Period 3 Flashcards
Wars between France and Britain BEFORE the French and Indian War
King William’s War: British tried to take Quebec and failed when Natives sided w/ France and burned British settlements
Queen Anne’s War: British gained Nova Scotia and trading rights in Spanish America
King George II’s War: Spain attacked Georgia, Oglethorpe fought them off, New England took Louisbourg in Canada, BUT Britain returned it for trading rights in India, this caused tension between Britain and Colonists
French and Indian War
Britain wanted to stop France from building forts in the Western territory
Many Native American tribes sided with France, and Britain was losing
Then PM William Pitt focused on conquering Canada; at the Battle of Louisbourg Quebec Surrendered and France lost
Outcomes of the French and Indian War: The Peace of Paris
The war ended with the Peace of Paris
Great Britain got: French Canada and Spanish Florida
Spain got: France’s territory west of the Mississippi
IE Britain extends its control of North America, France has no more power on the continent
The F&I War…
- gave GB supremacy in North America
- challenged the autonomy of natives
- colonies no longer faced threats from France, Spain, or their native allies
Albany Plan of Union
Ben Franklin’s plan for colonial defense:
- intercolonial government
- system for recruiting troops and collecting taxes
it was not accepted because colonies wanted to keep their taxing power
The Albany Congress that discussed the plan set a precedence for future congresses
British and Colonial POVs of F&I War
Britain:
- low opinion of colonial military ability
- thought colonists were unable to defend new frontiers
Colonies:
- proud of their fighting in all four wars
- confident they could provide their own defense
- not impressed with British military leadership
- thought their methods were poorly suited to the densely wooded terrain
Pontiac’s Rebellion
1763, Chief Pontiac attacked frontier settlements and forts from NY to VA, the British sent regular troops instead of colonial ones
Proclamation of 1763
After Pontiac’s Rebellion, the British announced that colonists could not move west of the Appalachians to prevent further conflict
This angered the colonists who thought they deserved to live on the land they had fought for, and therefore created more conflict w/ the British
Sugar Act
AKA The Revenue Act
Put taxes on foreign sugar and other luxury goods, and enforced the Navigation Acts to stop smuggling
The Quartering Act
Colonists were required to house British soldiers and provide other resources (ex. food)
The Stamp Act
Was enacted to fund the British military in the colonies; put revenue stamps of most printed papers
This was directly paid by the colonists rather than merchants, causing greater conflict
Stamp Act Congress
Reps from 9 colonies met to form this Congress
They declared only their elected officials could approve taxes
It did not work
Currency Act
This act was passed with the Sugar Act. It prohibited the printing and issuance of paper money by the Colonial Legislature.
This act took away some of the independence of the colonial legislature. It also caused a great amount of protest in the colonies.
The Sons and Daughters of Liberty
Organization who protested the taxes
Intimidated tax agents, destroyed revenue stamps, and organized boycotts
The Townshend Acts
Duties on imports of tea, glass, and paper. The revenue from the taxes was used to pay colonial officials, making them completely independent of colonial assemblies.
While the taxes were not protested at first (because they were indirect), leaders such as John Dickinson, James Otis, and Samual Adams began to protest the taxation without representation.
The Massachusetts Circular Letter
A letter by James Otis and Samual Adams sent to every colony urging the colonies to petition Parliament to overturn the Townshend Acts, which the British responded to by threatening to dissolve the colonial legislature and send more troops, and boycotts of British goods were conducted.
Writs of Assistance
Enacted as part of the Townshend Acts, this act allowed officials to search private homes for smuggled goods. All that officials needed to do so was a writ of assistance (a general license to search anywhere) instead of a warrant approved by a judge.
The act was intended to end salutary neglect, and force an end to smuggling. However it did not make the colonies buy more British goods and the act did not generate much revenue.
Boston Massacre
In March 1770, a crowd of colonists harassed a group of guards outside of the customs house in Boston. The guards fired on the crowd, killing five.
This conflict was dubbed a massacre by Samual Adams in order to inflame anti-British feelings and protests. The killing of Crispus Attucks, a dockworker of African and Native American heritage, was used as a symbol of the antislavery movement.
