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THE AMERICAN PEOPLE CREATING A NATION AND A SOCIETY NASH JEFFREY HOWE FREDERICK DAVIS WINKLER MIRES PESTANA 7th Edition Chapter 5: The Strains of Empire Pearson Education, Inc, publishing as Longman © 2006 THE CLIMACTIC SEVEN YEARS’ WAR King George’s War (1744-1748) Largest and most significant war for empire was Seven Year’s War, the French and Indian War, and the Great War for Empire, as it was variously known, which was a showdown for control over interior of North America between Allegheny Mountains and Mississippi River WAR AND THE MANAGEMENT OF EMPIRE 1696: Professional Board of Trade replaced the old Lords of Trade – – Treasury strengthened customs service Parliament created overseas vice-admiralty courts, which functioned without juries to prosecute smugglers Parliament began playing a more active role after the reign of Queen Anne (1702-1714) and did so through reign of George I – Royal governors received more powers, got more detailed instructions and came under more demands from Board of Trade to enforce British policies WAR AND THE MANAGEMENT OF EMPIRE Four times between 1689 and 1763, England fought France in wars that had major consequences for home governments, colonial subjects and Native Americans English Parliament designated a long list of colonial exports that had to pass through English ports before sale – – Parliament curtailed colonial production of articles important to England’s economy: woolen cloth (1699), beaver hats (1732) and finished iron products (1750) 1733: Molasses Act attempted to stop New England trading with French West Indies for molasses to make rum by imposing six pence tax per gallon Made many New Englanders into smugglers WAR AND THE MANAGEMENT OF EMPIRE Generation of peace ended in 1739 when England declared war against Spain over the ear of Robert Jenkins, supposedly, though real cause was commercial domination of the Atlantic basin – British captured Porto Bello in Spanish Panama in 1739 but remaining efforts were failures and included 3,500 American colonists, most of whom perished from disease 1744-1748: conflict merged with larger Anglo-French conflict called King George’s War in North America and the War of Austrian Succession in Europe – – Highlighted need for increased discipline within empire Led British to ask colonies for help defraying military costs The War of Jenkins’ Ear in the Southern Colonies and the Caribbean OUTBREAK OF HOSTILITIES Population increase increased tension between English and French – – English population increased from 250,000 in 1700 to 1.25 million in 1750 and 1.75 million in next decade Three-quarters of increase came in colonies south of New York, encouraging westward movement Fur traders and land speculators promoted westward rush – – Offered native trappers and hunters better prices and higher quality goods than French In 1740s and 1750s, speculators formed land companies to capitalize on the seaboard population explosion OUTBREAK OF HOSTILITIES English encroachment into the western territories of the French continued unabated into the 1740s with the establishment of the first English outpost on the Ohio River Resistance by the French was swift – – – – A line of French forts appeared along the river to Lake Erie and southward all the way to New Orleans French worked to win tribes back from new English alliance. By 1753, French were driving English traders out of Ohio valley May 28, 1754: French rebuffed colonial attempt to expel them England’s merchants supported move to end French overseas trade – – English sent several thousand troops French dispatched 3000 regulars OUTBREAK OF HOSTILITIES Colonial governments attempted greater coordination through a meeting at Albany in June 1754 – – Wanted to plan a colonial union and rewin allegiance of Iroquois Iroquois left with gifts but no promises of support and Benjamin Franklin’s plan for an intercolonial government to manage Native American affairs, provide for defense and pass laws and levy taxes, succumbed to intercolonial jealousies OUTBREAK OF HOSTILITIES Confrontation between superior British and American force under General Braddock and French and their Indian allies resulted in victory for latter – – – Two-thirds of British and Americans were wounded or killed, including Braddock. British retreated Almost every tribe north of Ohio River joined French side and spent the summer torching Virginia and Pennsylvania backcountry OUTBREAK OF HOSTILITIES Anglo-American forces took Fort Beauséjour in Nova Scotia and expelled the French Acadians despite promise to let them practice Catholicism and maintain land as long as remained neutral – 6000 were rounded up and dispersed to other colonies while their land was given to New Englanders – 3000 made their way to French Louisiana 7-10,000 escaped to Canadian mainland French won most of battles in 1756, British declared war on French, and conflict expanded to pit France, Austria and Russia against England and Prussia – 1757 British Prime Minister William Pitt focused warfare in North America, sending 23,000 troops and 14,000 mariners in 1757 and 1758 The Seven Years’ War, 1754–1756 TRIBAL STRATEGIES Native tribes, especially the Iroquois, understood that their best chance for survival was to play the European powers against each other Anglo-American leaders knew Iroquois support was crucial and could be secured only through purchase or by a demonstration of power that would convince the tribes that the English would win even without them – – First stratagem failed and Seneca even fought initially with French By 1758, English began to have victories and Iroquois moved away from neutrality, especially after English navy cut them off from French trade goods TRIBAL STRATEGIES 1759: Iroquois pledged 800 warriors for an attack on Fort Niagara 1759-1761: Backcountry skirmishes with the Cherokee