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THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION:
FROM ELITE PROTEST TO
POPULAR REVOLT, 1763-1783
Eroding the Bonds of Empire
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Large, expensive army left in America at the end
of the Seven Years’ War, to enforce/control and
for protection
Colonists doubted the army’s value however
Continued squatting and harassment by the
colonists renewed tensions between the natives
and the English
Pontiac’s War begins on May 7, 1763
– Pontiac attacks British fort at Detroit and other
forts were also attacked as well
– The natives won some battles, but by 1764,
Pontiacs alliances are broken
– By 1766, Pontiac signs treaty with the British
The End of Salutary Neglect
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Hoping to end the fighting between the natives and
the colonists, England passed the Proclamation of
1763
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England left thousands of soldiers in the Great Lakes
and the Ohio Valley to enforce the Proclamation of
1763 and to protect the colonists from future
uprisings.
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Colonists saw “standing armies” as a threat to liberty
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1760, Massachusetts passes Writs of Assistance,
allowing customs officials to search people’s homes
and businesses for smuggled goods without probable
cause.
Paying off the National Debt
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First minister George Grenville attempts to
reduce England’s war debt
Grenville argued that the colonies needed
to contribute (expenses) to their own
defense. Grenville duties begin
Revenue Act of 1764 (the Sugar Act), was
passed to reduce smuggling of molasses
between the colonies and the West Indies
Merchants and gentry protest, most
colonists ignore; however, those caught
smuggling are tried without a jury
James Otis: “The Rights of British
Colonists Asserted and Proved”
1. According to Otis, what rights do the
colonists have?
2. According to Otis, to what extent could
the colonists challenge parliament?
Exit Ticket
Trace Native American conflicts with the
British colonists in colonial America
between 1607 and 1765.
Bellwork
Does Parliament have the right to tax the
colonies?
1. According to Otis…
2. According to Daniel Dulany…
No Taxation Without
Representation: the American
Perspective
Colonists assume their legislatures
equal in some ways to Parliament
 Americans not represented at all in
Parliament
 British officials (Grenville) espoused
“virtual representation”
 Colonists insist only colonial assemblies
could tax Americans
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Other Grenville Acts
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Currency Act of 1764 - To meet the shortage
of hard money, colonists resorted to issuing
their own paper money. Grenville will declare
this paper money illegal.
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Quartering Act of 1765 - required colonists
to house and provide for British soldiers.
Breakdown of Political Trust
Suspicions on both sides of the Atlantic
that Crown wished to enlarge its powers
 Conflict over Parliamentary sovereignty
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English officials assumed that Parliament
must have ultimate authority
colonists tried to reserve internal colonial
authority for their own legislatures
Colonial Products and Trade
Popular Protest
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Stamp Act of 1765, requires that colonists
purchase stamp to validate documents
Unites the gentry and the mass of the
population in protest
Colonists will differentiate between internal vs
external taxation
Stamp Act Congress petitions the King and
Parliament for repeal, they are united in their
complaints/petition
Other forms of protest includes mob riots,
boycotts
Boycotts will be most effective
Mass & Virginia: Leaders in Protest
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Massachusetts – James Otis, “The Rights of
British Colonists Asserted and Proved,”
Argument: “No Taxation without Representation.”
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Virginia – Patrick Henry, “Virginia Resolves,”
Argument: Virginians should not pay any taxes
except those voted by the Virginia Assembly.
Those who thought otherwise would be
considered enemies of the colony.
Virginia will adopted a milder version of this
argument.
Failed Attempts to Save the
Empire
1766--New administration in office,
favors repeal of Stamp Act
 Repeal tied to Declaratory Act of 1766
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–
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Parliament sovereign over America "in all
cases whatsoever"
Controversy estranges colonists from
English officials
Document Analysis
To what extent were the colonists loyal to
Great Britain in their reaction to the Stamp
Act of 1765?
Task:
1. Answer the question above for each individual
document.
2.
Answer the question above with all of the
documents in mind. This should be your
thesis.
Pro-Colonial Ministry
John Wilkes
 Edmund Burke
 William Pitt
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These men served in the British ministry
and were known to be sympathetic towards
the colonists.
