17631775 Limits of Imperial Control

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1763-1775Limits of Imperial Control
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North America after 1763
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Spain takes the California coast

• Spain establishes outposts in San Diego and
  Monterrey
• Quickly followed by missions and presidios all
  the way up to San Francisco
• Over-land route between California and Spanish
  presidios in Tucson and Tubac
• Encounter many problems with Indians in the West
• Spanish presence although shaky, is established
  in the West

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Pontiacs Rebellion

• Indian tribes in Ohio Valley surprised by defeat
  of their French allies in war with Britain
• Now they were expected to be loyal to British
  monarchy (aggressive colonizer)
• Several issues British were known to build forts
  and settle frontier lands (Indian territory),
  British traders unfair and untrustworthy in
  comparison to French, British treatment of
  Indians
• Ottawa Chieftain, Pontiac, along with other
  Indian warriors start raids of British forts in
  1763
• Rebellion ends in stalemate with Native American
  munitions running low and loss of Indian support
• Pontiac pardoned
• Crown issues Proclamation forbidding colonial
  settlements west of the Appalachians
• Land to be used only for Indian reservations and
  authorized British soldiers and traders

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British North America 1763-1766
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Crisis with England

• Grenville appointed as Prime Minister in London
• Issues reforms with ideas to improve British
  economic situation war costs, unemployment,
  national debt
• Decides to use British colonies in America as
  revenue source to help boost economy in England
• Sugar Act of 1764 also known as the American
  Duties Act of 1764
• increased the duty on sugar and other products
  coming into Britain, from non-English
• Currency Act of 1764 Parliament prevented any of
  the colonies from printing their own currency or
  bills of credit to be used to pay off debts
• This Act worsened the money shortage in the
  colonies

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Crisis with England

• Quartering Act of 1765 colonists had to house
  soldiers on their farms and buildings even during
  peace times
• Stamp Act of 1765 passed by the Parliament to
  increase revenue for England
• Act stated that a stamp purchased from designated
  agents, was to be affixed to a wide range of
  items within the colonies
• playing cards, legal documents, licenses, land
  deeds, college degrees etc.
• Agent received commission from stamp sales
• Usually, rich colonists took up agency to earn
  profits for themselves
• British profit to be used to protect and defend
  colonies

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Stamp Act Resisted

• Violent protests within the colonies followed
• Patrick Henry issues the Virginia Resolve
• Stated that the colonists were the ones to decide
  what tax was to be imposed and how
• Ordinary people encouraged by the Resolves
• Sons of Liberty created
• Secret group that consisted of prominent citizens
  who opposed Stamp Act and encouraged angry mobs
  to attack offices of stamp distributors
• Forced many distributors to resign
• Effigies of distributors burned in public places

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Stamp Act Resisted

• Mobs become out of control
• African slaves join the melee and a fear of
  insurrection is created
• Importation of African slaves is temporarily
  stopped
• Colonial officers and elite attempt to stem
  resistance
• Stamp Act Congress protests Sugar and Stamp Act
  to Parliament
• Grenville removed from office
• Parliament repealed the Stamp Act in 1766 but
  paired repeal with the Declaratory Act of 1766
• Declaratory Act of 1766 reserved power to
  subjugate colonies to British law under this Act
  and made Parliament sovereign over America
• Colonists enraged by this new unfair law

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Power corrupts

• Power tends to corrupt and absolute power tends
  to corrupt absolutely (Lord Acton)
• English Whigs supported limitation of royal power
  and increased power of the Parliament in England
• Abuse of such power by royalty would bring about
  resistance from common people
• England had 3 branches of government the
  monarchy the House of Lords and the House of
  Commons
• This allowed for each group to look after its own
  interests while working together

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Power corrupts

• Real Whigs (radicals) believed this 3-group mixed
  government would lead to problems (Trenchard and
  Gordon)
• Problems concentration of wealth, and corruption
• Wrote Catos letters which warned of these
  problems and called for alertness to these
  problems
• Letters become famous in American colonies as
  well since there were many parallels between
  situation in colonies and the warnings of the
  Real Whigs
• Response must be circumspect (watchful and
  cautious), and first avenue taken should be legal
  methods of redress (trying to make things right)

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Townshend Duties

• Chancellor of the Exchequer Charles Townsend
  (CFO)
• Passes Townshend Revenue Act of 1767
• Townshend Duties tax American imports of paper,
  lead, paint, glass, and tea
• Money from the Act was to be used in the colonies
  to administer justice and support the government
• Customs Act of 1767 American Board of Customs
  Commissioners created to collect duties
• Commissioners were to live in America
• New York Assembly disciplined for defiance of
  Quartering Act of 1765

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Reaction to Townshend Duties