Committee of Correspondence
There was a relative peace between the colonies and Britain between 1770-1772, so to keep the idea that Britain was undermining colonial liberties, Samuel Adams initiated the Committee of Correspondence.
The committee sent letters about suspicious and threatening British actions. The Virginia House of Burgess also had a committee, but they were intercolonial as well.
Burning of the Gaspee
The Gaspee was a British ship that had caught several smugglers in Rhode Island. To destroy the ship, several colonists boarded (disguised as Native Americans) and burned the ship.
This incident was frequently discussed by the Committee of Correspondence. A British commission was also ordered to investigate and bring those found guilty to Britain for trial.
Tea Act
The Tea Act was meant to help the British East India company by making tea cheaper than the Dutch tea that was smuggled, even with the tax, so that the colonists would buy it instead of smuggled tea.
Many still boycotted the tea and many of the British East India company’s shipments of tea had no buyers.
Boston Tea Party
When a shipment of tea came into the Boston Harbor, a group of colonial laborers and artisans boarded the boat (again dressed as Native Americans) and threw the tea overboard.
The reaction to this was mixed; some applauded it, and others thought it was too radical and too destructive. Britain enacted the Coercive (or Intolerable) acts as a punishment.
Coercive Acts
The Coercive Acts were enacted to punish the colonies (Massachusetts in particular) for the Boston Tea Party.
They were called the Intolerable Acts because of their harshness.
These acts closed Boston’s port (the Port Act), reduced the Massachusetts legislature’s power, allowed royal officials to be tried in Britain (the Administration of Justice Act), and expanded the Quartering Act.
The colonies were outraged by these laws and it caused more colonists to protest and take sides.
Quebec Act
This act organized Canadian lands by making Roman Catholicism the official religion, setting up a government without representative assemblies, and extending Quebec to the Ohio River.
This act also outraged American colonists because it took away lands from New York, PA, VA, CT, and more, and because they feared that their representative assemblies would be taken away. The American colonies also resented the recognition of the Catholic church.
The First Continental Congress
The first continental congress met after the Intolerable acts were enacted to discuss the British limiting colonial liberties.
The congress was made up of 2 delegates from every colony (except Georgia) and included Thomas Jefferson, John and Samual Adams, George Washington, and more.
The Congress adopted measures that they hoped would restore the colonies’s relationship with Britain. It included the Suffolk Resolves, which called for the repeal of the Intolerable acts, military preparations and boycotts to protest them, as well as a petition sent to the king urging him to make peace with the colonies (King George dismissed this and declared Massachusetts to be in a state of rebellion).
Battle of Lexington + Concord
April 18, 1775, British troops under Thomas Gage were sent to seize weapons from a colonial militia in Concord. Paul Revere and William Dawes were able to warn the militia, who then met the British on the village green. After 8 casualties the militia retreated.
While the British destroyed the military supplies, colonial militias caught up to them in Lexington. The British suffered 250 casualties and humiliation that they were hurt so badly by an “amateur” army.
Battle of Bunker Hill
The first true battle of the American revolution; a colonial militia fortified Breed’s Hill (next to Bunker). The British attacked them to take the hill.
While the British succeeded in taking the hill, the colonists inflicted heavy casualties on the British (over 1,000).
Second Continental Congress
The Congress met again in May 1775. While some still hoped to fix the colonies relationship with Britain (mostly the Middle colonies) others began to call for independence.
The congress adopted the Declaration of the Causes and Necessities for Taking Up Arms. This declaration appointed George Washington as commander-in-chief, authorized a force under Benedict Arnold to raid Quebec and draw Canada from Britain, and called on colonies to provide troops.
Olive Branch Petition
The congress sought peace with Britain at the same time. In July they voted to send a petition directly to King George, pledging their loyalty to him and asking that he intervene with Parliament’s decisions.
King George again dismissed the petition and enacted the Prohibitory Act. This act declared the colonies to be in a state of rebellion, and later prohibited shipping and trade between the colonies and Britain.
