made by the slave ships. First, British ships loaded with rum, cloth, and other English goods sailed to Africa, where they were traded for Africans originally enslaved by other Africans. Then, in the Middle Passage, the slaves would be transported to the New World. The crew would buy tobacco and other American goods using profits they made from selling the slaves in the colonies, and they would ship the tobacco and goods back to Britain. This process was repeated for decades.
It was said that people in the colonial port cities could smell the slave ships arriving before they could see them. The slaves were packed like bundles of firewood. About two of every ten slaves died during the passage.
The sea voyage that carried Africans to North America was called the Middle Passage because it was the middle portion of a three-way voyage made by the slave ships. First, British ships loaded with rum, cloth, and other English goods sailed to Africa, where they were traded for Africans originally enslaved by other Africans. Then, in the Middle Passage, the slaves would be transported to the New World. The crew would buy tobacco and other American goods using profits they made from selling the slaves in the colonies, and they would ship the tobacco and goods back to Britain. This process was repeated for decades.
It was said that people in the colonial port cities could smell the slave ships arriving before they could see them. The slaves were packed like bundles of firewood. About two of every ten slaves died during the passage.
African American Culture
In America, slaves attempted to “make the best” of their lives while living under the worst of circumstances. Slave communities were rich with music, dance, basket weaving, and pottery making. Enslaved Africans brought with them the arts and crafts skills of their various tribes. Indeed, there could be a hundred slaves working on one farm and each slave might come from a different tribe and a different part of Africa.
In America, slaves attempted to “make the best” of their lives while living under the worst of circumstances. Slave communities were rich with music, dance, basket weaving, and pottery making. Enslaved Africans brought with them the arts and crafts skills of their various tribes. Indeed, there could be a hundred slaves working on one farm and each slave might come from a different tribe and a different part of Africa.
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin, along with George Washington,
is the best known of America’s Founding Fathers.
Franklin was born into a poor Boston family in
1706. At age 12, he became an apprentice to one of
his brothers, who was a printer. At age 17, Franklin
ran away to Philadelphia to start a life of his own
choosing, independent from his family. A few
months later he sailed to London to gain more
experience in the printing business. He returned to
Philadelphia in 1726 as an experienced printer,
writer, and businessman. These are just some
examples of how, throughout his life, Franklin
sought ways to improve himself (individualism)
and to rise in society (social mobility). Over his 84-
year life, Franklin succeeded in making himself one
of the world’s leading authors, philosophers, scientists, inventors, and politicians.
Benjamin Franklin, along with George Washington,
is the best known of America’s Founding Fathers.
Franklin was born into a poor Boston family in
1706. At age 12, he became an apprentice to one of
his brothers, who was a printer. At age 17, Franklin
ran away to Philadelphia to start a life of his own
choosing, independent from his family. A few
months later he sailed to London to gain more
experience in the printing business. He returned to
Philadelphia in 1726 as an experienced printer,
writer, and businessman. These are just some
examples of how, throughout his life, Franklin
sought ways to improve himself (individualism)
and to rise in society (social mobility). Over his 84-
year life, Franklin succeeded in making himself one
of the world’s leading authors, philosophers, scientists, inventors, and politicians.
The Great Awakening
Christian worship changed in the northeastern colonies in the 1730s and 1740s. Ministers said people would feel God’s love only if they admitted their sins. People were told that each believer should seek his or her own personal and emotional relationship with God, and that doing this was more important than the Puritan idea of congregations gathering together to hear intellectual sermons. These ministers attracted enormous audiences and often traveled from colony to colony to preach to anyone who wanted to listen, regardless of what church he or she might belong to. Christianity grew, although established churches lost members to the new way of Christian worship. Some preachers said American society had become as corrupt as the English society the colonists’ ancestors had escaped. As a result, some people started saying that America needed to cut its ties with Britain to keep its religion pure.
Christian worship changed in the northeastern colonies in the 1730s and 1740s. Ministers said people would feel God’s love only if they admitted their sins. People were told that each believer should seek his or her own personal and emotional relationship with God, and that doing this was more important than the Puritan idea of congregations gathering together to hear intellectual sermons. These ministers attracted enormous audiences and often traveled from colony to colony to preach to anyone who wanted to listen, regardless of what church he or she might belong to. Christianity grew, although established churches lost members to the new way of Christian worship. Some preachers said American society had become as corrupt as the English society the colonists’ ancestors had escaped. As a result, some people started saying that America needed to cut its ties with Britain to keep its religion pure.
