The Road to Revolution

A Dispute Over Land

Beginning in 1689, Great Britain and France fought a series of wars for

control of European and colonial trade. The main cause was the British were

pushing west into the Ohio Valley which was claimed by the French. English

Colonists viewed the French and their Indian allies as preventing them from

the rich and fertile soil of the Ohio Valley.

In 1753, the French began building

a line of forts on land in the Ohio

River Valley. The French forts were

built in what is now western

Pennsylvania. The French wanted

to protect their land from the

British.

The Ohio Valley

French & Indian War (1754-1763)

The last of a series of wars fought between Great Britain and France for

control of European and colonial trade. The war began in North America as

a result of on-going British-American expansion into the Ohio River Valley.

The French persuaded their Indian allies to join them in preventing further

settlement in the region west of the Appalachian Mountains. Great Britain

eventually won the war.

The French & Indian War will be

known in Europe as the “Seven

Years War.”

Show Me the Money! The Art of Scalping

Everybody thinks that the art of scalping was an Indian concept. In fact, it

was taught to the Native Americans by the Europeans.

The French would pay the Indians to kill the English. And likewise, the

English would pay the Indians to kill the French. To collect the bounty one

would have to produce the body as evidence. Since the body would be too

cumbersome to drag around, it was much more confident to just show the

scalp in order to collect the bounty. Hundreds of people, including women

and children would lose their hair.

Washington’s Ohio Valley Mission (May 1754)

George Washington, a colonial officer, was sent by the Virginia royal

governor to look for a location to build an English fort in the Ohio Valley.

Washington’s Iroquois scouts came across a group of French trappers and

soldiers who they massacred in front of Washington’s eyes.

Word spread quickly and several French and their Indian allies pursued

Washington and forced him to surrender after he lost 1/3 of his men. They

allowed to Washington leave with a warning to never come back. In effect,

Washington Unintentionally started a world war.

The French discover the bodies of their comrades. Washington's Indian scouts

had murdered a French officer. Deemed an act of war, the French had to

respond. Washington had unintentionally started the French and Indian War.

Washington was pursued and forced to

surrender with a stern warning.

A Bad Start: The Braddock Massacre Braddock's expedition during the summer of 1755 goal was to capture a

French fort called Fort Duquesne (modern-day Pittsburgh,) then to push on

and capture a series of other French forts in the Ohio Valley.

George Washington who knew the territory and served as a volunteer aide-de-camp to

General Braddock advised him on how the French and Indians conduct their style of

warfare. Braddock was confident that his army could easily defeat any French or

Indians they may encounter.

I have little respect for the French

and Indians who want to fight like

cowards. Real gentlemen know

that a war should be fought like

those in Europe where everybody

would meet and fight on an open

field with honor. In fact, I forbid

Washington and his colonial

militia with me from fighting the

coward’s way.

The Indians

watched

Braddock’s

every

move…

waiting for

the right time

to set up an

ambush.

A Bad Start: The Braddock Massacre (Cont.’)

Braddock’s army was ambushed by a large group of French and their Indian

allies who fought guerilla-style, firing on the British has they marched through

the woods. Of the 2,100 men with Braddock over 900 were killed or wounded,

including Braddock who was mortally wounded.

George Washington and the survivors retreated.

Braddock's defeat was a major setback for the British in the

early stages of the war with France. At first hesitant, the

Indians are convinced to join the ranks of the French

After Braddock died on the field, Washington ordered that his

body be buried and marched over with men and horses to

prevent the enemy from knowing where he was buried. Indians

loved to dig up bodies and loot and desecrate the bodies in the

most heinous manner.

Play Braddock Video

French and Indian War Becomes a World at War (1756)

The French & Indian War spread to Europe as Great Britain declared

war on France, expanding the North American conflict to Europe, Africa,

Asia and South America. The Spanish and Dutch, siding with the French,

also threw their hat into the ring.

From Bad to Worse: French Capture Ft. William Henry

The French, led by General Montcalm surrounded the English garrison of

Fort William Henry.

The British commander, General Monroe wanted to arrange the best terms of

surrender possible. As part of the generous terms of his surrender, the French

guaranteed that General Monroe and his forces were allowed to retreat with

their belongings.

