Transcript THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION - Phillipsburg School District

THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
Causes of the Revolution
Ch. 4.1
FOCUS QUESTION?
• What caused the colonists to rebel against
the British?
The Colonist’s Political Heritage
• The colonists enjoyed the rights as Englishmen.
• Liberties such as:
due process
trial by jury
freedom of press
protection from foreign attack
• More importantly, colonists cherished the right to
pay no tax unless it was levied by their
representative.
The British Government
• The British government had 3 branches:
Executive – British Monarchy
Legislative – Parliament
(House of Commons/House of Lords)
Judicial
• Aristocrats inherited seats in the House of Lords, while
the House of Commons was determined by small
elections.
• By definition, Great Britain’s government
was a democracy. (rule by the people)
• Colonial governments followed the British
model, but there were some differences.
But, by Modern Standards, Britain
was not very democratic
• Wealth and birth determined power and
status.
• There was no formal charter outlining
citizen rights.
• Only a quarter of British males could vote.
• Parliament claimed virtual representation
allowing it to make laws for all British
subjects.
In Contrast, the Colonies Were
Quite Democratic
• Most colonies had elected assemblies.
• These charters outlined individual rights.
• Colonial assemblies controlled royal
governors by withholding their salaries.
• Most males could vote for their assemblies
but none could vote for parliament.
Comparing British & Colonial
Governments
Great Britain
King
Inherited executive power
Parliament
American Colonies
Governor
Appointed by the King but paid by
colonial legislature
Colonial Legislatures
House of Lords
Aristocrats with inherited
legislative power
Upper House or Council
Prominent citizens appointed
by the governor
House of Commons
Elected by the few wealthy
property owners
Lower House or Assembly
Elected property owners about
two-thirds of colonists
New Taxes Upset the Colonists
• After the French and Indian War, Parliament
decided to tax the colonies.
WHY WOULD THEY DO SUCH A THING??
- The war raised Britain’s debt. Defending the
colonies was expensive.
- People in G.B. where already paid higher taxes.
- By collecting taxes and paying royal governors
directly, Parliament could take control from the
colonial assemblies.
New Taxes Upset Colonists
• Sugar Act- 1764- Prime Minister George
Grenville assigned customs officers and
special courts to collect taxes and
prosecute smugglers.
• In 1765, Parliament passed another
unpopular law, the Quartering Act.
• This required colonists to provide housing
and supplies for British soldiers.
• In March of 1765, Parliament passed a bill
simply intended to raise money off of the
colonies.
• The Stamp Act taxed printed materials
such as newspapers, books, and
contracts.
• This is the first time Britain put a direct tax
on the colonies.
Outrage from the Colonists
• The colonists angrily protested the Stamp
Act claiming it threatened their prosperity
and liberty.
• They questioned Parliament’s right to tax
directly and feared this would be the first
of many new taxes.
• Colonists did not vote in Parliament --“No
Taxation Without Representation”
Parliament Rejects Complaints
• Parliament represented, and could tax,
any subject.
• Other citizens could not vote but still paid
taxes.
• The revenue was necessary.
• The colonists could afford to pay their
share.
• The colonists were selfish and narrow
minded.
Colonial Protests Intensify
• Tax resistance from colonists took three
forms: intellectual protests, economic
boycotts, and violent intimidation.
• All three combined to force the British to
back down.
• Colonial leaders, such as John Adams,
wrote pamphlets, drafted resolutions, gave
speeches, and delivered sermons to
persuade colonists to defy the new taxes.
Enlightenment Ideas
• Colonial protests drew upon the liberalism
of Enlightened thinkers such as Baron de
Montesquieu and John Locke.
• They argued the people had natural rights,
such as life, liberty, and property. A good
government protects these rights.
• If the government fails, the people have
the right to protest and even overthrow
their government.
Colonists Become Radical
• Patrick Henry, a Virginian representative,
used these idea to draft a radical document,
the Virginia Resolves.
• He argued that only colonial assemblies had
the right to tax the colonies.
• May 30, 1765 the Virginia House of
Burgesses accepted most of Henry’s ideas.
Eight other colonies soon accept similar
resolves.
Patriot Leaders Emerge
• Opposition to the new British taxes, like
the Stamp Act, united the colonists.
• Colonists who opposed British taxes were
called “Patriots.”
• Bostonian Samuel Adams led an
association known as the Sons of Liberty.
• Protests progressively became more
violent as “patriots” attacked tax collectors
and supporters.
Leader Organize a Boycott
• Some colonial leaders
opposed taxes but did not
agree with the violence.
• Nine colonies sent delegates
to NYC in October 1765 for
the Stamp Act Congress.
• Consumer boycotts were
promoted of all imported
British goods.Nonimportation Agreement
New Taxes Lead to New Protests
• The Stamp Act crisis showed that the
colonists would not accept a direct tax, but
Britain still needed money.
• Britain repealed the Stamp Act but replaced
it with the Townshend Act (1767).
• This taxed everyday items such as glass,
lead, paper, paint, and tea.
Violence Erupts in Boston
• Colonists insisted that would pay no taxes
of any sort and violence erupts once
again.
• The Massachusetts legislature issued a
letter denouncing the Townshend duties.
• The governor responded by dissolving the
legislature.
• Customs officers seized a merchant ship
Liberty in June 1768 for smuggling.
• The boat belonged to John Hancock, a
wealthy merchant and a prominent
colonial politician.
• This set off riots.
• The British crown responded by sending in
4,000 troop into a city of 16,000.
The Boston Massacre
• For over a year, the presence of British
troops inflamed popular anger, especially
because the poorly paid troops competed
with locals for jobs.
• March 1770, angry colonists hurled
snowballs and rocks at British troops.
• The troops fired back killing five people,
including Crispus Attacks.
• Patriots, such as Samuel Adams, used
this Boston Massacre to incite and
organize colonists.
• Committees of Correspondence were
created leadership and cooperation.
• Britain removed the troops from Boston
and dropped the Townshend duties all
except for tea.
The Boston Tea Party
• Parliament gave the British
East India Tea Company a
special deal that made its
tea cheapest in the
colonies.
• Colonists felt the British
were trying to trick them
into paying the tax on tea.
(also it would hurt the
smugglers)
• On Dec. 16, 1773, Boston
patriots dressed as Indians
and dumped the tea into
Boston Harbor.
Colonists Unite Against Harsh
Measures
• Parliament passed the Coercive Acts to
Punish Boston.
- Closed the port of Boston
- Quartered troops
- Increase governor’s power
- Allowed British officials to be
tried in Britain.
The Intolerable Acts
• Patriots reacted in violence, armed with
weapons they forced courts of law to shut
down and tarred and feathered British
supporters.
The Colonies Take Action
• In 1774 delegates from all the
colonies, except Georgia, met in
Philadelphia, First Continental
Congress.
• Patrick Henry “ Give me liberty or
give me death.”
• “ I am not a Virginian, but an
American.”
• To pressure the British out of the Coercive
Acts, the Congress boycotted all British
imports.
• Patriots established new local governments
that bypassed Parliament and the crown.
• At this point, very few wanted independence
(John Adams)… Wishful thinkers felt the
King would pressure Parliament to no longer
tax them.