Download Pre-AP US History Unit #2 PowerPoint

THE ENGLISH COLONIES
AND THE ROAD TO
REVOLUTION
AMS 7th Grade Unit #2
AMERICAN
COLONIAL
SOCIETY
The Road To Revolution
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Backcountry
■ The far Western edges of the colonies.
■ By the 1700s, the colonies formed several distinct regions: New England, the Middle
Colonies, the Southern Colonies, and the Backcountry, which ran through the far
western eddges of the colonies. Of all the colonial regions, New England was the
most populated. Its people grew rich by cleverly exploiting the region’s resources.
■ Farming in New England was not easy. The growing season was short, and the soil in
many places was rocky. Most farmers practiced subsistence farming. That is, they
produced just enough food for themselves and sometimes a little extra to trade in
town. Most New England farmers lived near a town. Colonial officials sold large plots
of land to groups of people – often to a Puritan congregation. The congregation
settled the town and divided the land among its members.
Navigation Acts
■ A series of laws passed by
British Parliament
beginning in 1651 which
restricted the use of foreign
shipping by the British
colonies in North America.
■ The laws angered many
colonists, who had not
been consulted when the
law was made and who lost
a great deal of money due
to high British shipping
costs
Triangular Trade
■ 17th and 18th Century trade
between Europe, West
Africa, and the Americas.
■ Europe sent manufactured
goods and rum south to
West Africa
■ West Africa shipped slaves
to the Americas (The
Middle Passage)
■ The Americas sent raw
materials, such as gold,
lumber, furs, and sugar
back to Europe
The African Slave Trade
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King Philip’s War
■ (1675-1676) Native American uprising, led by the Wampanaog
Indians and their chief Metacom, against colonists in New England.
■
Europeans and Native Americans had different attitudes about land ownership. Europeans
believed that land could be owned. Native Americans had a more communal attitude to land
use. Conflict over land resulted in warfare. Native American tribes in New England were
alarmed by the increasing numbers of settlers on their hunting grounds and near their crops.
They were also troubled by the growing influence of European culture on their people.
■
In 1675-1676, they carried out an uprising against the Puritan colonies. This was known as
King Phillip’s War. “King Phillip” was the English name of Metacom, leader of the Wampanaog
tribe, who led the first attacks against the colonists. The Wampanaog were soon joined by
other tribes. For both sides, the war was a fight for survival. Twelve Puritan towns were
destroyed. Forty other towns, including Plymouth and Providence, were attacked. For a while,
it seemed as if the New England colonies might be destroyed.
Subsistence Farming
■ Producing just enough food for one’s needs.
■
Most New England farmers lived near a town. Colonial officials sold large plots of land to
groups of people – often to a Puritan congregation. The congregation settled the town and
divided the land among its members. This pattern of settlement led New England towns to
develop in a unique way. Usually, a cluster of farmhouses and a meetinghouse were built
around a common – shared land where public activities took place. Because people lived
together in small towns, a diverse economy developed. Farmers sold produce to shopkeepers;
shopkeepers had enough customers to make a living Along the coast, seaport towns shipped
farm products and provided a marketplace for goods coming into New England.
■
The Atlantic Ocean offered many economic opportunities. Near New England’s coast were
some of the world’s best whaling and fishing grounds for mackerel, halibut, cod, herring, and
other fish.
Smuggling
■ Importing or Exporting goods illegally.
■
According to the economic theory of mercantilism, the mother country was supposed to profit
from its colonies. As the American colonists prospered, England wanted to make sure that it
profited from colonial prosperity. So the English government began passing the Navigation
Acts in 1651. The Navigation Acts had four major provisions designed to ensure that England
made money from its colonies’ trade.
■
The colonists resented these laws. Merchants ignored the acts whenever possible. England
had trouble controlling colonial shipping and patrolling the long coastline of the colonies.
Smuggling – importing or exporting goods illegally – was common. England also had great
difficulty preventing pirates, like the legendary Blackbeard, from interfering with colonial
shipping.
Common
■ Shared land where public activities took place.
■
The forests were a valuable resource. Soon New England was exporting timber as well as fish,
to the world. As merchants grew rich from exporting these goods, their ships began carrying
goods produced in other places as well. New England’s ships became an important part of
international trade.
■
Throughout New England, the population benefitted from the wealth being created in the
seaports. The colonists were soon competing with England’s fishermen, shipbuilders, and
merchants. As coastal towns like Boston, Salem, and Newport grew rich, the English
government began to take notice.
Congregation
■ A group of people who belong to the same church.
■
Like many other New England Puritans, Captain Thomas Smith had grown rich through
commerce. In his self-portrait from 1680, he displays his wealthy clothes and surroundings.
He was proud of his achievements: the painting includes a scene of a naval battle in which he
may have fought. Smith enjoyed his worldly success. But as a Puritan, he was also torn
between the joys of this world and the need to prepare for the next. So under the skull in his
portrait appears a religious poem:
■
“Why why should I the World be minding. There a World of Evils finding. Then Farewell World:
Farewell thy Jarres (conflicts). Thy Joies thy Toies thy Wiles thy Warrs.” –Poem in Captain
Thomas Smith’s self-portrait
Mercantilism
■ A set of economic principles followed by European nations from 1500 to 1800;
Mercantilists believed that the prosperity of a nation depends on a large supply
of gold and silver and to bring in gold and silver payments nations must have a
favorable balance of trade.
■
The increase in the volume and area of European trade as a result of European expansionism led to a new age of
commercial capitalism. This is one of the first steps in the development of the world economy. The nations of
Europe created trading empires. The theory of mercantilism held that country’s power depended mainly on its
wealth. Wealth, after all, allowed nations to build strong navies and purchase vital goods. As a result, the goal of
every nation became the attainment of as much wealth as possible. A country would do everything possible to
acquire more gold, preferably at the expense of its rivals. A mercantilist country primarily sought gold in two ways:
establishing and exploiting colonies, and establishing a favorable balance of trade with a rival country.
■
The economic changes that swept through much of Europe during the age of American colonization also led to
changes in European society. The economic revolution spurred the growth of towns and the rise of a class of
merchants who controlled great wealth. The changes in European society, however, only went so far. While towns
and cities grew in size, much of Europe’s population continued to live in rural areas. And although merchants and
traders enjoyed social mobility, the majority of Europeans remained poor. More than anything else, the economic
revolution increased the wealth of European nations.
Bacon’s Rebellion
■ In 1675 poor colonists in Virginia fought a brutal war with Native Americans.
During the way the Governor assigned by the King did not provide help to the
colonists, leaving the lower-class to fight on their own.
■ Following the Indian War, in 1676 Nathaniel Bacon led a group of angry
colonists to Jamestown.
■ The colonists forced the Governor to leave and burned Jamestown to the
ground.
■ Nathaniel Bacon died in the winter of 1676-1677 and the King appointed a
new Governor who was accepted by the colonists.
■ Bacon’s Rebellion marked the first armed rebellion by colonists against a
leader who was appointed by the King.
Rebellion
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Bacon
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Berkeley
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Eliza Lucas
■ Young woman in South Carolina who introduced indigo as a successful
plantation crop after her father left her to supervise his plantation
when she was 17.
■
Slavery allowed plantation farming to expand in South Carolina and Georgia. Without slave
labor, there probably would have been no rice plantations in the low country – the region’s
swampy lowlands. Rice cultivation required great skill. Because West Africans had these
skills, planters sought out the slaves who came from Africa’s rice-growing regions. Rice
growing involved backbreaking labor. Enslaved workers drained swamps, raked fields, burned
stubble, and broke ground before planting. They also had to tend the fields and harvest the
crop. On higher ground, planters grew indigo, a plant that produces a deep blue dye used to
dye clothes.
Stono Rebellion
■ One of the earliest known organized acts of
rebellion against slavery.
■
On September 9, 1739, South Carolina slaves gathered at the Stono River to plan an armed
march for freedom. At the Stono Bridge they seized weapons and ammunition from a store at
the Stono River Bridge and killed two storekeepers. They raised a flag and proceeded south
towards Spanish Florida, a well known refuge for escapees. They burned 7 plantations and
killed 20 whites. The Governor rallied a mob of plantation owners and slave-holders to
counterattack the slaves. The next day, mounted militia caught up with the group numbering
80 slaves. Forty-four of the slaves were killed in fighting before the rebellion was suppressed.
The captured slaves were then decapitated and their heads were spiked on every mile post
between that spot and Charles Town.
Cash Crops
■ Crops raised to be sold for money, such as Tobacco, Indigo, and
Cotton in Britain’s Southern Colonies.
■
The South’s soil and almost year-round growing season were ideal for plantation crops like
rice and tobacco. These valuable plants required much labor to produce, but with enough
workers they could be grown as cash crops and shipped to foreign markets for great profits.