Following the surrender, the French actions

angered their Indian allies who ambushed and

killed hundreds of British soldiers and unarmed

civilians a short distance from the fort.

Why are you

letting them go! I

came here to

collect scalps… Play Last of the Mohicans Battle Scene Video

Leadership Change in England (1758)

In March 1758, William Pitt (The Great Commoner) became leader of

British government. He was very popular among the British people. His new

strategy was to seize control of the St. Lawrence River and cut off the

supplies to the French fighting in America.

Seize control of the

mouth of the St.

Lawrence River.

William Pitt

Continue down the St.

Lawrence River and

capture French forts

along the way.

Capture Quebec,

the French Capital

of New France.

Capture Fort

Duquesne & the forks

of the Ohio River.

William Pitt’s Strategy for Winning the War.

The French Begin Losing Canada… The Tide Turns

In July 1758, the British capture the French fortress at Louisbourg, opening

the St. Lawrence River and the water route to Canada.

The French are in danger of losing Canada to the British. The tide finally

turned toward the British as the British finally gained a firm foothold in

Canada.

In August 1758, the British capture Fort Fontenac, effectively cutting off all

supplies to the French forts in the Ohio River Valley and further west.

Do you think it’s

too late to change

sides?

British Capture Fort Duquesne

In November 1758, the French destroy Fort Duquesne and retreat to

Canada, giving up their pivotal stronghold at the forks of the Ohio River.

British General John Forbes established a British renamed the fort called

Fort Pitt.

The British finally control the piece of land that Braddock failed to capture

three years earlier. This time, without firing a shot

The Battle for Quebec (September 13, 1759)

British victories along the St. Lawrence River have finally made France's

stronghold on Canada vulnerable and concentrate on capturing Quebec, the

French capital of New France.

The French position within the city of Québec is nearly impenetrable due to the

area's steep cliffs and waterways.

Cliffs Protecting Quebec

Cliffs Protecting Quebec

Cliffs Protecting Quebec

The Battle for Quebec (September 13, 1759)

Wolfe had to find a way to bypass the cliffs protecting Quebec. The French

would have to be lured outside of the city in order to be engaged in a battle

and that was General Wolfe’s plan. After surrounding the city of Quebec,

General Wolfe prepared a sneak attack by ordering his men to sail down the

St. Lawrence River and scale the cliffs downriver out of sight of the French

in Quebec.

The Battle for Quebec (September 13, 1759)

The plan worked. After shelling the city of Québec, General Wolfe lured

the French forces under the command of General Montcalm outside of

Quebec and onto the Plains of Abraham.

The French surrender Québec after a battle outside the city on the Plains of

Abraham.

Both French commander Montcalm

and British commander Wolfe are

mortally wounded.

French Surrender… War in North America Ends (1760)

The British capture Montreal, ending the French and the British conflict in

North America. However, the fighting continues in other parts of the world

for three more years.

After the French lost, General Amherst intended to force the French

officers to turn over their flags, but many soldiers burnt their colors

rather than hand them to the British as trophies.

Treaty of Paris (1763)

The Treaty of Paris (1763) ended the French and Indian War and forced

France to turn over control of Canada to Great Britain.

France also surrendered its claim to all land east of the Mississippi River,

with the exception of the city of New Orleans.

The end of the French and Indian War brought Great Britain great benefits.

The British were now in control of the largest empire in the world and were in

a dominate position in Europe.

Pontiac’s Rebellion (1763)

Pontiac, a chief of the Ottawa Nation, led a coalition of Native Americans in

1763 in an attempt to drive the British and American colonial families out of

the Ohio Valley. Thousands of British Americans were killed as well as

hundreds of British troops. Pontiac’s War was concluded with the help of

the Iroquois Confederacy and skillful diplomacy.

Chief Pontiac

Something must be

done with these pale

faces… they keep

coming and

destroying our sacred

land!

Play Chief Pontiac Video

Pontiac’s Rebellion (1763) Cont.’

During the first 6 months of the conflict, Pontiac’s rebellion killed around

2,000 settlers and destroyed settlements. Nine of the eleven British forts

built to protect the frontier were burned, and placed Fort Pitt and Fort

Detroit under siege.