Fueling the Crisis: the
Townshend Duties
Charles Townshend: chancellor of the
exchequer
 1767--Townshend Duties tax American
imports of paper, lead, glass, and tea
 American Board of Customs
Commissioners created to collect duties
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Fueling the Crisis: Response
to the Townshend Duties
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Sons of Liberty organize boycott of English
goods. Women (daughters of liberty) were
also a huge factor in boycotting
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Revenue from these taxes would pay for royal
governor’s salary and other colonial officials
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Circular letter from Massachusetts House of
Representatives urges protest
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92 Massachusetts Representatives defy
government order to rescind letter
Fatal Signs of Force
English government moves troops from
frontier to Boston to save money
 Tensions increased
 March 5, 1770--English soldiers fired on
Boston mob, killed five Americans
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– incident labeled the “Boston Massacre”
– Paul Revere engraving a best-seller
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Tensions defused by Lord North
Last Days of the Old Order,
1770-1773
1770--New prime minister, Lord North,
leads repeal of all duties except tea
 1770-1773 marked by tranquility
 Customs collectors antagonize colonists
 Radicals protest tea tax as violation of
American rights
 Committees of correspondence built up
alternative political structure and for
communication
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Document Analysis
Defend or refute the following statement:
The colonists were responsible for the Boston Massacre
of March 5, 1770.
Task:
1. Answer the question above for each individual
document.
2.
Answer the question above with all of the
documents in mind. This should be your
thesis.
The Final Provocation:
The Boston Tea Party
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1773--Parliament passes Tea Act
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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
 December 1773--Boston protestors
dump the tea into the harbor
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The Coercive Acts/Intolerable Acts
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Port of Boston closed until tea paid for
Massachusetts Government Act
Massachusetts government restructured
– upper house made appointive body
– town meetings permitted only once per year
Accused officials to be tried in England, not America
Army authorized to quarter troops wherever needed
Thomas Gage (commander of the British Forces)
replaces Hutchinson as governor.
The Quebec Act
Quebec Act establishes authoritarian
government for Canada (no
representative government)
 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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Response to the Coercive Acts
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September 5, 1774--First Continental Congress meets
Galloways Plan (Rejected)
a plan to restructure the colonies legislature. Consisted of
one governor-general (appointed by the crown) and one
grand council (chosen by the assembly) in charge of
regulating general affairs.
“Suffolk Resolves” (Adopted)
Declares the Intolerable Acts null and void
Urges Massachusetts to arms themselves
Calls for economic sanctions against British commerce
“Intercolonial Association” halts commerce (imports and
exports) with Britain until Coercive Acts repealed
Response to the Coercive Acts
Declaration of American Rights (Adopted)
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Conceded Parliaments authority to regulate
commerce.
Denied Parliament’s authority with respect to
internal colonial affairs
Proclaimed the right of each colonial assembly to
determine the need for British troop within its own
province
England declared Massachusetts in a state of rebellion and
Passes Lord North’s Conciliatory Resolution, on February
27, 1775. Parliament would refrain from any measures but
taxes to regulate trade.
Shots Heard Around the World
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General Gage receives orders to suppress an
“open rebellion” in Massachusetts
Gage was determined to arrest the leaders of
congress and seize the militia’s supply at
Concord.
April 19, 1775--skirmish breaks out in
Lexington, Massachusetts
Fighting spread along road between
Lexington, Concord, Boston
English retreat to Boston with heavy losses.
They were stoned and attacked by civilians
on their way to Boston
Second Continental Congress Convenes
(May 10, 1775)
June 1775--Congress appoints George Washington
commander of the Continental Army
 On June 17, 1775 the colonists and the British forces
engage in their first major battle (Battle of Bunker
Hill).
 The British forces had to retreat on two occasions
and had 1,052 casualties, but ultimately won.