The Tidewater’s many waterways allowed oceangoing ships to load cargo at the plantation’s
docks. This allowed the plantations to carry on a lively trade with other colonies and with
England.
■
Because most plantations were largely self-sufficient, large urban centers were unnecessary
in the South. The port city of Charles Town (later called Charleston) in South Carolina was an
early exception.
Overseers
■ People who watch over and direct the work of slaves.
■
On large plantations, slaves usually toiled in groups of about 20 to 25 under the supervision
of overseers. Overseers were people who watched over and directed the work of others.
Enslaved people performed strenuous and exhausting work, often for 15 hours a day at the
peak of the harvest season. If slaves did not appear to be doing their full share of work, they
were often whipped by the overseer. If they defied their masters, they could be tortured or
mutilated.
■
Enslaved people usually lived in small one-room cabins with straw for bedding. For a week’s
food, a slave might receive only around a quarter bushel of cornmeal and around 3 pounds of
pork. Some planters allowed their slaves to raise their own food.
Indigo
■ Plant that produces a deep-blue dye. Indigo was cultivated first in
South Carolina as a Cash Crop.
■
In the other Southern Colonies, there were few Africans, either enslaved or free. In 1665,
fewer than 500 Africans had been brought into Virginia. At that time , African and European
indentured servants worked in the fields together. In the 1660s, the labor system began to
change as indentured white servants left the plantations. Their terms of service were
finished, and many moved west in order to buy their own farms. At the same time, fewer
European laborers were emigrating to the Southern Colonies. Landowners had to find another
source of labor.
Southern Aristocracy
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Tidewater
■ The flat land along the coast where the earliest British settlements in
the southern colonies were built.
■
George Mason was born to a wealthy Virginia family in 1725. Mason – who later called the
salve trade “disgraceful to mankind” – described the skills of the enslaved people who
worked on his family’s plantation: “My father had among his slaves carpenters, coopers
(barrel makers), sawyers, blacksmiths, tanners, curriers, shoemakers, spinners, weavers, and
knitters, and even a distiller.”
■
The Masons and other wealthy landowners set up self-sufficient plantations and had little
need for the kind of densely settled towns that developed in New England. These scattered
plantations, and the system of slavery needed to run them, shaped life in the Southern
Colonies: Virginia, Maryland, the Carolinas, and Georgia.
Closure Assignment #1
■ Answer the following questions based on what you have
learned from Chapter 4:
1. What kind of person would choose to immigrate to the
British colonies in America as an indentured servant?
Describe them in detail.
2. What were the effects of Bacon’s Rebellion on life in the
Southern colonies? Describe at least 2.
3. Explain in your own words why Europeans elected to
permanently enslave persons from Africa as opposed to
the Americas, Asia, or any other region of the world?
Philadelphia
■ Settlement on the Delaware River in Pennsylvania that became the fastest growing
city in the British colonies during the 17th and 18th centuries.
■
The Middle Colonies had much to offer in addition to a climate of tolerance. Immigrants were
drawn to the region’s productive land. Among the immigrants who came to the Middle
Colonies were Dutch and German farmers. Their skills, knowledge, and hard work produced
an abundance of foods.
■
The Middle Colonies enjoyed a longer growing season than New England and a soil rich
enough to grow cash crops. These were crops raised to be sold for money. Common cash
crops included fruits, vegetables, and above all, grain. In fact, the Middle Colonies produced
so much grain that people began calling them the “breadbasket“ colonies.
Melting Pot
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Quaker
■ A radical form of Protestantism,
the Religious Society of Friends
(Quakers) was established in
England in the middle of the
17th century. Quakers did not
have assigned ministers and
believed that women were
spiritually equal to men. They
also refused to carry weapons or
fight and tolerated other
religions.
Conestoga Wagon
■ Covered wagons first introduced by German immigrants in North America.
■
The excellent harbors of the Middle Colonies were ideal sites for cities. New York City grew at
the mouth of the Hudson River, and Philadelphia was founded on the Delaware River. The
merchants who lived in these growing port cities exported grain and other cash crops from
local farms and imported manufactured goods from England. Because of its enormous trade,
Philadelphia became the fastest growing city in the colonies. By the 1750s, it was home to a
dozen large shipyards – places where ships are built or repaired.
■
The city’s wealth also brought many public improvements. Large and beautiful buildings, such
as Philadelphia’s statehouse – which was later renamed Independence Hall – graced the
city’s streets. New York could also thank trade for its rapid growth. This bustling port handled
flour, bread, furs, and whale oil. At midcentury, an English naval officer admired the city’s
elegant buildings and paved streets. “Such is this city” he said, “that very few in England can
rival it in its show.
Artisans
■ Skilled craftspeople, such as blacksmiths and cabinet makers.
■
Unlike the economy that developed in the South, the economy of the Middle colonies did not
depend on a large slave population. In 1750, only about 7 percent of the Middle Colonies’
population was enslaved. Most of these enslaved people lived in the cities. New York City had
a larger number of people of African descent than any other Northern city. Its African
American population was divided between the enslaved and the free.
■
The slave trade was an important part of the city’s economy. Many Africans were brought to
New York City in order to serve wealthy families. Enslaved people worked as manual laborers,
servants, drivers, and as assistants to artisans, or craftspeople. Before New York came under
English control, enslaved Africans had built roads, houses, and public buildings – the very
foudnations of the colony.
Denomination / Tolerance
■ Denomination – A distinct religious group, such as Puritans in New England and
Quakers in Pennsylvania.
■ Tolerance – Acceptance of different opinions; Tolerance was a principle
characteristic of the middle colonies.
■
The Germans formed one of the largest immigrant groups in the Middle Colonies. Many
Germans arrived between 1710 and 1740. Most came as indentured servants fleeing
religious intolerance. They were particularly attracted to Pennsylvania because the colony did
not tax its people in order to support a particular denomination. Like the Puritans before
them, German immigrants arrived in family groups and tended to settle together in distinct
communities. Many moved to the western frontier of Pennsylvania, where land was cheaper.
Appalachian Mountains/ Fall Line /
Piedmont
■ Appalachian Mountains - Mountain range stretching from eastern Canada south to
Alabama.
■ Fall Line - The point at which waterfalls prevent large boats from moving farther
upriver.
■ Piedmont – The broad plateau that lies at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains of
the Appalachian range.
■
The Backcountry extended through the western parts of many colonies. The geography of the
Backcountry gave the region its unique appearance and influenced the culture of the people
who settled there. The Backcountry was a region of dense forest and rushing streams in or
near the Appalachian Mountains.
More Meltin’
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Scots-Irish / Clans
■ Scots-Irish - Name given to people from the borderlands of Scotland and England
and from the region of Northern Ireland.
■ Clans – Large groups of families that claim a common ancestor.
■
Most of the backcountry settlers were forced west because planters had claimed most of the
good farmland in the Tidewater, or coastal area. Then in the 1700s, the Scotch-Irish arrived.
Scots-Irish was the name given to people who came from the borderlands of Scotland and
England. Many were Presbyterian Scots who had lived for a time in northern Ireland. Both
Northern Ireland and the Scottish borders were troubled regions, torn by warfare. This hostile
environment gave the Scots-Irish survival skills that were useful in the American Backcountry.
In the early 1700s, the Scots-Irish suffered drought, rent increases, and persecution by the
Anglican church. As a result, the Scots-Irish sailed to America by the thousands.
Were You Raised On A Farm?
Yes!
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Closure Assignment #2
■ Answer the following questions based on what you have
learned from Chapter 4:
1. Describe the economic class structure which existed in
the United States during the 18th century.
2. Why did northern cities, such as Boston and New York,
become greater centers of trade and commerce, with a
greater amount of traffic, than Charleston or Jamestown.
3. Describe the religious environment which existed in
Britain’s American colonies prior to the Great Awakening.
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
■ America’s most famous renaissance man; Franklin made important
achievements as an author, printer, politician, scientist, inventor, and
diplomat.
■ His inventions included the lighting rod, bifocal lenses, the Franklin stove,
and the odometer.
■ Born in Boston to a working class family, Franklin was apprenticed to a
printer from ages 12 to 17
■ At age 17 Franklin ran away to Philadelphia, where he later opened his
own printing shop and published Poor Richard’s Almanack, the highest
selling book other than the Bible in the colonies.
■ In 1776 Franklin was elected to the 2nd Continental Congress and was
appointed to the committee that drafted the Declaration of
Independence.
■ Franklin’s greatest contribution to the war may have been as an
ambassador to France from 1776 to 1785. His diplomacy led the French
to ally with the colonies in 1778.