It took British 18 months to bring the rebellion under control. Rebellion

subdued in October, 1763.

The British Advocate Germ Warfare

In order to squelch the Indian threat, General Amherst retaliated with germ

warfare, a weapon that he would think about using against any European

foe. He planned to distribute smallpox-infected blankets among the Native

Americans. Indian villages were ravaged by smallpox as thousands of

Indians died from the disease. More… Why

certainly… Heheheh You pale faces are alright after all.

These blankets will keep my family

warm this winter. Do you have more

so I can share with my neighbors?

Indian villages were ravaged by smallpox as

thousands of Indians died from the disease.

Proclamation of 1763 (October 1763)

To curtail further Native American attacks, Parliament passed the Proclamation

of 1763 prohibited colonials to move west and build settlements beyond the

Appalachian Mountains.

The new law embittered the colonists who thought that’s what the French and

Indian War was all about.

Unable to enforce the law due to immensity of the region and a shortage of

troops, the colonists ignored the law and settled the region anyway.

A line was drawn from Canada to Florida along the crest of the Appalachians and was intended to be

temporary measure to appease the Indians and prevent more bloody conflicts like Pontiac’s Rebellion.

The British were unable to enforce the

law or to prevent the colonists from

migrating into the region due to the

immensity of the region and a shortage of

troops.

Home Guard

Fighting Terrorism Since

1492

King George III

In his later years, King

George III went

completely insane.

Up to the day King

George III died, he

refused to acknowledge

American independence

and continued to refer to

Americans as “Those

Colonists.”

When the colonists protested many of

Parliament’s actions, King George III decided to

punish the colonists rather than seek a peaceful

solution to the problem.

By the 1762, King George III of England was faced with paying off the debt

Britain had accumulated during the French and Indian War.

King George III was stubborn and surrounded himself with inexperienced

and narrow-minded people who advised him to exercise increased control

over the colonies.

KING GEORGE III FUN FACTS:

GEORGE III WAS THE LONGEST REIGNING KING OF ENGLAND.

King George III reigned for 60 years, longer than any male monarch in

British history, and second in length only to his granddaughter, Queen

Victoria, who was on the throne for 64 years.

KING GEORGE III FATHERED 15 CHILDREN

Debt Incurred from the French & Indian War

(George Grenville)

British debt from the French and Indian War was enormous and had more

than doubled the British national debt. As a result, those living in England

had endured heavy taxation, high inflation, and unemployment during this

time.

The British Parliament sought to pass the cost of the war on to their colonies

and through stricter enforcement of existing tariffs.

In 1763, King George

appointed George Grenville,

a financial expert, as his

prime minister. Grenville

believed the colonists should

pay for the debt incurred by

the French & Indian War

George Grenville

Currency Act

British restricted colonial printing of paper money and sought to make

colonists pay back their debts and taxes with hard currency.

Most gold & silver flowed to England from colonies since colonies bought

more than they sold.

James Otis “No Taxation Without Representation”

James Otis openly criticized Parliament’s practice of taxation without proper

colonial representation. He declared that no tax that was issued in order to

produce revenue for Great Britain was constitutional because American

representatives had not voted to allow the tax.

James Otis, a young Boston lawyer and one of the leaders of the Stamp Act Congress protested the tax and

demanded that Parliament repeal the acts. When Parliament refused, Otis gained colonial recognition and fame

When he proclaimed, "No taxation without representation!"

Navigation Acts

The Navigation Acts or restrictions were designed to keep the colonies from

competing against Britain.

•All goods shipped to or from British North America had to travel in

British ships.

•Any goods exported to Europe had to land first in Britain to pay

British taxes.

•Some goods could be exported to Britain only.

The colonists responded by becoming

smugglers or by ignoring British

trade laws.

Colonial Smuggling & Admiralty Courts

What happen to smugglers before 1764? Not much. The King’s prosecutors

found it difficult to obtain convictions for smuggling in American colonial

courts because smugglers were usually tried by peers and received little or no

fines.

What happen to smugglers after 1764?

