Book Title

Dolor Set Amet

LOREM IPSUM

Chapter 4

Road to Revolution

The path to America’s rebellion against the British was an interesting one. We’ve heard phrases like “no taxation without representation” and understood that the colonists were unhappy with English control over them. In order to grasp the Revolution itself, we must understand its roots. That is what this chapter will dissect.

For most of the 17th and 18th centuries, the British and French were bitter enemies. The French and Indian War would be no exception to that statement. The war between both sides would

determine who would control the Ohio Valley area, and its results would directly impact the problems the colonists would have with the British.

By about 1750, the British and French empires were growing, and both became interested in having part of the Ohio Valley region. Over a nine year period (1754-1763), these two forces would fight to see who could have the most influence in North America.

Chapter 4, Section 1

IN THIS SECTION, YOU WILL...

1. Learn about the French and Indian War.

2. Be aware of how the French and Indian War had a part in the beginnings of the American Revolution.

The French and Indian War

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Map of the United States in 1750, with the possessions of each country at the time.

France did have some key advantages at the beginning of the war. Their army was better trained and more disciplined than the British. In addition, more of the Native Americans would fight with the French as allies.

The British had more settlers living in the British colonies than the French did. Their stronger societal base in

North America motivated them to fight and protect their homeland so that the French would not conquer them.

The French and Indian War is divided into two parts. The first part was from 1754-1758. The French would gain the advantage during this time, and it looked as if they would win the war easily. A major battle during this time would take place at Fort Duquesne. In 1755, the British attempted to attain this fort from the French, but failed. A second attempt would be made by British commanders Edward Braddock and George Washington. British forces would be dominated. One-thousand of their 1,500 troops would be killed and wounded, and it looked as though the French would easily win the war.

But in 1758, the momentum of the war shifted. This was in large part because of a new war policy in England. William Pitt was given control over the war and made a few important changes when he came to power. Firstly, he changed the top commanders on the field in North America. Pitt promoted younger generals, and demoted those who were older. He also decided that England would fight the war solely in North America with money and men provided by the mother country (England). The British would no longer rely on the colonies to provide money, resources, or men for the war. As a result, the British would be able to recapture Fort Duquesne. They would eventually conquer a fort at Niagara Falls, and finally, one in Quebec.

By 1763, the war was over and the Treaty of Paris was signed. In it, France gave up almost all of her claim (land) in North America, and the British gained this territory.

Almost right after the Treaty of Paris was signed, there were problems between the colonies and England. Two major issues became points of tension. The first was with the Native Americans. The Indians who fought with the French continued to fight on the frontier even after the war was over. To try and solve this problem, Parliament issued the Proclamation of 1763. This document drew a line on the map that ran along the Appalachian Mountains. It declared that the colonists had to stay east of this line, and could not move west into new territories. Parliament

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Washington at age 40 as a general in 1772

said that this would protect the colonists from the Indians and subdue uprisings.

Instead of making things more peaceful, the Proclamation line only made matters worse. Colonists resisted. They believed it was an effort by England to fence them in and restrict their freedom. They wanted to move into new territory in western Pennsylvania and Ohio since the French were gone. Recognizing this line as a restriction zone rather than for their own protection, it’s safe to say that this was one of the first major events leading to the American Revolution.

The second major issue the British had after the war was their mounting national debt. As you know, wars cost money. The only way a government truly makes money is by levying new taxes. They would decide to implement new taxes on the colonists to finance their empire, causing instances of civil unrest that would lead to bitter hatred between both sides.

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Shortly after the issuance of the Proclamation of 1763, the British attempted to address their debt problem by taxing the colonists. In 1764, they passed the Sugar Act. Prime Minister George Grenville believed that the colonists should pay for part of the war because it was fought on their behalf. The Sugar Act would put a tax on imported items such as sugar, wine, and coffee. The colonists would now have to pay a little bit more on these items.

The Sugar Act was very loosely rebelled against because the colonists were caught off guard by its implementation. British philosopher John Locke (right) argued that no government should tax its people without the people having a direct voice in the government. This idea of “no taxation without representation” would root itself in colonial life as the main reason why colonists believed they should not have to pay these petty taxes. In other words, this was just a reason for them to avoid paying the taxes in the first place.

Shortly after the passage of the Sugar Act, Britain issued the Stamp Act in November 1765. This new law put a tax on printed documents such as newspapers and other legal documents (i.e. marriage licenses, property deeds,

Chapter 4, Section 2

IN THIS SECTION, YOU WILL...

1. Learn how new taxes and restrictions angered the colonists, pushing them to the brink of war.

2. See how events like the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party maddened the British, causing a further divide between the colonists and the mother country.

“Acts” of War

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etc...). Again, this tax was designed to pay for the British debt acquired during the French and Indian War.