Poor Mr. Franklin
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Mr. Franklin
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Before:
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Closure Question #1: How do you think England’s policy of salutary neglect toward
the 13 colonies would affect the colonies’ future political and economic
development? (At least 1 sentence)
■ Although they were thousands of miles away from their homeland, most settlers
in the North American English colonies asserted that they were entitled to the
same rights as any other English subject. Nevertheless, the type of government
in the American colonies varied from region to region. In New England, the
Puritans established republics with elected governors. Elsewhere, the distant
Crown or lords proprietors appointed the governor of a colony. But that governor
had to share power with the propertied colonists. Those colonists refused to pay
taxes unless authorized by their own elected representatives in a colonial
assembly. Colonists also claimed they were protected by English common law,
which emphasized individual liberties.
■ In 1689, the colonists learned that James II had been overthrown in England in
a coup called the Glorious Revolution. The plotters replaced him with two
Protestant Monarchs, King William and Queen Mary. The new monarchs
promised to cooperate with Parliament and to support the Anglican church. The
Glorious revolution encouraged England to adopt a colonial policy that
historians would later call salutary neglect. England allowed its colonies local
self-rule. In return, the Crown expected colonial cooperation with its economic
polices and assistance in the empire’s wars.
The Great Awakening
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Great Awakening
■ Also known as the First Great
Awakening, took place in the
1730’s and 1740’s both in
England and the American
Colonies.
■ Begun by Protestant preachers
in New England, the movement
spread throughout the British
Colonies in North America,
leading to a dramatic increase in
church attendance.
■ Preacher emphasized the
importance of having personal
spiritual experiences through
Bible Study, Prayer, and Baptism.
Closure Question #2: How did the Great Awakening lead to the growth of
democratic ideas in the 13 colonies? (At least 1 sentence)
I'm not normally a religious
man, but if you're up there,
save me, Superman!
- Homer
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Enlightenment
■ Enlightenment - An 18th century philosophical movement of intellectuals
who were greatly impressed with the achievements of the Scientific
Revolution. They hoped that by using the scientific method, they could make
progress toward a better society than the one they had inherited. Reason,
natural law, hope, and progress were common words to the thinkers of the
Enlightenment. The ideas of the Enlightenment would become a force for
reform and eventually revolution.
■
■
Isaac Newton – Great English scientist of the mid-1600s who developed the law of gravity,
which states that every object in the universe attracts every other object, and that the degree of
attraction depends on the mass of the objects and the distance between them.
Isaac Newton believed that the physical world and everything in it was like a giant machine. His
“world-machine” operated according to natural laws, which could be uncovered through
systematic investigation. The Enlightenment thinkers reasoned that if Newton was able to
discover the natural laws that governed the physical world, then by applying his scientific
methods, they would be able to discover the natural laws that governed human society. If all
institutions would then follow these natural laws, the result would be an ideal society.
Closure Question #3: How did the ideas of the Enlightenment lead to the Great Awakening?
(At least 1 sentence)
■ During the 1600s and 1700s, Europe experienced an intellectual movement
known as the Enlightenment – a movement headed by thinkers who believed
that all problems could be solved using human reason. The Enlightenment
challenged old ways of thinking about science, religion, and government in
Europe. Enlightenment thinkers changed the way many American colonists
viewed the world as well.
■ During the mid-eighteenth century, a religious movement swept through the
colonies. Known as the Great Awakening, it was a time when powerful
evangelical preachers traveled from town to town giving emotion-packed
sermons that deeply touched listeners. Preachers stressed that personal
religious experience was important in seeking God’s salvation. They rejected
the Enlightenment view that everything in the world could be explained by
natural law and logic. Hundreds, sometimes thousands, of people would come
from miles around to be inspired by a preacher’s words.
■ Preaching that individuals could find their own salvation, the Great Awakening
led to the formation of new churches in the colonies. The acceptance of new
churches contributed to an increase in tolerance. Many colonists began to
believe that if they could choose their method of worship, they could decide on
their form of government.
Jonathon Edwards
■ Preacher who delivered fiery sermons during the Great Awakening.
■
In the 1730s and 1740s, a religious movement called the Great Awakening swept through the
colonies. Traveling ministers preached that inner religious emotion was more important than
outward religious behavior. Huge crowds gathered outdoors to hear famous preachers like
Jonathon Edwards promise that all could be saved.
■
“And now you have an extraordinary opportunity, a day wherein Christ has thrown the door of
mercy wide open, and stands in calling and crying with a loud voice to poor sinners… How
awful is it to be left behind at such a day!” –Jonathon Edwards, “Sinners in the Hands of an
Angry God”
■
The Great Awakening offered hope that each person could break from the past and begin a
spiritual relationship with God. This would happen during a sudden conversion, or rebirth.
This is the doctrine, or belief, of Evangelicalism. The evangelical idea of spiritual renewal or
rebirth would be very influential in American culture.
Jonathon Edwards
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George Whitefield
■ Evangelical preacher who drew large crowds during the Great Awakening , raising
funds to start a home for orphans.
■
The Great Awakening helped develop American identity by encouraging a belief in spiritual
equality. It also inspired religious debate, which increased religious diversity. The movement
encouraged colonists to challenge authority and question traditional religious practices. Once
this had happened, it was easier to challenge other social and political traditions. In this way,
the movement laid the groundwork for revolt against British-authority.
■
Unlike the Great Awakening, which explored religious emotion, the Enlightenment emphasized
human reason and science as the paths to knowledge. It encouraged the belief that human
beings could use rational thought to improve themselves and their society. Benjamin Franklin
was a famous American Enlightenment figure. He conducted scientific experiments to
discover the laws of nature.
John Locke / Natural Rights
■ John Locke – English political thinker who argued against Absolutism and
believed that all humans had natural rights – rights with which they were
born such as life, liberty and property.
■
■
■
Locke’s first writings, Two Treatises of Government, written in 1679 and 1680 were considered
too radical and dangerous to be published. They first appeared in 1690. In his treatises,
especially in the second one, Locke argued against the absolute rule of one person. He
described how governments are formed and what justifies them.
Unlike Hobbes, Locke believed that before society was organized, humans lived in a state of
equality and freedom rather than a state of war. In this state of nature, no one was necessarily
sovereign over anyone else.
Like Hobbes, however, Locke believed that problems existed in the state of nature. People found
it difficult to protect their natural rights. For that reason, they agreed to establish a government
to ensure the protection of their rights and to judge those who violated them.
Apprentice
■ One who is learning a trade from an experienced craftsperson.
■
American families were large. New England families, for example, had about six to eight
children. More children on the farm meant more workers. Even toddlers were expected to help
with the chores. Around age six, boys were “breeched.” This meant that they no longer wore
the skirts or smocks of all young children, but were given a pair of pants. Then they began to
help their fathers at work. Sons of craftspeople tended their fathers’ shops and learned their
fathers’ trades.
■
Around age 13, many boys left their fathers to become apprentices. An apprentice learned a
trade from an experienced craftsman. The apprentice also received food, clothing, lodging,
and a general education. He worked for free, usually for four to seven years, until his contract
was fulfilled. Then he could work for wages or start his own business.
Closure Assignment #3
■ Answer the following questions based on what you have learned
from Chapter 5:
1. Why did slavery become a permanent condition in the colonies?
(At least 1 sentence)
2. How do you think England’s policy of salutary neglect toward the
13 colonies would affect the colonies’ future political and
economic development? (At least 1 sentence)
3. How did the Great Awakening lead to the growth of democratic
ideas in the 13 colonies? (At least 1 sentence)
Magna Carta
 Magna Carta – Great Charter; Document guaranteeing certain rights to nobles
in England and limiting the power of the English monarch which was signed in
1215 A.D. by King John I. The Magna Carta has served as the foundation upon
which citizens in England and the United States claimed basic legal rights, such
as no taxation without representation and the right to a jury trial.

Feudal custom recognized that the relationship between king and vassals was based on mutual rights and
obligations. The Magna Carta made these mutual rights official, establishing the idea that monarch’s power was
limited, not absolute. Henry was succeeded first by his son Richard the Lion-Hearted, hero of the third crusade.
When Richard died, his younger brother John took the throne. John ruled from 1199 to 1216. He failed as a
military leader, earning the nickname John Softsword. John lost Normandy and all his lands in northern France to
the French under Philip Augustus. This loss forced a confrontation with his own nobles.

Some of John’s problems stemmed from his own personality. He was cruel to his subjects and tried to squeeze
money out of them. He alienated the Church and threatened to take away town charters guaranteeing selfgovernment. John raised taxes to an all-time high to finance his wars. His nobles revolted. On June 15, 1215, they
forced John to agree to the most celebrated document in English history, the Magna Carta (Great Charter). This
document, drawn up by English nobles and reluctantly approved by King John, guaranteed certain basic political
rights. The nobles wanted to safeguard their own feudal rights and limit the king’s powers. In later years, however,
English people of all classes argued that certain clauses in the Magna Carta applied toe very citizen. Guaranteed
rights included no taxation without representation, a jury trial, and the protection of the law. The Magna Carta
guaranteed what are now considered basic legal rights in England and in the United States.