Smugglers were tried by an Admiralty Court and if convicted, the smuggler’s

ship would confiscated and auctioned off. The money would then be divided

by thirds to the judge, customs official, and to the English treasury.

1/3= Trial Judge

1/3= Customs Agent

1/3= English treasury

To insure that smuggling would be prosecuted a

new law created vice admiralty courts which tried

suspected smugglers before a military court instead

of a civilian court. These courts were superior to

the colonial courts and did not have a jury but a

panel of military officers who served as judges. The

American colonials believed that the use of courts

without juries represented a violation of English

civil rights.

Offenders in admiralty courts where juries were

not allowed the burden of proof was on the

defendants; who were assumed guilty unless proved

innocent.

Guilty

Writs of Assistance (1764)

Writs of Assistance were blanket search warrants which allowed British

revenue officers to search for illegally imported goods by colonial smugglers.

Revenue officials often entered and ransacked buildings or homes without any

cause for suspicion to search for suspected smuggled goods.

Sugar Act (1764)

This 1764 act put a three-cent tax on foreign refined sugar and increased

taxes on coffee, indigo, and certain kinds of wine. It banned importation of

rum and French wines. The taxes were raised without to consent of the

colonists. This was one of the first instances in which colonists wanted a say in

how much they were taxed.

A sugar cane field in the West Indies.

Molasses was used to make rum.

Stamp Act (1765)

The tax was collected on all legal documents, contracts, licenses, pamphlets,

and newspapers printed or used in the colonies.

Previous taxes had only impacted certain groups, such as molasses importers,

but the Stamp Act affected everyone in colonial America. The law required

that a stamp be affixed to the taxable property to show that the tax had been

paid.

Did You Know? On the day the Stamp Act

went into effect, some colonists wore mourning

clothes, clothes worn to funerals, as a sign of

protest. Also that day, church bells were rung

from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to

Savannah, Georgia, to protest the act.

Boycott & Stamp Act Repealed (1766)

Merchants organized boycotts by refusing to buy of British goods thereby

withholding money from its treasury. Boycotts had a huge impact on British

importers and the economic effects of the boycotts were instrumental in the

repeal of the Stamp Act in March 1766.

Parliament would reassert its right to tax the Americans in the Declaratory

Act.

Declaratory Act As a way to save face with the repel of the hated Stamp Act, the British

Parliament passed the Declaratory Act in 1766 stated that the colonies are

subordinate and dependent on the Imperial Crown and Parliament of Britain

and that Parliament had the authority to pass laws.

The British Parliament

The economy

can’t take it

anymore! Repeal

the acts!

We can’t stop

taxing! It’s

our main

source of

income

Why should we give in

and allow these

ungrateful colonies to

tell us what to do. It is

our God-given right to

tax them!!

British Troops Arrive in Boston

The (peaceful) Arrival of Troops in Boston Aroused American Resistance

Quartering Act (1764)

Lord Grenville and the British Parliament felt that the colonists should pay

1/3 of the bill of maintaining a garrison of 10,000 British soldiers to protect

them. This law required the colonists to provide food and housing for British

soldiers.

Townsend Duties or Revenue Act (1767)

The Act imposed import duties on 72 items including paint, tea, glass and

paper. The revenue raised from it was to provide for the salaries of colonial

officers and its administration. It also authorized the Supreme Court to issue

writs of assistance for violators, established the American Customs Board

and expanded Admiralty Courts.

Charles Townsend

Sons of Liberty & Daughters of Liberty

Video

To replace boycotted British cloth, the women of Boston organized

the Daughters of Liberty. The organization spun yarn into thread,

wove cloth on home looms, and was instrumental in maintaining

the American boycott of British goods.

Samuel Adams

Daughters of Liberty

The Sons of Liberty was a secret society of patriots in Boston which was

organized in 1765 by Samuel Adams and John Hancock. They organized

protests against British tax laws and participated in terrorizing revenue agents

through house-wrecking and tar-and-feathering in order to gain notoriety.

Protest Movement

Protests and riots in Boston were so ferocious that customs officials demanded

and received military protection. However, the presence of the British Army

in Boston only served to intensify the animosity between the British government

and the colonials.

A statue of King George was

pulled down and melted to

make bullets for the militia.