SSUSH3 The student will explain the primary causes of the American Revolution.
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a. Explain how the end of Anglo-French imperial competition as seen in the French and Indian War and the 1763 Treaty of Paris laid the groundwork for the American Revolution.
Beginning in 1689, Great Britain and France fought a series of wars for control of European and colonial trade. The French and Indian War (1754-1763) was the last of a series of wars fought between Great Britain and her allies and France and her allies. The war began in North America as a result of on-going British-American expansion into the Ohio River Valley. The French persuaded their Indian allies to join them in preventing further settlement in the region west of the Appalachian Mountains. Great Britain eventually won the war. The Treaty of Paris (1763) ended the French and Indian War and forced France to turn over control of Canada to Great Britain. France also surrendered its claim to all land east of the Mississippi River, with the exception of the city of New Orleans.
The end of the French and Indian War brought Great Britain great benefits. The British were now in control of the largest empire in the world and were in a dominate position in Europe. However, over 70 years of war had nearly bankrupted the British government. The French and Indian War had more than doubled the British national debt. As a result, those living in the British isles had endured heavy taxation, high inflation, and unemployment during this time.
With the French and Indian War over, the American colonists breathed a sigh of relief. European and Native Americans threats to the American frontier had ended (or at least lessened) and would allow American land speculators to sell land in the Ohio Valley. Furthermore, the end of French, Dutch, and Spanish privateers in the Caribbean meant that colonial merchants could expand their regional trade networks and reap handsome profits by dealing directly with the West Indies, Africa, and other parts of the Americas. As the British government began to insist that the American colonies pay for their security, colonial governments questioned the need for permanent British garrisons.
The British government saw the prosperity of its American colonies as a way of paying the cost of the wars. The British government hoped to lower colonial administrative costs by passing the cost on to their colonies and through enforcement of existing tariffs. To insure that smuggling would be prosecuted, an extensive customs service was established. The King’s prosecutors found it difficult to obtain convictions for smuggling in American colonial courts and created vice-admiralty courts empowered to identify, try, and convict suspected smugglers. These courts were superior to the colonial courts and did not have a jury but a panel of military officers who served as judges. The American colonials believed that the use of courts without juries represented a violation of English civil rights.
Beginning in 1689, Great Britain and France fought a series of wars for control of European and colonial trade. The French and Indian War (1754-1763) was the last of a series of wars fought between Great Britain and her allies and France and her allies. The war began in North America as a result of on-going British-American expansion into the Ohio River Valley. The French persuaded their Indian allies to join them in preventing further settlement in the region west of the Appalachian Mountains. Great Britain eventually won the war. The Treaty of Paris (1763) ended the French and Indian War and forced France to turn over control of Canada to Great Britain. France also surrendered its claim to all land east of the Mississippi River, with the exception of the city of New Orleans.
The end of the French and Indian War brought Great Britain great benefits. The British were now in control of the largest empire in the world and were in a dominate position in Europe. However, over 70 years of war had nearly bankrupted the British government. The French and Indian War had more than doubled the British national debt. As a result, those living in the British isles had endured heavy taxation, high inflation, and unemployment during this time.
With the French and Indian War over, the American colonists breathed a sigh of relief. European and Native Americans threats to the American frontier had ended (or at least lessened) and would allow American land speculators to sell land in the Ohio Valley. Furthermore, the end of French, Dutch, and Spanish privateers in the Caribbean meant that colonial merchants could expand their regional trade networks and reap handsome profits by dealing directly with the West Indies, Africa, and other parts of the Americas. As the British government began to insist that the American colonies pay for their security, colonial governments questioned the need for permanent British garrisons.
The British government saw the prosperity of its American colonies as a way of paying the cost of the wars. The British government hoped to lower colonial administrative costs by passing the cost on to their colonies and through enforcement of existing tariffs. To insure that smuggling would be prosecuted, an extensive customs service was established. The King’s prosecutors found it difficult to obtain convictions for smuggling in American colonial courts and created vice-admiralty courts empowered to identify, try, and convict suspected smugglers. These courts were superior to the colonial courts and did not have a jury but a panel of military officers who served as judges. The American colonials believed that the use of courts without juries represented a violation of English civil rights.
b.Explain colonial response to such British actions as the Proclamation of 1763, the Stamp Act, and the Intolerable Acts as seen in Sons and Daughters of Liberty and Committees of Correspondence.