Almost immediately this time, the colonists reacted with swift and decisive action. They did not see the Stamp Act as fair, but rather as an escalation in the tax policy against them. Because of this new tax, an organization formed to resist England. This group was called the Sons of Liberty. Founded by Samuel Adams (left), the Sons of Liberty was based in Boston and formed in the summer of 1765. The Sons of Liberty would routinely

resist English authority and would use violence if necessary. They immediately harassed and terrorized colonial officials, including stamp masters. Stamp masters would make sure that the taxes were collected. Little did they know that it would get to the point where they’d have to go into hiding!

By the spring of 1766, the Stamp Act was repealed. After about a year, the British tried to pass a new law called the Townshend Acts in the summer of 1767. This new tax would be on hardware items such as paint, glass, and paper. The British thought that the colonists might be more accepting of this law because of the

fact that the new tax was on goods that were more acceptable than those of the Stamp Act. Uhh, wrong!

Colonial citizens would commonly protest new taxes imposed by the British. Often times, these protests would be harmful to British businesses, and Parliament would have not choice but to repeal the laws. This happened with the Stamp Act, and the same would occur with the Townshend Acts. From protesting the Townshend Acts, some British companies would lose 50% of their profits because of boycotts on goods taxed under this new law.

The colonial government also created a document to formally condemn the Townshend Acts. Samuel Adams wrote the Circular Letter. This document was sent to all colonial governments for approval. By signing it, each colony was recognizing their distaste for the Townshend Acts, and were standing up against the British for their unnecessary taxes.

When Parliament learned of this letter, they reacted by consolidating the British military into Boston in late 1767. This action made the colonists even angrier. Their presence would be felt for a long time, but tensions would reach a climax in March of 1770 in one of our most famous rebellions.

The Boston Massacre started as what seemed to be a typical colonial protest by the Sons of Liberty. The Sons started by singling out a group of soldiers and were yelling insults and other

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“not so nice” words at them. The British troops did not like being insulted, and they fired upon the colonists, killing five and injuring six others.

There is a lot of controversy as to whether or not this should have ever happened. Some people believe that a British soldier in the said to “fire”, whereas others believe that one person in the Sons of Liberty yelled the same thing. The truth is, we’ll never know. What we do know is that the Sons of Liberty used this event as a propaganda tool to incite a rebellious attitude in the colonies agains the British. Pamphlets were published throughout the colonies depicting the British as monsters intimidating and killing innocent people. Many were outraged, and this event became a further dividing force that would lead to the Revolution.

Following the Massacre, most of the military left the Boston area. On the same day this happened, the Townshend Acts were repealed. A calm period ensued for about three years before the Revolution would take place.

Then things heated up again in the spring of 1773. Parliament passed the Tea Act on the colonists. This law did two things. Firstly, it placed a small tax (as all the previous laws) on imported tea to the colonies. Aside from water, tea was the most consumed beverage in the colonies. Consequently, each time the colonists drank it, they were reminded of the British and were frustrated. Secondly, through the Tea Act, Parliament granted the right to create a monopoly. The only company allowed to sell tea to the colonists would be the East India Tea Company. Since this company was becoming weaker financially, the hope was that they could make enough money to have more stability.

So when the first ship from the East India Tea Company arrived, there was some uncertainty as to how the colonists would react. Some places didn’t unload the tea because of the controversy surrounding this situation. A lot of times, they would send the ships back to England.

The Sons of Liberty would make comments saying that if tea was unloaded in Boston, there would be significant problems. Just a few days short of about three weeks, the Sons of Liberty went on multiple ships and dumped tea into the Boston Harbor. Dressed

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In this HBO Miniseries about John Adams, the show gives a portrayal of the Boston Massacre itself, as well as some of its aftermath involving the future president.

Boston Massacre

as Indians, the Sons of Liberty proceeded to dump around 90,000 pounds of tea into the harbor in protest of the Tea Act.

The Boston Tea Party was a very loud, public event in Boston. News rapidly spread about this “party”, and shortly thereafter, Britain would respond to this rebellious act. They would pass the Intolerable Acts. These laws were a direct result of the Boston Tea Party, and were particularly designed to punish Massachusetts. One of the laws in this set of acts was the

Boston Port Act. Under this statute, the British navy set up a blockade around the Port of Boston. They would remain there until the colonists would fully comply with British laws and/or requests.

Massachusetts’ economy would suffer. English leadership believed that other ports in the colonies would take advantage of Boston’s losses, and help themselves out (along with helping the mother country). This, however, did not happen. The rest of the colonies rallied behind Massachusetts, and the Intolerable Acts further united the colonies against England.

Watch how Boston first began to rebel against the British and why they acted they way they did.

Boston in 1768

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Artist Nathaniel Currier’s rendition of the Boston Tea Party