Closure Question #1: Which of the changes in English government is reflected in
the government of the United States today?
Parliament
 Parliament – Representative government composed of knights, nobles,
and townspeople in England established in the 13th century during the
reign of King Edward I which granted taxes, discussed politics, and passed
laws.

Another important step toward democratic government came during the rule of the next English king,
Edward I. Edward needed to raise taxes for a war against the French, the Welsh, and the Scots. In 1295,
Edward summoned two burgesses (citizens of wealth and property) from every borough and two knights
from every county to serve as a parliament, or legislative group. In November 1295, knights, burgesses,
bishops, and lords met together at Westminster in London. This is now called the Model Parliament
because its new makeup (commoners, or non-nobles, as well as lords) served as a model for later kings.

The Parliament was composed of two knights from every county, two people from every town, and all of the
nobles and bishops throughout England. Eventually nobles and church lords formed the house of Lords;
knights and townspeople formed the House of Commons. Over the next century, from 1300 to 1400, the
king called the knights and burgesses whenever a new tax was needed. In Parliament, these two groups
gradually formed an assembly of their own called the House of Commons. Nobles and bishops met
separately in the House of Lords. Under Edward I, Parliament was in part a royal tool that weakened the
great lords. As time when by, Parliament became strong. Like the Magna Carta, it provided a check on
royal power.
Closure Question #1: Which of the changes in English government is reflected in
the government of the United States today?
Edmund Andros
■ English governor appointed to rule the reorganized northern (New
England) colonies in 1685.
■
In the mid-1600s, Massachusetts and other colonies were smuggling goods and ignoring the
Navigation Acts. When challenged, the people of Massachusetts claimed that England had no
right to make laws for them. In response, King Charles II canceled their charter. The charter
had given the colony the right of self-government. When Charles’ brother James became king
in 1685, he wanted to strengthen royal power. He also changed the way the northern colonies
were governed. James combined Massachusetts and the other Northern colonies into one
Dominion of New England, ruled by governor Edmund Andros. Andros angered the colonists by
ending representative assemblies and limiting town meetings.
■
With their assemblies outlawed, some colonists refused to pay taxes. Andros jailed the
loudest protestors. At their trail, they were told, “You have no more privileges left you than not
to be sold for Slaves.”
Glorious Revolution
■ The bloodless overthrow of King James II of England which took place in
1688. A Protestant army led by William of Orange, husband to James’
daughter Mary, took London while James fled to France. England thereafter
remained a Protestant nation.
■
■
■
Parliament had debated who should inherit Charles’ throne. Because Charles had no legitimate child, his heir
was his brother James, who was Catholic. A group called the Whigs opposed James, and a group called the
Tories supported him. These two groups were the ancestors of England’s first political parties.
In 1685, Charles died, and James II became king. James soon offended his subjects by displaying his
Catholicism. Violating English law, he appointed several Catholics to high office. When Parliament protested,
James dissolved it. In 1688, James’ second wife gave birth to a son. English Protestants became terrified at
the prospect of a line of Catholic kings.
James had an older daughter, Mary, who was Protestant. She was also the wife of William of Orange, a prince
of the Netherlands. Seven members of Parliament invited William and Mary to overthrow James for the sake
of Protestantism. When William led his army to London in 1688, James fled to France. At their coronation,
William and Mary vowed to recognize Parliament as their partner in governing.
Closure Question #2: Why do you think James II fled to France
when William of Orange led his army to London?
English Bill of Rights
■ 1689 laws protecting the rights of English subjects and Parliament.
■
James II restricted English rights not only in the colonies but in England itself. He severely
punished a Protestant rebellion and dismissed Parliament in 1687. Enraged by James’
actions, Parliament secretly offered the throne to James’ daughter, Mary, and her husband,
William of Orange. William was the governor of the Netherlands. With little support in England,
James fled the country at the end of 1688. Parliament named William and Mary the new
monarchs of England, This change in leadership is called England’s Glorious Revolution.
■
William and Mary agreed in 1689 to uphold the English Bill of Rights. This was a list of
specific rights of English people and of Parliament. The monarch could not cancel laws or
impose taxes unless Parliament agreed. Free elections and frequent meetings of Parliament
were to be held. Excessive fines and cruel punishments were forbidden. People had the right
to complain to the king or queen in Parliament without being arrested.
John Peter Zenger
■ New York publisher who was taken to court for criticizing the governor
of New York.
■
Colonists moved toward gaining a new right, freedom of the press, in 1735. That year, John
Peter Zenger, publisher of the New York Weekly Journal, stood trial for printing criticism of
New York’s governor. Zenger’s paper claimed that the governor accepted bribes. It also said
that the governor had removed a judge and tried to fix an election.
■
At that time it was illegal to criticize the king in print. Because the governor represented the
king, some claimed that no one should criticize the governor. Andrew Hamilton defended
Zenger at his trial, claiming that people had the right to speak the truth. The jury agreed, and
Zenger was released. Freedom of the press became an important new right in America.
English rights were part of the colonial heritage, or tradition. Respect for these principles of
law continues to unite the American people.
French and Indian War (1754-1763)
■
The last major colonial war between
the French and British.
■
The war was fought around the
World, not just in the Americas
■
At the end of the war the French gave
up control of Canada and all of North
America from the Atlantic Ocean to
the Mississippi River
■
During the war colonists fought along
side British soldiers, and many
gained a hatred for them because of
their behavior.
■
After the war colonists were forced to
pay the cost of the war in the
Americas, further increasing their
anger with England
Closure Question #3: Why do you think French and British
colonists in the Americas fought in the wars of their home
countries? (At least 1 sentence)
Closure Question #3: Why do you think French and British colonists in
the Americas fought in the wars of their home countries? (At least
1 sentence)
■ By the mid-eighteenth century, England, France, Spain and the Netherlands
were locked in a worldwide struggle for empire. In North America, Britain’s
greatest rival was France. While Britain controlled the 13 colonies on the
Atlantic seaboard, France controlled a vast territory that extended from the St.
Lawrence River to the Gulf of Mexico. Between 1689 and 1748, the British and
the French fought a series of wars. Most of the fighting took place in Europe, but
some spilled over into North America. Before long, British colonists were drawn
into the war.
■ One point of conflict between France and Great Britain was the fertile Ohio River
valley, which was claimed by both countries but was largely unsettled. To
discourage British colonists from moving into this area, the French built Fort
Duquesne in what is now western Pennsylvania. The new fort angered the
British governor of Virginia, Robert Dinwiddie. In 1754, he sent colonial troops to
evict the French. Dinwiddie entrusted the command to a young, ambitious
Virginian named George Washington. His troops attacked and defeated a small
French force. But Washington had to surrender when the French
counterattacked. His defeat touched off a world war that eventually spread from
America to Europe, Asia, Africa and the West Indies.
Albany Plan of Union
■ The first formal proposal to unite the colonies, proposed by Benjamin
Franklin in 1754.
■
The French sent troops to expel the British traders and to build forts to protect the Ohio River
valley. This upset the Virginia colony, which claimed the land. In 1753, the governor of Virginia
sent a force led by a 21-year-old major named George Washington to tell the French to leave.
Washington neared Fort Duquesne, a French fort at the forks of the Ohio River, where
Pittsburgh now stands. He built a small fort, Fort Necessity. Following Washington’s surprise
attack on a French force, the French and their allies attacked Fort Necessity on July 3, 1754.
Washington retreated to Virginia. The French and Indian War had begun.
■
The Huron, who lived around the Great Lakes, sided with the French. Meanwhile the colonists
were trying to form alliances of their own. Representatives from the British colonies and the
Iroquois nations met at Albany, New York. The colonists wanted the Iroquois to join them
against the French. Benjamin Franklin suggested that the colonies band together for defense.
Battle of Quebec
■ Battle that led to the British victory in the French and Indian War.
■
In 1757, Britain had a new secretary of state, William Pitt, who was determined to win the war
in the colonies. Pitt sent the best generals to America and borrowed money to pay colonial
troops. The British controlled six French forts by August 1759, including Fort Duquesne
(rebuilt as Fort Pitt). In late summer, the British moved to attack New France at its capital
Quebec.
■
The British lay siege to Quebec, which sits on cliffs 300 feet above the St. Lawrence River. In
September, a scout found a steep path up the cliffs to the plains near Quebec. Under cover of
darkness, British general James Wolfe and 4,000 of his men secretly climbed the cliffs. When
the French awoke, the British were lined up on the plains, ready to attack. In the short, fierce
battle that followed, Wolfe was killed. The French commander, Montcalm, died of his wounds
the next day. Quebec surrendered to the British. The Battle of Quebec was the turning point of
the war. When Montreal fell the next year, all of Canada was in British hands.
Treaty of Paris
■ Treaty signed in 1763 which ended the war between France and
Britain.