• 1768 Samuel Adams (Massachusetts) petitions King
  to repeal duties
• Claims they are unconstitutional and it was
  taxation without representation
• Massachusetts legislature circulated an letter
  to other colonial legislatures asking them to
  protest the Acts as well
• When asked to retract its letter, the assembly
  refuses
• June, 1768 John Hancocks ship the Liberty
  seized by customs officials and they demand that
  he pay duties for his cargo

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Reaction to Townshend Duties

• Protest against the Townsend duties gradually
  took the successful form of economic boycott of
  English goods
• Boycott was more damaging to English economy than
  the money generated by the duties
• March, 1770 Lord North (took over from
  Townshend) had Parliament repeal the Townshend
  Duties, except for the one on tea
• Repeal came too late
• Chaos in Boston already underway

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Boston

• English government moves troops from frontier to
  Boston to save money
• Increased tensions in Boston
• March, 1770 Protestors outside a custom hours
  provoked soldiers, who then fired into the crowd
• Five Americans, including Crispus Attucks, an
  ex-slave, are killed
• Incident labeled the Boston Massacre
• This laid the foundation for gaining American
  Independence

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Gaspee Affair

• Customs collectors continue to antagonize
  colonists
• June 1772 Gaspee, a customs boat, runs aground
  in Rhode Island
• Locals raid the ship and set it on fire
• This renews animosity between the colonies and
  England
• Earl of Hillsborough, the Secretary of State for
  American colonies attempts to extradite the
  raiders for trial in England
• Prompts colonials to resist
• Cite that their fundamental rights to trial by a
  jury of their peers was being denied

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Gaspee Affair

• March, 1773 Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, and
  Richard Henry Lee established a Committee of
  Correspondence to investigate the matter
• Committee built up alternative political
  structure and kept in contact with sister
  colonies
• Many such committees started in other colonies

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The last straw!

• 1773 Parliament passes Tea Act
• Designed to help the East India Company by making
  its sale cheaper in America
• Americans interpret as a subtle ploy to get them
  to consume taxed tea
• 10,000 pounds of tea arrived in Boston in 3 ships
• Governor Hutchinson decided to unload and
  distribute the tea, amid Sons of Libertys vow to
  resist
• Dec. 16, 1773 150 men disguised as Mohawk
  Indians, boarded the ships and dumped the tea in
  the harbor
• Event called the Boston Tea Party

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Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts)

• March-June, 1774 Coercive Acts designed to
  isolate and punish Massachusetts
• Boston Port Act Port of Boston closed until the
  expensive tea is paid for
• Administration of Justice Act Accused revenue
  officials to be tried in England, or in another
  colony
• The Quartering Act British Officers in America
  authorized to quarter troops wherever needed

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Coercive Acts

• Massachusetts Government Act Massachusetts
  government restructured
• Upper house made appointed body, with governor
  appointing the council members
• Town meetings permitted only once per year
• Quebec Act establishes authoritarian government
  for Canada
• Expanded the province of Quebec upto the Ohio
  River, challenging land claims of American
  colonies
• Colonists interpret Act as final proof of
  Parliamentary plot to enslave America
• Mainland colonies rally to support Boston,
  protest the British blockade

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Colonial reaction

• Parliaments insistence on supremacy would make
  rebellion unavoidable
• Massachusetts sets up its own Provincial Congress
  and creates a militia consisting of farmers,
  called Minutemen
• Ben Franklin suggests Parliament secure colonial
  loyalty by renouncing claim to supremacy
• Parliament rejects Franklins advice

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Moving towards Independence

• September 1774 56 delegates from different
  colonies, convene at the First Continental
  Congress in Philadelphia
• Delegates agree on unfairness of Intolerable Acts
• Did not agree on much else
• Oct. 1774 Declaration of Rights issued
• Delegates agree on non-importation of British
  goods and cutting of all export except rice, to
  Britain
• Set a date for Second Continental Congress in May
  1775

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Lexington and Concord!

• Second Continental Congress never meets
• April 1775 General Gage orders his troops to
  march to Lexington and arrest of John Hancock and
  Samuel Adams
• The troops were then ordered to go to Concord and
  capture and destroy a stockpile of military
  supplies owned by colonists
• Paul Revere and William Dawes warn Hancock, Adams
  and local townspeople that the British were
  coming
• Preparation is made for their arrival

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Lexington and Concord!

• Local militiamen defeated by the British troops
  and many are killed at Lexington
• British troops proceed to Concord
• 400 Minutemen from various towns have assembled
  in Concord
• The orders were that they were not to shoot
  unless the British shot first
• British troops open fire on the Minutemen
• Even though many Minutemen lost their lives, they
  managed to push the British back
• English retreat to Boston with heavy losses

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Conclusion

• Heavy-handed British treatment of American
  colonies changed the view of the colonists
  towards England
• Colonists felt betrayed and persecuted by British
  authority
• British authorities felt the colonists were
  ungrateful and overly cautious of them
• This uneasy atmosphere welcomed both groups and
  set the stage for the Revolution