Stamp act agents were

warned to resign and to

stop selling stamps or else

get tar & feathered.

Video

Committees of Correspondence

Colonial groups dedicated to organizing resistance against British laws

and made sure that colonists remained discontent with British rule.

Samuel Adams used propaganda to whip up colonial resentment. Samuel Adams organized the local committees

of correspondence which chief function was to spread propaganda and information by interchanging letters in

order to keep opposition to British policy alive.

Boston “Massacre” (March 5, 1770 )

In 1770, tension increased in Boston. On the night of March 5, 1770 British

soldiers (having been provoked) fired on a crowd of Bostonians and eleven

civilians were killed or wounded.

Exaggerated versions of the “massacre” spread throughout the colonies by the

Sons of Liberty. Made British appear sinister.

Video

Did You Know? Paul Revere made an

engraving of the Boston Massacre. The

engraving clearly shows that one of the

dead colonists in the square is African

American (Crispus Attucks). The

engraving was shown throughout the

colonies to get support for the war for

independence. However, when the

engraving was shown in the Southern

colonies, all the dead men shown in the

engraving appear to be white.

Distorted Version of the Boston “Massacre”

Crispus Attucks, a

mulatto merchant

seaman (runaway

slave), the “first to

die in the

revolution,” alleged

leader of the unruly

mob. Crispus Attucks

is buried in a

common grave with

four other victims of

the Boston Massacre

Colonists Demand British Troops Leave Boston

Bostonians demanded that the soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre be

tried for their crimes. Bostonian lawyer John Adams, cousin of Samuel Adams

(leader of the Sons of Liberty) represented the soldiers at the trial. The

soldiers were acquitted (found not guilty) and allowed to return to England.

Bostonians grew angry about the verdict and demanded that all British troops

be removed from their city.

In 1773, the British passed the Administration of Justice Act which stated that officials who killed

colonists could now be tried in England instead of the colonies.

Video

Townshend Acts Repealed

Townshend Acts were repealed and half the troops in Boston removed. There

was a general feeling of goodwill after the Townshend Acts were repealed until

the British enacted the Tea Act in 1773.

We Did It…

Cheers…

The Gaspee Incident (June 9, 1772)

The Gaspee Affair took place on June 9, 1772 at Narragansett Bay, Rhode

Island. The HMS Gaspee, a British customs ship, ran aground in Rhode

Island and a Sons of Liberty group attacked and set fire to the ship.

The British Government threatened to send the American perpetrators for trial in England, but no

arrests were made. Samuel Adams believed that the British threat to send protestors to England

deprived American colonists of their right to trial by a jury was unconstitutional.

That’s not funny… those

responsible will pay.

Tea Act of 1773

The Tea Act of 1773 granted the East India Company exclusive license to

import and distribute tea to the American colonies. Tea was sold in

America at 10s per pound, half its previous price and less than the cost of

smuggled tea. Despite the economic benefit to end consumers of tea, the

law damaged the position of independent shippers, smugglers and local

shopkeepers.

Boston Tea Party (Dec. 16, 1773)

In 1773, the British granted a British company the sole right to handle the

tea trade. American merchants resented their loss of business.

On the night of December 16, 1773, members of the Sons of Liberty dressed

as Indians boarded three ships, smashed 342 chests open, and dumped the

tea into Boston Harbor. (valued at about $3 million dollars in today’s

money.

Intolerable (Coercive) Acts of 1774

Parliament passed the Intolerable Acts in 1774, a series of laws designed to

punish and make an example of Massachusetts for the Boston tea Party

• Boston Harbor remained closed until damages were paid. (Tea was

never paid for)

• Forbade town meetings except for election of town officials.

• Provided for the quartering of troops once again in Boston by civilians.

Repeat after me… I… will

not… dump tea… from a

British ship… into the harbor…

AGAIN!!!

First Continental Congress (September and October 1774)

All of the colonies met (except Georgia) for the First Continental Congress.

The main purpose was to draft a petition of grievances to Parliament.

The First Continental Congress denounced the “Intolerable” Acts and

threatened if they were not repealed then it would call on colonies to suspend

all trade with the British Empire and urge citizens not to pay taxes.