■
Britain and France battled in other parts of the world for almost three more years after the
Fall of Montreal in 1760. Spain made a pact in 1761 to aid France, but this help came too
late. When the Seven Years’ War ended in 1763, the Treaty of Paris was signed. The treaty
ended nearly all French control in North America and dramatically expanded Britain’s colonial
empire.
■
The French and Indian War not only enlarged British territory, it also changed the way that
colonial Americans and Native Americans viewed themselves and their relationships with the
British empire. After French forces withdrew, the British took over their forts. They refused to
give gifts to the Native Americans, as the French had. British settlers also moved across the
mountains onto Native American land. In the spring and summer of 1763, Native American
groups responded by attacking settlers and destroying almost every British fort west of the
Appalachians.
Proclamation of 1763
■ Law passed by
parliament forbidding
British Colonists from
establishing
settlements west of the
Appalachian
Mountains.
■ The Law angered
colonists, who were
quickly running out of
land due to increasing
population.
Pontiac’s Rebellion
■ Native American revolt against the British colonies led by Pontiac, Chief of
the Ottawa Tribe, from 1763 to 1764.
■
The English and French created rival empires in North America. The competition between these two
European powers often led to war. The French claimed the Ohio River valley, the Mississippi River
valley, and the Great Lakes region. The French territory of Louisiana, claimed by La Salle in 1682,
stretched from the Ohio River valley to the Rocky Mountains. They called these lands “New France”.
Some Europeans in New France were fur traders. Others were Jesuit priests working to convert
Native Americans to Christianity.
■
The English competed with the French for furs. Different Native American groups also competed to
supply furs to the Europeans. The fur trade created economic and military alliances between the
Europeans and their Native American trading partners. These alliances dragged the trading
partners into each other’s wars. In the 1600s and 1700s European wars between France and
England fueled wars in their colonies. Neither side won a clear victory in these conflicts.
Smallpox
■ Highly infectious and often fatal disease that decimated Native
American and British colonial populations in the 17 th and 18th
centuries.
■
In the spring and summer of 1763, Native American groups responded by attacking settlers
and destroying almost every British fort west of the Appalachians. They then surrounded the
three remaining forts. This revolt was called Pontiac’s Rebellion, although the Ottawa war
leader Pontiac was only one of many organizers.
■
British settlers reacted with equal viciousness, killing even those Native Americans who had
not attacked them. British officers came up with a brutal plan to end the siege by the Lenni
Lenape of Fort Pitt. The officers invited Lenni Lenape war leaders to talk and then gave them
smallpox infected blankets as gifts. This started a deadly outbreak of the disease among the
Native Americans.
Closure Assignment #4
■ Answer the following questions based on what you have learned from
Chapter 5 :
1. Why do you think French and British colonists in the Americas fought
in the wars of their home countries? (At least 1 sentence)
2. How did the French and British differ in their efforts to gain control in
North America? (At least 2 sentences)
3. What can you infer from the fact that the British were unable to
enforce the Proclamation of 1763? (At least 1 sentence)
King George III (1738 to 1820)
■ King of Great Britain from 1760 to 1820
■ Born from the Hanoverian line; a series of
English Kings who trace their ancestry back
to Germany, not England.
■ Met his wife, Sohpia Charlotte, on their
wedding day, September 8, 1761, yet they
had a seemingly happy marriage. Sophia
gave birth to 15 children.
■ In the 1770’s George believed that the
American Revolution was only a small
uprising and that the majority of Americans
were still loyal to England.
■ George firmly believed that he was made a
King by God, and that as such he was better
qualified to make decisions for his subjects
than they were.
Quartering Act
■ British law requiring the colonists to quarter, or house, British soldiers
and provide them with supplies.
■
During the French and Indian War, American colonists helped the British defeat the French.
The colonists took pride in the British victory, but soon found that their relationship with
Britain had soured. In earlier days, the colonies had been allowed, for the most part, to
manage their own affairs. In the 1760s, however, Parliament’s new laws and restrictions
threatened the colonists’ freedom.
■
After the French and Indian War, King George III, the British monarch, issued many reforms to
tighten his control of the American colonies. First, he issued the Proclamation of 1763, which
forbade the colonists from settling beyond the Appalachian Mountains. Although designed to
maintain peace between the colonists and Native Americans, this law angered settlers who
hoped to speculate, or buy as an investment, in western lands.
Sugar Act
■ British law placing a tax on sugar, molasses, and other products
shipped to the colonies.
■
King George decided to keep 10,000 soldiers in the colonies to enforce the Proclamation of
1763. But housing the troops proved to very expensive. Therefore, Parliament passed the
Quartering Act, a law that required colonists to house all British soldiers. These new laws
created great anxiety in the colonies. The colonists feared that Parliament intended to use the
troops to control their movements and restrict their freedom.
■
In addition to the cost of keeping troops in the colonies, Britain owed massive debts from the
French and Indian War. To pay off these debts, Britain needed more revenue, or income. As a
result, Parliament looked to the colonies to pay part of the costs for frontier defense, and
colonial government.
Stamp Act
■ Issued in March, 1765
■ Required colonists to pay a tax on almost all printed materials, including newspapers,
books, court documents, contracts and land deeds.
■ The first time that Parliament imposed a direct tax within the colonies, the Stamp Act
marked a reversal of the former policy of Salutary Neglect.
■ Almost all colonists in the Americas were angered by the Stamp Act, both because of the
money that they would lose and the fact that the colonies themselves had no
representation in Parliament.
■ In response to the Stamp Act colonists living in all 13 British colonies took action. In the
Southern and Middle colonies colonial leaders wrote pamphlets and gave speeches
against the Stamp Act. In New England colonists went so far as to tar and feather British
officials who attempted to collect the taxes.
Closure Question #1: Explain why Parliament did not understand
the colonists’ argument “no taxation without representation.”
■ The colonists angrily protested the Stamp Act, which was to take effect in
November of 1765. They claimed that it threatened their prosperity and
liberty. Colonial leaders questions Parliament’s right to tax the colonists
directly. They argued that the colonies had no representation in
Parliament, so Parliament had no right to tax them. Some colonists
believed that if they accepted this tax, Parliament would add ever more
taxes, stripping away their property and political rights. Many colonists
thought that the stamp act revealed a conspiracy by British officials to
destroy American liberties.
■ The colonists’ arguments puzzled the members of Parliament. After all,
most Britons paid taxes although they could not vote. Many large British
cities did not elect representatives to Parliament, which claimed to
represent everyone in the Empire. Parliament dismissed the colonial
opposition as selfish and narrow-minded. The Empire needed money, and
Parliament had the right to levy taxes anywhere in the Empire. Of course,
Parliament’s argument did not sway the colonists, who were appalled to
discover that the British were denying their right to tax themselves.
Patrick Henry (1736-1799)
■ First generation American, born to a wealthy
Scottish family in Virginia
■ Elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses in
1765, Henry verbally attacked the Stamp Act and
King George
■ Henry’s most famous speech was given in
Richmond, Virginia in 1775. He said: “Is life so
dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at
the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it,
Almighty God! I know not what course others may
take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me
death!”
■ Along with Samuel Adams and Thomas Paine,
Patrick Henry was one of the most influential
advocates of the American Revolution and
Democracy.
Sons of Liberty
■ Associations of men in major cities
throughout the colonies who lead
protests against British rule.
■ The Sons of Liberty were first formed to
protest the Stamp Act. As further taxes
were enforced by British Parliament the
Sons of Liberty became more forceful in
their protests, pour hot tar and feathers
on tax collectors and carrying out the
Boston Tea Party.
■ The most famous leader of the Sons of
Liberty was Samuel Adams, a Boston
resident and cousin of John Adams.
Speculate / Boycott
■ Speculate – To buy as an investment
■ Boycott – Refusal to buy
■
The colonists’ complaints against Parliament were bitter, loud, and sometimes violent. But the
most effective protest took the form of a boycott, a widespread refusal to buy British goods.
By refusing to buy goods from England, the colonists targeted British merchants. The colonists
hoped that these merchants, faced with declining sales, would influence Parliament to repeal
the Stamp Act. Some British politicians sided with the colonists.
■
The colonists’ tactic worked, and Parliament finally repealed the Stamp Act in 1766. But at
the same time, Parliament passed the Declaratory Act, which stated that Parliament had
supreme authority to govern the colonies. Although the colonists celebrated the repeal of the
Stamp Act, the great argument between Parliament and the colonies had just begun.
Closure Question #2: Why did the colonists first accept and
then later reject indirect taxes such as duties on trade?
■ The French and Indian War nearly doubled Britain’s national debt and greatly
expanded its colonial territories. Parliament needed to raise money both to
pay the debt and to protect the colonies. People in Britain paid far more taxes
than the colonists did. This imbalance seemed unfair, for the war had been
fought largely to profit the colonists. Parliament decided that the colonists
could and should pay more to help the Empire.