After a long period of pre-occupation with security concerns, the British began trying to re-establish control over the colonies. To pay for years of war, Parliament was resolved to enforce existent British trade laws, such as the Navigation Acts, and to reduce the cost of colonial administration. The British government was removed by both distance and time from her American colonies and lacked an understanding of a new psychology of self-sufficiency and individualism that had developed in the
colonies. British actions in the American colonies set up a series of responses and counter-responses by the American colonials and the British government.
In general, the American colonists reacted to new British laws and policies by either ignoring the law, organizing to inform and plan actions, or take direct action against the British. Several incidents illustrate the response-counter response nature of the struggle between Great Britain and its colonies. These incidents grew in intensity until the British Army and colonial militia exchanged musket fire on Lexington Green.
Example 1
Pontiac, a chief of the Ottawa Nation, led a coalition of Native Americans in 1763 in an attempt to drive the British and American colonial families out of the Ohio Valley. Thousands of British Americans were killed as well as hundreds of British troops. Pontiac’s War was concluded with the help of the Iroquois Confederacy and skillful diplomacy. To curtail further Native American attacks, Parliament passed the Proclamation of 1763 in an attempt to end Americans settlement beyond the Appalachian Mountains. The new law embittered wealthy colonial land agents Unable to enforce the law due to immensity of the region and a shortage of troops, the Proclamation never really stopped migration into the region. Simply, the Americans ignored the law and settled the region anyway.
Example 2
Shortly after the Treaty of Paris (1763) was concluded, the British government announced that colonies would be taxed for the cost of their protection. These taxes included the Sugar Act of 1764. The Sugar Act imposed a tax on the importation of molasses, the key ingredient for making rum. The new law also created vice-admiralty courts which tried suspected smugglers before a military court instead of a civilian court. These new measures angered American colonial importers who chose to ignore the new laws.
The inability of the British government to collect the new tax led to the passage of a more widespread tax, the Stamp Act of 1765. The tax was collected on every document or newspaper printed or used in the colonies. Previous taxes had only impacted certain groups, such as molasses importers, but the Stamp Act affected everyone in colonial America. The taxes ranged from one shilling a newspaper to ten pounds for a lawyer’s license. The law required that a stamp be affixed to the taxable property to show that the tax had been paid. In addition, the tax was to be paid with hard currency (not colonial paper money) and would be enforced through the Vice-Admiralty courts. The British Prime Minister, Lord Grenville, had been warned by colonial agents that the passage of the new tax would be met with widespread anger in the colonies. Despite the warning, the Stamp Act was passed by Parliament.
The colonial reaction was swift and widespread. The colonies’ central argument against the new tax was that the colonies did not have representation in Parliament. Therefore, taxes imposed by Parliament on the colonies represented a violation of English civil liberties. The Massachusetts Colonial Assembly created a Committee of Correspondence to communicate with the other colonies. New York invited the other colonies to a meeting and organized the Stamp Act Congress to draft formal petitions of protest to Parliament. In Boston, Samuel Adams organized the Sons of Liberty organized to protest the law. These protests often turned violent. Tax collectors were hung in effigy and their property destroyed. Ships purportedly carrying the stamps were denied entry to colonial ports. Perhaps most significantly, New York merchants organized a boycott of British goods. This boycott spread to other colonies and had a huge impact on British importers. The rising tide of violence in the colonies and the economic effects of the boycotts were instrumental in the repeal of the Stamp Act in March 1766. The hated law was largely ignored scarcely lasted a year.
Example 3
In 1767, Parliament, under the advice of the Lord Townshend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer (similar to our Secretary of the Treasury), passed a new series of tax laws, expanded the Customs Service, and the number of Admiralty Courts. Colonial organization and protests were renewed. To replace boycotted British cloth, the women of Boston organized the Daughters of Liberty. The organization spun yarn into thread, wove cloth on home looms, and was instrumental in maintaining the American boycott of British goods.
Protests and riots in Boston were so ferocious that customs officials demanded and received military protection. However, the presence of the British Army and Navy in Boston only served to intensify the animosity between the British government and the colonials. As a result of the protests, the Townshend Acts were partially repealed in 1770. A duty on tea was left by Parliament.