In a statement to the king, the Congress wrote

that the colonists had a right to be represented

in their government. They saw themselves as

full-fledged subjects of the king, but often felt

like they were treated as inferiors by the

Crown.

"... an attack on the liberties of

one Colony was an attack on the

liberties of all.''

Minutemen (Colonial Militia )

In colonial times, all able-bodied men ages 16-60 had to keep a gun and serve

in a part-time citizen army called the militia. These volunteers were the first

responders and always had their bags packed and guns ready at a moment’s

notice. [In reality they were trained in case of an Indian attack.]

Prelude to Lexington & Concord (April 1775)

Britain's General Gage, the new military governor of Massachusetts, had a

secret plan. During the wee hours of April 19, 1775, he would send out a

detachment of 700 British soldiers quartered in Boston and march to

Concord. There he expected to arrest leaders of the rebellion, Sam Adams

and John Hancock as well as seize the weapons rumored to be stored there.

But spies and friends of the Sons of Liberty leaked word of Gage's plan.

It is a myth that Revere and other riders shouted, "The

British are coming!" This warning would have confused a

good many of the Americans living in the countryside

who still considered themselves British. The Regulars

were known to be British soldiers.

Revere did not act alone and was part of a

highly organized alert system consisting of

signals, including with lanterns, and word of

mouth. The alerts were so effective that by the

time the British reached Charlestown outside of

Boston, 5,000 to 7,000 militia members had

surrounded them.

Lexington Green (April 19, 1775)

“Lay down your

arms, you damned

rebels, or you are all

dead men!”

The fighting began at Lexington when seventy minutemen led by John Parker

confronted the British troops. A British officer ordered the Minutemen to lay

down their arms and disperse, but a shot from an unknown source, recognized

forevermore as, “The Shot Heard Round the World" was fired. Who fired the

first shot? Nobody knows, but the British opened fire on the militia [minutemen]

killing 8 and wounding another 10.

Afterwards, the British continued on to Concord which was about six miles away.

Chaos at Concord

The opportunity was lost when the British reached Concord too late. Sam Adams

and John Hancock had escaped along with all the stored weapons. After setting

fire to the abandoned warehouse the British were confronted by numerous local

colonial militias forcing them to make a fighting retreat along the same 20-mile

march back to Boston. Colonial militias sniped and fired on the retreating British

troops causing heavy causalities. By day’s end, 73 British soldiers had been killed

and another 174 wounded.

Angry minutemen stop the British advance at the North Bridge out of Concord, Massachusetts. After suffering a

few casualties the British began their retreat back to Boston. There was no going back for the colonies, even though

many still wanted to remain loyal to the Crown.

Olive Branch Petition

The Olive Branch Petition was adopted by the Second Continental Congress

on July 5, 1775, in a final attempt to avoid a full-blown war between the

Thirteen Colonies and Great Britain. The petition affirmed the colonies

allegiance to the King.

King George III rejected the Olive Branch Petition and declared the North

American colonies to be in a state of rebellion.

Anyone who

opposes the crown

is a traitor and a

scoundrel and

deserves a

scoundrel's death.

Common Sense by Thomas Paine

Written in early 1776, it said that continued American loyalty to Britain

would be absurd, and independence was the only rational thing for

colonists to do.

Its Too Late to Apologize

Halfway across the globe

And we're standing on new ground

Screaming 'cross the waves

You can't hear a sound

There's no fair trials, no trade, no liberties

No tea

We've colonized America; we won't stand

for tyranny,

Oh king

And it's too late to apologize It's too late

I said it's too late to apologize

It's too late

We've paid your foolish tax, read the acts

And they just won't do

We want to make it clear, we believe this

much is true

All men were created with certain

Unalienable rights

Among these are life, liberty, and the

pursuit

Of happiness

And it's too late to apologize

It's too late

I said It's too late to apologize

It's too late

It's too late to apologize

It's too late

I said it's too late apologize

It's too late

I said it's too late to apologize, yeah

It's too late

I said it's too late to apologize, yeah

Halfway across the globe

And we're standing on new ground

http://www.schooltube.com/video/e1895c4c1683c3124733/Too-Late-to-Apologize-A-Declaration