■ In early 1764 Parliament passed the Sugar Act, which assigned customs
officers and created courts to collect duties and prosecute smugglers. In
early 1765, Parliament passed another unpopular law, the Quartering Act.
This act required the colonies to provide housing and supplies for the British
troops stationed there after the French and Indian War. Colonists complained
but most went along with the changes because they accepted Parliament’s
right to regulate trade and provide for defense.
■ Colonial protests drew upon the liberalism of the Enlightenment. Europe’s
leading liberal writers included Baron de Montesquieu of France and John
Locke of England. They argued that people had divinely granted natural
rights. Locke insisted that government existed for the good of the people.
Therefore, people had the right to protest any government that violated this
“social contract” by failing to protect their rights.
Crispus Attucks
■ Sailor of African-American and Native American ancestry who died at
the Boston Massacre.
■
After the uproar over the Sugar and Stamp Acts, Britain hoped to avoid further conflict with
the colonies. Yet Parliament faced a serious dilemma: how to control the unruly colonists
without angering the people with a new set of taxes. The answer, Parliament decided, was the
Declaratory Act. Passed in 1766, the Declaratory Act affirmed Parliament’s right to legislate
for the colonies “in all cases whatsoever.” Importantly, however, no new tax accompanied the
act. The purpose of the Declaratory Act was simply to reassert Parliament’s control over all
colonial affairs.
■
Most colonists did not feel threatened by the Declaratory Act. Although some politicians did
protest the new law in colonial assemblies, most people were not bothered by Parliament’s
bold political statement. Instead, colonists simply ignored the act and went on with their lives
as best they could.
The Boston Massacre – March 5th, 1770
■ In order to enforce the Stamp Act and keep rebels such as the Sons of Liberty from
making any further attacks on representatives of the King, British troops were sent to
occupy Boston in 1768, further angering Colonists.
■ On the night of March 5th, 1770 a group of rowdy colonists gathered near the Customs
House in Boston, where tax money was held and which was guarded by British troops.
■ The colonists shouted insults at the soldiers and pelted them with rocks and snowballs.
After several minutes of the barrage the soldiers responded by firing into the crowd,
killing 5 colonists.
■ The first man killed was Crispus Attucks, an African-American sailor.
■ New Englanders, led by Samuel Adams, called the incident the Boston Massacre,
portraying those killed as innocent bystanders and blaming the British completely for the
event.
Townshend Acts
■ British laws passed by Parliament in 1767 to tax imports in the colonies .
■
Parliament’s new strategy, however, had one major flaw: with the Stamp Act repealed, Britain still
needed to raise money in the colonies to pay for troops and other expenses. So Britain’s finance
minister, Charles Townshend, proposed a new series of duties, or taxes, on imports to raise
revenue in America. Approved in Parliament in 1767, the Townshend Acts placed duties on
numerous imports to the colonies, such as glass, paper, paint, lead, and tea. In addition, the acts
allowed British officers to issue writs of assistance, or search warrants, to enter homes and
businesses to search for smuggled or illegal goods.
■
News of the Townshend Acts sparked immediate protest throughout the colonies. People were
furious that Parliament had once again passed a tax without their consent. Colonists felt that only
locally elected officials – rather than Parliament – should have the right to create laws and taxes in
the colonies. Many people, such as Pennsylvania lawyer John Dickinson, thought the acts were
illegal.
Tea Act
■ Passed by Parliament and approved by King
George in 1773.
■ Prior to the act colonists purchased the majority of
their tea from private shippers at a low cost.
■ The act’s intended purpose was to increase profits
for the British East India Company.
■ The Tea Act ordered all colonists to purchase their
tea only from the East India Company. Purchasing
tea from any other company was against the law.
■ As the price of tea rose due to the EITC monopoly,
colonists responded with a boycott of British Tea,
drinking instead tea or tea substitutes produced in
the colonies.
Writs of Assistance
■ Search warrants used to enter homes or businesses to search for
smuggled goods.
■
The colonists were angry about the writs of assistance. Many believed that the writs went
against their natural rights, as defined by English philosopher John Locke. The law of nature,
wrote Locke, teaches that “no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or
possessions.” In response to the Townshend Acts, merchants in Boston organized another
boycott of British goods. By October 1767, other colonies had joined the Massachusetts
protests. The colonists were uniting for a common cause.
■
As the boycott spread throughout the colonies, more people became politically active. Many
colonists who had not previously participated in politics now had a way of making their voices
heard. For example, some women formed their own protest organization called the Daughters
of Liberty. They urged colonists to weave their own cloth and to use American products
instead of British goods.
Daughters of Liberty
■ Organization of Colonial Women formed to protest British policies
■
Colonial leaders urged the people to remain calm and not to protest violently. “No mobs,” the
Boston Gazzette suggeseted, “Constitutional methods are best.” Regardless, some colonists
continued to protest with anger and threatened to form a mob. Fearing disorder in the
colonies, British officials called for more troops. This angered the colonists – even those who
wanted peace. Samuel Adams, a leader of the Boston Sons of Liberty, stated, “We will destroy
every soldier that dare put his foot on shore… I look upon them as foreign enemies!”
■
In the fall of 1768, more than 1,000 additional British soldiers (known as redcoats for their
bright red jackets) arrived in Boston under the command of General Thomas Gage. With their
arrival, tensions erupted into violence. On March 5th, 1770, a group of colonists – mostly
youths and dockworkers – surrounded some soldiers in front of the State House. Soon the
two groups began trading insults, shouting at each other and even throwing snowballs.
Samuel Adams
■ Leader of the Boston Sons of Liberty
■
When Parliament levied taxes upon the colonies, no one responded with greater passion and
fury than Boston merchant Samuel Adams. A skillful writer, orator, and popular leader of the
Sons of Liberty and the Boston Committee of Correspondence, Samuel Adams persuaded
many colonists to unite against British policy and taxation. “It does not require a majority to
prevail,” Samuel Adams wrote, “but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in
people’s minds.”
■
In April 1770, Parliament repealed the Townshend Acts. Once again the colonial boycott had
worked – British trade had been hurt and Parliament had backed down. But Parliament kept
the tea tax to show that it still had the right to tax the colonists.
Committees of Correspondence
■ Groups organized by the local governments of the Thirteen Colonies
during the American Revolution for the purpose of coordinating written
communication between the colonies in order to promote unity among
the colonies.
■ The Committees of Correspondence spread a colonial interpretation of British
actions between the colonies, rallying support for the revolution throughout the
colonies when any one colony was mistreated by the British.
■ The first committee was established by Samuel Adams in Massachusetts following
the Boston Massacre in order to spread the story throughout the colonies.
Boston Tea Party
■ An act of direct action protest by the American colonists against the
British government in response to the Tea Act.
■ Several East India Trading Company ships loaded with British Tea sailed
into Boston Harbor in November and early December.
■ The tea went unused as a result of the colonist’s boycott of, or refusal
to buy, British tea.
■ The Sons of Liberty in Boston, under the leadership of Samuel Adams,
met on the evening of December 16th, 1773 and painted their faces to
look like Native Americans.
■ The Sons of Liberty then boarded the British ships and began throwing
cases of tea into the harbor. In total 45 tons of tea was destroyed
■ The event caused outrage in Great Britain, influencing the King’s
decision to use greater military force in Boston against the Sons of
Liberty.
Duties
■ Taxes placed on imported goods.
■
Protests against the Tea Act took place throughout the colonies. In Charlestown, South
Carolina, colonists unloaded tea and let it rot on the docks. In New York City and Philadelphia,
colonists blocked tea ships from landing. In Boston, the Sons of Liberty organized what came
to be known as the Boston Tea Party. On the evening of December 16th, 1773, a group of men
disguised as Native Americans boarded three tea ships docked in Boston harbor.
■
That night the Sons of Liberty destroyed 342 chests of tea to protest the Tea Act. Many
colonists rejoiced in the news. British officials, however, were angered by the destructive
protest and wanted to punish the culprits. In the days that followed some colonial leaders
offered to pay for the tea if Parliament agreed to repeal the hated Tea Act. But Britain ruled
out any compromise. This decision pushed many Americans into open rebellion.
John Adams (1735-1826)
■ Born to a modest Puritan family, Adams graduated
from Harvard in 1755 and became one of the most
successful lawyers in Boston.
■ Adams first became involved in politics in 1765 due
to his opposition of the Stamp Act. He was chosen as
a delegate from Massachusetts to the Second
Continental Congress, and, along with Benjamin
Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, was on the
committee that wrote the Declaration of
Independence in 1776.
■ During the Revolutionary War Adams served as the
Colonies diplomat to England, though he would not
be recognized officially by King George until 1785.
■ Adams served as Vice-President to George
Washington from 1789 to 1797, then as the 2nd
President of the United States from 1797 to 1801.