In 1773, Parliament passed the Tea Act. The act was designed to expand the tea monopoly held by the British East India Company by offering British imported tea at a reduced price in all the British colonies. The colonists believed that Parliament was trying to increase tax revenue by getting the colonists to more readily accept cheap tea. In general colonial ports turned the tea ships away or refused to handle the British tea. In Boston the Royal Governor insisted that the tea be kept on board ship until it could be landed. On December 16, 1773, members of the Sons of Liberty boarded the three tea ships and destroyed the cargo. There was little sympathy for the destruction of British property in Great Britain. Parliament passed a series of laws designed to punish the American colonies, and especially Massachusetts, for attack on the British ships. The Intolerable Acts were designed to make an example of Massachusetts and hopefully quell the growing resistance throughout to British authority. Instead of breaking Massachusetts, the laws effectively organized the other colonies against the British government. The colonists believed that Parliament had once again acted outside the English Constitution and violated the civil rights of the British citizens.
After a long period of pre-occupation with security concerns, the British began trying to re-establish control over the colonies. To pay for years of war, Parliament was resolved to enforce existent British trade laws, such as the Navigation Acts, and to reduce the cost of colonial administration. The British government was removed by both distance and time from her American colonies and lacked an understanding of a new psychology of self-sufficiency and individualism that had developed in the
colonies. British actions in the American colonies set up a series of responses and counter-responses by the American colonials and the British government.
In general, the American colonists reacted to new British laws and policies by either ignoring the law, organizing to inform and plan actions, or take direct action against the British. Several incidents illustrate the response-counter response nature of the struggle between Great Britain and its colonies. These incidents grew in intensity until the British Army and colonial militia exchanged musket fire on Lexington Green.
Example 1
Pontiac, a chief of the Ottawa Nation, led a coalition of Native Americans in 1763 in an attempt to drive the British and American colonial families out of the Ohio Valley. Thousands of British Americans were killed as well as hundreds of British troops. Pontiac’s War was concluded with the help of the Iroquois Confederacy and skillful diplomacy. To curtail further Native American attacks, Parliament passed the Proclamation of 1763 in an attempt to end Americans settlement beyond the Appalachian Mountains. The new law embittered wealthy colonial land agents Unable to enforce the law due to immensity of the region and a shortage of troops, the Proclamation never really stopped migration into the region. Simply, the Americans ignored the law and settled the region anyway.
Example 2
Shortly after the Treaty of Paris (1763) was concluded, the British government announced that colonies would be taxed for the cost of their protection. These taxes included the Sugar Act of 1764. The Sugar Act imposed a tax on the importation of molasses, the key ingredient for making rum. The new law also created vice-admiralty courts which tried suspected smugglers before a military court instead of a civilian court. These new measures angered American colonial importers who chose to ignore the new laws.
The inability of the British government to collect the new tax led to the passage of a more widespread tax, the Stamp Act of 1765. The tax was collected on every document or newspaper printed or used in the colonies. Previous taxes had only impacted certain groups, such as molasses importers, but the Stamp Act affected everyone in colonial America. The taxes ranged from one shilling a newspaper to ten pounds for a lawyer’s license. The law required that a stamp be affixed to the taxable property to show that the tax had been paid. In addition, the tax was to be paid with hard currency (not colonial paper money) and would be enforced through the Vice-Admiralty courts. The British Prime Minister, Lord Grenville, had been warned by colonial agents that the passage of the new tax would be met with widespread anger in the colonies. Despite the warning, the Stamp Act was passed by Parliament.
The colonial reaction was swift and widespread. The colonies’ central argument against the new tax was that the colonies did not have representation in Parliament. Therefore, taxes imposed by Parliament on the colonies represented a violation of English civil liberties. The Massachusetts Colonial Assembly created a Committee of Correspondence to communicate with the other colonies. New York invited the other colonies to a meeting and organized the Stamp Act Congress to draft formal petitions of protest to Parliament. In Boston, Samuel Adams organized the Sons of Liberty organized to protest the law. These protests often turned violent. Tax collectors were hung in effigy and their property destroyed. Ships purportedly carrying the stamps were denied entry to colonial ports. Perhaps most significantly, New York merchants organized a boycott of British goods. This boycott spread to other colonies and had a huge impact on British importers. The rising tide of violence in the colonies and the economic effects of the boycotts were instrumental in the repeal of the Stamp Act in March 1766. The hated law was largely ignored scarcely lasted a year.