from Virginia to South Carolina became a costly war – – – 1760: Cherokee mauled British army of 1300 Following summer, larger military force invaded Cherokee territory burning towns and food supplies With navy cutting off access to French arms and beset by food shortages, lack of ammunition and smallpox, Cherokee sued for peace Victories in 1759, culminating with 1760 capture of Québec, shattered French power in North America though war lasted for three more years in the Caribbean and Europe The Seven Years’ War, 1757–1760 CONSEQUENCES OF THE SEVEN YEARS’ WAR 1763: Treaty of Paris – – – Spain got New Orleans, French territory west of the Mississippi and Havana Spain gave Britain control of Florida The Indians got nothing Proclamation of 1763: British attempted to separate colonists and Indians by declaring the crest of the Appalachians to be boundary with everything to the west reserved for the Native Americans while whites who were there were told to withdraw Pontiac’s Rebellion (1763-1764) tried, but failed, to drive British from interior North America After 1763 CONSEQUENCES OF THE SEVEN YEARS’ WAR Staggering from wartime debt, Britain could not enforce proclamation line – – Maintained only small army Could not stop land speculators and settlers War convinced colonists of their growing strength but also left them debt-ridden and weakened in manpower Wartime economy spurred economic development and poured British capital into the colonies but left them more subject to cyclic fluctuations in British economy CONSEQUENCES OF THE SEVEN YEARS’ WAR Human cost of the war was high – – Peace brought depression – In New England about half the men of military age (and three-fourths of those between 17 and 24) served in the war. High rate of widowhood feminized poverty Especially hard on laborers after 1760 Legislative Assemblies accelerated their bid for power – – Obtained concessions as the price of raising revenue War trained new group of military and political leaders CONSEQUENCES OF THE SEVEN YEARS’ WAR With French gone, the West appeared open for settlement Colonists felt a new sense of identity – Began reassessing advantages of subordination to England From British perspective: – – – Colonists were unreliable They fought poorly They were an unruly and ungovernable people THE CRISIS WITH ENGLAND At end of Seven Years’ War, George Grenville became Prime Minister under George III – National debt had grown from £75 million to £145 million Grenville proposed new taxes in America so that colonists could share the burden – Especially wanted to pay for 10,000 British troops left in colonies to police French-speaking Canada and the Native Americans SUGAR, CURRENCY AND STAMPS Sugar Act of 1764: reduced the tax on imported French molasses but increased the list of items that could only be exported from the colonies via English ports Required American shippers to post bonds guaranteeing observance of trade rules Strengthened ability of vice-admiralty courts to prosecute violators of trade regulations SUGAR, CURRENCY AND STAMPS Currency Act of 1764: Parliament prevented any of the colonies from printing their own currency Stamp Act of 1765: Parliament imposed duties on a wide range of items within the colonies such as playing cards, legal documents, or college degrees Violent protests within the colonies followed STAMP ACT RIOTS Late 1764, Virginia’s House of Burgesses objected to stamp tax, citing economic hardship it would cause – – May 1765 debated seven resolutions, adopting the four most moderate Within a month, other colonial newspapers published all the resolutions In Boston, rioters ruined the homes of a stamp collector (causing him to resign) and several British officials – Rioters were expressing unhappiness with tax and with local elite STAMP ACT RIOTS October 1765: Stamp Act Congress met in New York – Violent protests, led by the Sons of Liberty, wracked New York and Newport, Rhode Island. – – Delegates passed 12 resolutions that accepted Parliament’s right to legislate for the colonies but denied their right to tax them directly By late 1765, such crowds throughout the colonies were convincing stamp officials to resign Most ports opened on November 1 without using the stamps March 1766: Parliament repealed the Stamp Act but passed the Declaratory Act asserting Parliament’s right to enact laws for the colonies GATHERING STORM CLOUDS In England, ministerial instability and strife between Parliament and the king’s chief minister, hampered George III’s efforts to better control the empire 1767 Pitt-Grafton ministry obtained new laws to reorganize the customs service, establish a secretary of state for American affairs and install three new viceadmiralty courts in the port cities – – Townsend Duties on paper, lead, pigment and tea New York assembly dissolved for defiance of Quartering Act of 1765 mandating colonial support for British garrisons GATHERING STORM CLOUDS While most colonies grumbled over the new duties, Massachusetts and especially Boston protested ever more vigorously – – – Governor suspended legislature Belief grew that English were plotting against American liberties. After Bostonians attacked customs officials, four regiments were sent to Boston in October 1768 Main tactic became economic boycott through nonimportation and nonconsumption agreements – – Because half of English shipping was engaged in colonial commerce and one quarter of English exports were consumed there, seemed likely to bring British merchants to aid of colonies 1768 Southern colonies also adopted nonimportation agreements GATHERING STORM CLOUDS Crowd action was used to enforce the boycott Increasingly clear that British efforts had failed – – – – Using troops to restore order undermined authority Governors and legislatures were increasingly at odds Customs officials met with increasing opposition Townshend duties yielded less than £21,000 by 1770 yet cost £700,000 through nonimportation movement March 5, 1770: Parliament repealed all the Townshend duties except the one on tea – Same evening, British troops fired on heckling crowd in Boston, resulting in five deaths: BOSTON MASSACRE GROWING RIFT June 1772: England announced it, not colonial legislatures, would now pay the salaries of colonial governors and superior court judges – – Boston’s town meeting created a Committee of Correspondence to gain sympathy from other colonies By 1773, all colonies but three had such committees Samuel Adams became the leader of the Boston radicals, gathering support of working men but also that of the wealthy 1772: In Rhode Island, colonists burned the Gaspee which had run aground while pursing suspected smugglers GROWING RIFT Tea Act 1773 Allowed the practically bankrupt East India Company to ship its tree directly to North America with colonists paying only a small tax Colonists were upset because smuggled Dutch tea would be undersold American merchants claimed it was a monopoly Colonists also saw it as a ploy to gain acceptance of Parliament’s taxing power Americans staged mass demonstrations that forced the resignation of East India Company’s agents GROWING RIFT Governor Hutchinson of Massachusetts refused popular demands to send the tea back – – After a town meeting on 16 December 1773, a band of Bostonians, dressed as Indians, boarded boats in Boston Harbor and threw the tea overboard—BOSTON TEA PARTY Lord North said this moved the dispute from one about taxes but about British authority in the colonies GROWING RIFT Parliament passed the Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts) – – – – – Closed the port of Boston until destroyed tea was paid for Barred local courts from trying British soldiers and officials for acts committed while seeking to control civil disturbances Amended Massachusetts charter to make upper legislative chamber appointed by governor and stripped it of veto power over governor’s decisions Authorized the governor to prohibit all town meetings. General Thomas Gage, commander of British forces in America, replaced Hutchinson as governor Plan was popular in England BOSTON 1772 THE GROWING RIFT When Acts arrived in May 1774, Boston urged all colonies to ban trade with England – Met with little support Second call for a meeting in Philadelphia resulted in the First Continental Congress: 55 delegates from 12 colonies who met in September 1774 and worked to overcome mutual prejudices – – – Issued Declaration of Rights and Resolves If Intolerable Acts were not repealed by December 1, 1774, all trade with Britain (with exception of certain Southern staples) would cease With Boston’s cause now a national cause, Congress agreed to reconvene in May 1775 The Quebec Act of 1774 THE IDEOLOGY OF REVOLUTIONARY REPUBLICANISM Gradually, the colonists built a political worldview constructed from English political thought, the theories of the Enlightenment, and aspects of their own unique experiences as colonists— REVOLUTIONARY REPUBLICANISM A PLOT AGAINST LIBERTY Many colonists agreed with British Whig view that corrupt and power-hungry men were extinguishing liberty in England Saw actions in colonies as an extension of this attempt to extinguish liberty Among many Americans, especially merchants, attacks on their constitutional rights blended with threats to their economic interests REVITALIZING AMERICAN SOCIETY For some, revolutionary mentality was fed by a belief that there was an opportunity to revitalize American society – – – Thought growing commercial connections with decadent and corrupt England had poisoned Americans Worried about luxury and vice Believed resistance to England would return Americans to a state of civic virtue, Spartan living and godly purpose THE TURMOIL OF A REBELLIOUS PEOPLE Flood of new immigrants arrived from Ireland and Germany after the Seven Years’ War and pushed westward – – Led to increasing violence with Native American tribes Most colonists turned to cities As agitation increased, more people got involved – Groups emerged whose goals were only loosely related to struggle with England and who scared the elite URBAN PEOPLE Although cities contained only five percent of the total colonial population, they were the core of revolutionary agitation – – Artisans were often the prime movers and increasingly wound up in positions of power Prosperous artisans and merchants were often more conservative. PATRIOT WOMEN Patriot women facilitated meaningful boycotts of English goods – – Success depended on substituting homespun cloth for English textiles After Tea Act, the interjection of politics into the household economy increased as patriotic women boycotted tea Colonial protests and petitions changed women’s perception of their role – Language of protest against England reminded many American women of that they too were badly treated PROTESTING FARMERS Anger against England awakened slowly in rural areas – In North Carolina frustrated farmers formed associations called Regulators who forcibly closed courts, attacked the property of their enemies and whipped and publicly humiliated judges and lawyers – Some areas did seethe with rebellion such as three western countries of North Carolina and in the Hudson River valley of New York Governor sent troops against them In New York conditions under which land was held precipitated violence DISCOVERING U.S. HISTORY ONLINE The French and Indian War http://web.syr.edu/~laroux/ A Century of Lawmaking http://www.memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lwjc.html Phyllis Wheatley (1753-1784) http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap2/wheatley.html Thomas Paine http://www.thomaspaine.org/ The Freedom Trail http://www.thefreedomtrail.org/index.htm Georgia’s Rare Map Collection http://scarlett.libs.uga.edu/darchive/hargrett/maps/revamer.html