Abigail Adams (1744-1818)
■ Wife of John Adams, Abigail was
outspoken in her opposition to slavery
and advocacy for women’s rights.
■ During the meeting of the Second
Continental Congress John and Abigail
Adams carried on an extensive written
correspondence, in which John
repeated asked for Abigail’s opinions on
political matters.
■ Abigail and John’s son, John Quincy
Adams, served as the 6th President of
the United States.
Intolerable Acts
■
Name given by colonists to a series of five laws passed by British Parliament in 1774.
■
#1. The Boston Port Act – Closed Boston Harbor to all trade until the colonists paid for all of the tea
that was destroyed during the Boston Tea Party.
■
#2. The Massachusetts Government Act – Eliminated the semi-democratic government in
Massachusetts and replaced it with men who were appointed by the King, not elected by the
people.
■
#3. The Administration of Justice Act – Allowed the Governor of Massachusetts (Who was
appointed by the King) to move the trials of any British military officer out of the colonies and back
to England itself.
■
#4. The Quartering Act – Gave the British military the right to occupy private households when
housing was not provided for them by the colonies directly.
■
#5. The Quebec Act – Increased the boundaries of the province of Quebec, taking land away from
colonies in New England and increasing the land available for French Canadian Catholics.
Question #3: How did the Intolerable Acts aid Patriot leaders?
■ The Bostonians’ actions outraged Parliament and the Crown. To punish Boston,
Parliament passed the Coercive Acts. They closed the port to trade until the
inhabitants paid for the destroyed tea, including the tax. They also increased the
power of the governor at the expense of the elected assembly & town meetings.
To enforce these measures, the British sent warships & troops to Boston.
■ The colonists were outraged. In addition to closing the port, the acts forced
colonists to house British troops & allowed British officials to be tried in Britain
for crimes committed in the colonies. In addition, the Quebec Act extended
Canada’s southern border, cutting off lands claimed by several colonies. The
horrified colonists called the legislation the Intolerable Acts, rejecting the idea
that the British could shut down trade & change colonial governments at will.
■ Fortunately for Massachusetts, the other colonies also opposed the Coercive
Acts and viewed them as a threat to their freedom. In the fall of 1774, delegates
from every colony except Georgia met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for the First
Continental Congress. Virginia’s delegates decided the fiery Patrick Henry, who
became famous for declaring “Give me liberty, or give me death.” He delighted
the New England delegates by declaring, “The distinction between Virginians,
Pennsylvanians, New Yorkers, and New Englanders are no more. I am not a
Virginian, but an American.”
Closure Assignment #5
■ Answer the following questions writing complete sentences
based on what you have learned from Chapter 6:
1. Explain why Parliament did not understand the colonists’
argument “no taxation without representation.”
2. Why did the colonists first accept and then later reject
indirect taxes such as duties on trade?
3. How did the Intolerable Acts aid Patriot leaders?
Minutemen
■ Group of armed civilians trained to be ready to fight “at a minute’s warning.”
■
At dawn on April 19, 1775, Captain John Parker and 70 of his men stood on the grassy
common at the center of Lexington, a village near Boston. The men under Parker’s command
belonged to the local militia – a force of armed civilians pledged to defend their community.
About one-third of the Lexington militia were Minutemen, colonists trained to be “ready to act,
at a minute’s warning.” Captain Parker was wounded and eight of his men were killed in the
first fighting of the War of Independence. Colonial protests had turned into violent revolution.
■
The Boston Tea Party infuriated Parliament. One British official said the people of Boston
“ought to be knocked about their ears.” King George III declared, “We must master them or
totally leave them to themselves and treat them as aliens.” Britain chose to “master” the
colonies.
First Continental Congress
■ Meeting of delegates from most of the colonies, called in reaction to the
Intolerable Acts.
■
In 1772, Sam Adams had written “I wish we could arouse the continent.” The Intolerable Acts
answered his wish. Other colonies immediately offered Massachusetts their support. They
sent food and money to Boston. The committees of correspondence also called for a meeting
of colonial delegates to discuss what to do next.
■
In September 1774, delegates from all the colonies except Georgia met in Philadelphia. At this
meeting, called the First Continental Congress, delegates voted to ban all trade with Britain
until the Intolerable Acts were repealed. They also called on each colony to begin training
troops. Georgia agreed to be a part of the actions of the Congress even though it had voted
not to send delegates.
Paul Revere (1734-1818)
■ The son of a British Puritan mother and a French Huguenot father, in
his early years Paul Revere was trained as a silversmith by his father.
■ After his father’s death in 1754, Paul took over the family business,
gaining praise for his skill from Bostonians and becoming fairly
wealthy.
■ Fought briefly alongside the British during the French and Indian War.
■ Joined the Sons of Liberty in Boston in 1765, made the most famous
etching of the Boston Massacre in 1770, and may have taken part in
the Boston Tea Party in 1773.
■ On the evening of April 18th, 1775 Paul Revere and William Dawes,
after receiving word of a British plan to confiscate a Colonial stockpile
of guns and ammunition in Lexington, rode from Boston to Lexington
warning colonists and Samuel Adams that “the British are coming!”
Lexington and Concord – April 19th, 1775
■
The first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War.
■
General Thomas Gage, the commanding British officer in Boston, ordered a group of 700 soldiers to confiscate a
Colonial weapons arsenal in Concord, about 24 miles to the West, leaving Boston at 4:00 AM on April 19th, 1775.
■
Having been warned by Revere and Dawes of the attack, a group of 75 Colonial militia men, known as the minutemen,
gathered on the town green of Lexington, just 15 miles to the West of Boston.
■
At sunrise the British arrived at Lexington. From all accounts both the leaders of the British and Colonial forces did not
wish to fight. As the British commander shouted to the Colonists to move out of the way a shot was fired. It is unknown
whether the shot came from the colonists or the British. Within a few minutes the Minutemen scattered, allowing the
British to continue their march towards Concord.
■
When the British arrived at Concord they were met by a much larger group of Minutemen, numbering about 400. Fighting
began along the North Bridge on the outskirts of the town. Fearful that more Minutemen were on the way the British
began their retreat back to Boston.
■
Minutemen followed the British all the way to Boston, using Indian-style guerrilla tactics. By day’s end the colonist’s had
suffered 95 casualties, while the British suffered approximately 275.
■
By nightfall on April 19th Minutemen surrounded the city of Boston. Within the next few weeks approximately 20,000
soldiers from Colonial militias laid siege to the town, bottling the entire British army inside the town.
Loyalists/Tories
■ The terms used during the
American Revolution to describe
colonists who remained loyal to
the King of England.
■ At the beginning of the American
Revolution in 1775 it is
estimated that 40% of all people
living in the colonies were loyal
to the King.
Patriots
■ The name that the colonists who
fought in and/or supported the
American Revolution gave
themselves.
■ The term itself dates back to the
early 1600’s and was used by
British colonists who demanded
colonial rights and resisted the
control of the colonies by the King
and Parliament.
Closure Question #1: Why did Loyalists oppose independence
from Britain?
■ Although many Loyalists opposed Britain’s taxes,
they felt that Parliament and the Crown must be
obeyed as the legitimate government of the Empire.
The Loyalists feared that the resistance would lead
to a deadly and destructive war that Britain seemed
certain to win. They doubted that the colonists could
defeat an empire that had recently crushed the
combined powers of France and Spain.
Battle of Bunker Hill/Breed’s Hill
■
From April 19th to June 17th, 1775, the British army under the command of General William Howe
was trapped in Boston by Colonial militias who surrounded the town.
■
To the north of Boston, across a narrow channel of water, lay Charlestown, a small town occupied
by the militias. In hopes of breaking the siege, General Gage planned an attack to drive the militias
from Charlestown and give his military the ability to attack those carrying out the siege from
behind.
■
On the morning of June 17th, British ships carried 2,600 British soldiers across the channel to
Charlestown. The colonists, unprepared for the attack, abandoned the city and took defensive
positions behind a rail fence just to the northwest on Breed’s Hill.
■
Determined to drive the colonists from the hill, Howe ordered his men to charge into the colonial
lines. The British were eventually successful in taking the hill and driving the militia out; however
the British suffered 1,073 casualties, while the Colonists only lost 441.
■
The Battle of Breed’s Hill/Bunker Hill proved to the British that the colonists could stand up to an
attack from a trained British army.
Militia
■ A force of armed civilians pledged to defend their community.
■
Since 1770, Sam Adams had been building a network of informants to keep watch over
British activities. The British had their spies too. It was from these spies that General Gage
learned that the Massachusetts militia was storing arms and ammunition in Concord, about
20 miles northwest of Boston. He also heard that Sam Adams and John Hancock were nearby
in Lexington. On the night of April 18, 1775, Gage ordered his troops to arrest Adams and
Hancock in Lexington and to destroy the supplies in Concord.