Example 3
In 1767, Parliament, under the advice of the Lord Townshend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer (similar to our Secretary of the Treasury), passed a new series of tax laws, expanded the Customs Service, and the number of Admiralty Courts. Colonial organization and protests were renewed. To replace boycotted British cloth, the women of Boston organized the Daughters of Liberty. The organization spun yarn into thread, wove cloth on home looms, and was instrumental in maintaining the American boycott of British goods.
Protests and riots in Boston were so ferocious that customs officials demanded and received military protection. However, the presence of the British Army and Navy in Boston only served to intensify the animosity between the British government and the colonials. As a result of the protests, the Townshend Acts were partially repealed in 1770. A duty on tea was left by Parliament.
In 1773, Parliament passed the Tea Act. The act was designed to expand the tea monopoly held by the British East India Company by offering British imported tea at a reduced price in all the British colonies. The colonists believed that Parliament was trying to increase tax revenue by getting the colonists to more readily accept cheap tea. In general colonial ports turned the tea ships away or refused to handle the British tea. In Boston the Royal Governor insisted that the tea be kept on board ship until it could be landed. On December 16, 1773, members of the Sons of Liberty boarded the three tea ships and destroyed the cargo. There was little sympathy for the destruction of British property in Great Britain. Parliament passed a series of laws designed to punish the American colonies, and especially Massachusetts, for attack on the British ships. The Intolerable Acts were designed to make an example of Massachusetts and hopefully quell the growing resistance throughout to British authority. Instead of breaking Massachusetts, the laws effectively organized the other colonies against the British government. The colonists believed that Parliament had once again acted outside the English Constitution and violated the civil rights of the British citizens.
c. Explain the importance of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense to the movement for independence.
Common Sense was published anonymously by Thomas Paine in January 1776. Initially 100,000 copies were printed, and it is generally believed that the short work was either read or heard by almost every American colonist. Paine wrote a clearly worded rationale for independence that the common man could understand. Paine’s argument helped to persuade many who were undecided to support the cause of independence.
Common Sense was published anonymously by Thomas Paine in January 1776. Initially 100,000 copies were printed, and it is generally believed that the short work was either read or heard by almost every American colonist. Paine wrote a clearly worded rationale for independence that the common man could understand. Paine’s argument helped to persuade many who were undecided to support the cause of independence.
SSUSH4 The student will identify the ideological, military, and diplomatic aspects of the American Revolution.
b. Explain the reason for and significance of the French alliance and foreign assistance and the roles of Benjamin Franklin and the Marquis de Lafayette.
c. Analyze George Washington as a military leader; include the creation of a professional military and the life of a common soldier, and describe the significance of the crossing of the Delaware River and Valley Forge.
d. Explain the role of geography at the Battle of Yorktown, the role of Lord Cornwallis, and the Treaty of Paris, 1783.
a. Explain the language, organization, and intellectual sources of the Declaration of Independence; include the writing of John Locke and the role of Thomas Jefferson.
The Declaration of Independence was the ideological explanation for American independence. The Declaration was drafted by John Adams, Robert Livingston, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Thomas Jefferson, although Jefferson was the principle author of the Declaration. There continues to be scholarly debate on the origins of the ideas contained in the Declaration. Most scholars hold that the ideas of John Locke’s Second Treatise on Government played a significant influence on the Declaration. Locke’s key ideas of “natural rights,” the equality of all men, and the role of government are featured prominently in the preamble. The Declaration can be divided into three key parts. 1. The Preamble called the attention of the world to the plight of the American colonists. In this section, Jefferson laid out the key ideological reasons why the American colonies had chosen to break away from the British government. Key ideas included many of those Locke had outlined earlier. These ideas included the concept of natural rights, the origin and purposes of government, and the reasons why the colonists had elected to rebel against the King and Parliament. 2. The second section is the list of grievances or justifications. This section contains 27 separate points of difference the colonies had with King George III and his government. 3. Finally, the declaration offers a discussion of the Americans’ many unsuccessful attempts to get relief from Britain and ends with the conclusion that the only way for Americans to have their rights restored is to restore them themselves by declaring independence from Britain and by controlling their own government. “The only representatives of the people of these colonies are persons chosen therein by themselves; and that no taxes ever have been, or can be constitutionally imposed on them but by their respective legislatures.” -Statement by the Stamp Act Congress, 1765 |