 The Continental Congress sends two petitions to the
king, both profession continued loyalty to King
George III
1. “The Olive Branch Petition,” a reconciliation attempt
2. “A Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of
Taking up Arms”
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England’s Reaction
The King refused to look at the petitions
and declared the colonists “avowed
enemies”
 English government blockades colonial
ports, hires German mercenaries
 Royal governors (Lord Dunmore’s
Proclamation) urge slaves to take up
arms against their masters
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Decision for Independence
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January 1776--Thomas Paine’s Common
Sense urges independence
July 2, 1776--Independence voted by
Congress
A committee of five were appointed to
write the Declaration of Independence:
Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin
Franklin, Robert Livingston, and Roger
Sherman
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July 4--Declaration of Independence issued
Declaration of Independence
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Jefferson was asked to write the first draft
Jefferson drew upon various sources/ideas
when he wrote
The preamble to the Virginia Constitution
George Masons draft of Virginia’s Declaration
of Rights
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Committee make some revisions to
Jefferson’s draft. Jefferson believed they had
“mangled” the document
July 4- Declaration of Independence issued
Declaration of Independence
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The Declaration of Independence is not a
document of laws
Part 1: John Locke's contract theory
Part 2: List of alleged crimes of the king
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After the Declaration of Independence, the
colonies start to call themselves state and
begin rewriting their state constitutions.
Think, Write, Explain
John Adams and Thomas Jefferson,
adversaries or friends?
Are there any contradictions between
McCullough’s essay and the letters? Explain.
Periodization
Which event marks the beginning of the
American Revolution? Why?
1.
2.
3.
4.
The Boston Massacre
The skirmishes at Lexington and Concord
The Battle of Bunker Hill
The Declaration of Independence
Accountable Talk
Task:
1.
Your claim is________. I agree with it
because____________.
2.
Your claim is________. I do not agree with it
because____________.
Fighting for Independence
The British entered the war confident of
a full and complete victory
 English task
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meet the challenge of a long supply line
use better-trained army to occupy territory
crush the popular spirit of independence
They underestimated the Americans’
commitment to their political ideology
The American Revolution, 1775-1781
Building a Professional Army
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Washington’s task
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defend territory as well as possible
keep his army intact
The Continental Army would be a fighting
force and symbol of the republican cause
 Militia’s role: compel support for
Revolution
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Battles of the Revolution
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Bunker Hill- June 1775, British victory
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New York & New Jersey- 1776 British
victories
Top Patriot Victories
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December 25, 1776 - Washington captures
Trenton
January 3, 1777- Washington captures Princeton
Victories rekindle wartime patriotism
October 17, 1777 (Saratoga) - British Army
surrenders, encourages France to openly join the
conflict
February 1778--Americans ally with France to
secure full independence
January 1781(Cowpens) - British forces are
defeated, stopping British offensive momentum in
the South
Foreign Aid
France
Starts sending financial and military supplies in
early 1776
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Will not commit to war until the Americans could
show that they were capable of defending
themselves
In 1777 Lafayette (Major General) and others
volunteer as soldiers in the Continental Army
Spain
Supplied financial and naval support
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Minor Setbacks
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Washington's army winters at Valley Forge,
Pennsylvania (six month encampment), suffering
from starvation, disease, and malnutrition. About
2,000 soldiers die
Benedict Arnold – Arnold had much success with
the Patriot Army. However, with his reputation in
decline and being accused of corruption and
being friendly with loyalist, he resigns his post
with the Continental Army.
Benedict Arnold begins to correspond with British
intelligence Services and is appointed as an
officer in the British Army
Arnold moves to England after British surrender
The Final Campaign
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October 19, 1781--Cornwallis surrenders to
Washington’s combined forces
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Cornwallis’ defeat provoked Lord North to resign as
Prime Minister
Treaty of Paris of September 3, 1783 ends the war.
1.
British agree to remove British troops from the Ohio
Valley
2.
British agree to provide restitution to slave owners
whose slaves the British Army had confiscated
The Loyalist Dilemma
Loyalists treated poorly by both sides
 English never fully trusted Loyalists
 Patriots seize property, imprison,
execute some
 More than 100,000 Loyalists leave U.S.
at war’s end
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Loyalist Strongholds
Winning the Peace
Peace Treaty of 1783 negotiated by
Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay
 Terms secured include
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independence
U.S. gains all territory east of Mississippi
River, between Canada and Florida
U.S. secures fishing rights in North Atlantic
However, England breaks with treaty.
Restitution is not provide and troops will
remain in the Ohio Valley.
Preserving Independence
The American Revolution begins
construction of new form of government
 Question remains: a government of the
elite or a government of the people?
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Exit Ticket
Compare and contrast two of the
following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Bacon’s Rebellion
Paxton Boys
Green Mountain Boys
Regulator Movement