■
The Sons of Liberty had prepared for this moment. Paul Revere, a Boston silversmith, and a
second messenger, William Dawes, were sent to spread the news about British troop
movements. Revere would cross the harbor from Boston to Charlestown. From there he would
ride to Lexington and Concord. Dawes would take the land route. Revere had arranged a
system of signals to alert colonists across the harbor in Charlestown.
Ethan Allen (1738-1789)
■
American Revolutionary, leader of the Green Mountain Boy’s militia in Vermont, and critic of all organized
religion.
■
Born to a working-class family in Connecticut, Allen moved with his family to modern-day Vermont in the early
1750’s. At the time the land of Vermont was disputed territory. Officially the King had given the land to Loyalists
in New York. Allen and many others like him moved on to the land without permission, refusing to pay for the
territory.
■
When the colony of New York ordered that Allen and the other families in Vermont leave the territory, Allen
responded by organizing the Green Mountain Boys, a guerrilla-style militia., in the early 1770’s.
■
Following the Battles of Lexington and Concord, Allen and his men decided that it would be in their best interest
to join the Patriots. As a result Ethan Allen led his men in an attack on the British held Fort Ticonderoga on May
10th, 1775.
■
After the victory at Fort Ticonderoga, Ethan Allen led a small group of men north to attack British forces in
Canada. There he was captured. Ethan Allen remained a prisoner of war until 1778.
■
Ethan Allen is considered the founding father of Vermont
Battle of Fort Ticonderoga – May 10th, 1775
■ During the French and Indian War the British gained control of the small fort on Lake
Champlain in Northeastern New York. Colonial leaders in New England saw
Ticonderoga as a prime target for attack because of its location (directly between
British Canada and the colonies) and its stockpile of weapons (specifically cannons)
■ In the early morning of May 10th, 1775 a group of men led by Ethan Allen and
Benedict Arnold surprised the small group of British soldiers, taking all 50 as
prisoners.
■ The canons from Fort Ticonderoga were moved under the direction of Colonel Henry
Knox to aid in the siege of Boston in early 1776.
Second Continental Congress – 1775 to 1781
■ Convention of delegates from all 13 colonies, first met in Philadelphia on May 10th,
1775.
■ Congress managed the colonial war effort, acting as a form of national government,
even though they technically had no authority to do so.
■ As fighting continued between colonists and the British in New England, Congress
slowly moved towards Independence, officially approving the Declaration of
Independence on July 3rd, 1776, and signing it on the following day, July 4th.
■ Congress raided armies, commissioned generals (including George Washington),
appointed diplomats and made formal treaties.
■ The Second Continental Congress officially came to an end in 1781, when the
Articles of Confederation were approved by each of the colonies.
Closure Question #2: Why did the Second Continental
Congress send the Olive Branch Petition to the King?
■ In the aftermath of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, some radical members of
the Continental Congress wanted to declare American independence from Britain,
but they recognized that most of their constituents were not yet ready to do so. Most
colonists still hoped to remain within the British Empire but without paying taxes to
Parliament. In July 1775, after three months of bloodshed, Congress sent an “Olive
Branch Petition” to King George III. The petition reaffirmed the colonists’ allegiance
to the king but not to Parliament. The king rejected the petition and sent more
troops to Boston.
Continental Army
■ America’s Patriot army during the Revolutionary War.
■
After the fighting in Lexington and Concord, British troops retreated to safety in Boston. As
General Gage considered his next move, over 15,000 militiamen from all over New England
surrounded the town. Boston was now under siege – encircled by military forces determined
to force the British to surrender.
■
In 1775, Boston stood at the tip of a long peninsula that connected the town to the mainland.
Because the town was almost completely surrounded by water, it could not be attacked easily
by land. However, if the Americans succeeded in placing cannon on the hills overlooking the
bays that surrounded the town, the British would be forced to surrender. The Americans came
up with a daring plan. They would capture a British fort, far to the north, and drag the fort’s
cannon back to Boston. On May 10, 1775, Americans attacked Britain’s Fort Ticonderoga on
Lake Champlain. Ethan Allen led this band of backwoods fighters known as the Green
Mountain Boys. They captured the fort and its large supply of artillery, or cannon and large
guns.
Thomas Paine (1737-1809)
■ Radical author and patriot, his pamphlet
“Common Sense”, published in 1776, was read
throughout the colonies and was a key cause of
the American Revolution.
■ Born and raised in Thetford, England, Paine did
not come to America until 1774.
■ After the American Revolution Paine moved to
Paris, where he became a key figure in the
French Revolution, and remained in France
through the beginning of Napoleon’s reign.
■ Returned to the United States at the invitation of
President Thomas Jefferson in 1802 and died in
New York City in 1809.
Common Sense (1776)
■ Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” was the
most widely read pamphlet in the colonies,
selling over 500,000 copies in 1776 alone.
■ In the pamphlet Paine argued that the
concept of Monarchy was introduced into
the world by the devil, and that it should be
destroyed.
■ Paine also argued that because of their
diversity the colonies could not be claimed
to be British, and that it was silly for a
small island to attempt to control an entire
continent.
■ Paine argued that Great Britain controlled
the colonies for purely selfish reasons,
having no real concern for the colonists
themselves
Closure Question #3: Why did Thomas Paine argue so
forcefully for independence?
■ In simple but forceful and direct language, Pain proposed a radical
course of action for the colonists: Independence from Britain,
republican state governments, and a union of the new states. Paine
denounced the king and aristocrats of Britain as frauds and parasites.
He wanted the common people to elect all of their government, not just
a third of it. Paine depicted the king, rather than Parliament, as the
greatest enemy of American liberty. He hated the rigid class structure of
Britain for smothering the hopes of common people without a noble
title or money. A republic, he argued, would provide opportunities to
reward merit rather than inherited privilege. Freed from the empire,
Americans could trade with the entire world.
Declaration of Independence
■ Written statement adopted by the 2nd Continental Congress on July 4th
1776 which announced that the 13 American Colonies were no longer
a part of the British Empire but were their own separate nation.
■ Following the Battle of Bunker Hill King George III issued a Proclamation of
Rebellion, announcing his personal belief that all of England’s American colonies
were in open rebellion and that he would consider allowing foreign countries to help
him stop the rebellion. This statement by the King led many colonists who before
opposed independence to change their minds.
■ The Declaration had two basic messages: 1. That the colonies had a right to leave
the British Empire and 2. That their leaving the Empire was justified by the wrongful
actions of King George III and British Parliament
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)
■
Representative from Virginia at the 2nd Continental Congress and the main
author of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
■
Born to a wealthy, land-owning family in Virginia, Jefferson graduated from the
College of William & Mary in 1762 and became a successful lawyer in Virginia.
■
Jefferson married Martha Skelton, a widow, in 1772. Together they had five
children, all daughters, Martha died in 1782 and Jefferson never remarried.
■
Elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1769, Jefferson was chosen to
represent Virginia in the Continental Congress in 1775.
■
Served as the Governor of Virginia from 1779 to 1781, but his failure to stop
British invasion of the state angered many Virginians and he was not re-elected.
■
Jefferson served as the U.S. diplomat to France from 1785-1789, then served
as the first Secretary of State during George Washington’s Presidency.
■
Elected as the 3rd President of the United States (1801-1809), Jefferson was
most famous for making the Louisiana Purchase.
■
Recent DNA testing has suggested that Jefferson fathered some illegitimate
children with Sally Hemmings, a slave on the Jefferson plantation in Virginia.
Siege / Artillery
■ Siege – When enemy forces surround a town or city in order to force it to surrender.
■ Artillery – Cannon and large guns.
■
On the same day as the attack on Fort Ticonderoga, the Second Continental Congress began meeting
in Philadelphia. This would be America’s government during the war. Delegates included John
Hancock, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and Patrick Henry. They agreed to create a
Continental Army. George Washington, who was from Virginia, was chosen as its commanding general.
■
Meanwhile, tensions were building in Boston in June 1775. Across the harbor from Boston stood the
town of Charlestown. Militiamen were positioned on Bunker Hill and Breed’s Hill, which rose above the
town. They built fortifications on Breed’s Hill. Alarmed, the British decided to attack. General William
Howe crossed the bay with 2,200 British soldiers. Bostonians watched in horror as the British set fire
to Charlestown. Then, marching in ranks, the British climbed Breed’s Hill toward the American militia.
On the hilltop, the militia waited. According to legend, Colonel William Prescott ordered, “Don’t fire
until you see the whites of their eyes!”
Closure Assignment #6
■ Answer the following questions based on what you have
learned from Chapter 6:
1. Why did Loyalists oppose independence from Britain?
2. Why did the Second Continental Congress send the
Olive Branch Petition to the King?
3. Why did Thomas Paine argue so forcefully for
independence?