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Birth of the Republic
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The American Colonists
Mainly of English descent
– Scotch-Irish / Germans --> Pennsylvania
– Black Africans --> the South
Believed they were preserving the true traditions of English history, as exemplified in the Glorious Revolution of 1688.
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American colonists were overwhelmingly Protestant, and Calvinist in origin.
Majority of colonists in every colony made their living from the soil
– most lived on land they cultivated.
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Widespread ownership of property
single most important fact about Americans before the Revolutionary period
– social classes not as divided as in the old world
– there were aristocrats, but was no permanent underclass
property ownership gave economic independence and political independence to the average American.
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Every American colony had a representative assembly elected by property holders.
– Assemblies made laws, levied local taxes
Colonists took pride in being subjects of Great Britain
– Great Britain left the colonies alone (1713-1763)
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King appointed the Royal Governor; carried out royal policy.
– relied on colonial assemblies for funding
– assemblies controlled local taxation, power of the purse
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Navigation Acts a series of acts passed by
Parliament to
– regulate colonial trade so
– raw materials flowed to the mother country, from colonies, and
– manufactured goods flowed to the colonies (Mercantilism)
Purpose of the Navigation acts: to promote the economic welfare of the Empire in general.
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Enforcement of the Acts was left to the King (prior to 1763)
– King left enforcement to his Sec. of State
– Board of Trade and Plantations advised the Sec. of State on how to run the colonies
– Sec. of State told Royal Governors
– Royal Governors told colonists
– Colonists pretty much did as they pleased
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Colonial perceptions prior to 1763
British 'salutary neglect' gave colonists perceived power over their own affairs.
Colonial assemblies and the colonists were not prepared for direct Parliamentary legislation affecting the colonies.
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Sugar Act and the Stamp Act: 1764-1766
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End of the Seven Years War1763
Doubled the national debt of England
added huge territory to administer (east of Miss. R.; Canada)
tax burden in England was already very high
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The Sugar Act & George Grenville
became Chancellor of the Exchequer (1763)
Sugar Act passed by Parliament (1764)
– revised old customs law
– purpose was to raise money for the Empire
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Colonial reaction
the question of Property became the first great challenge of the Revolutionary period.
Right of Parliament (Assemblies) to levy taxes was the most important feature of supremacy over the King.
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Ideas of John Locke
– man's property must not be taken away without his consent.
– consent must be given either in person, or by his representative.
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Colonial Englishmen (Americans) were not represented in
Parliament.
English believed in virtual representation.
– all members of Parliament represented all Englishmen
Colonials believed in actual
representation.
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Stamp Act of 1765
A duty paid on all legaldocuments
Parliament saw Stamp Act as a way to raise revenue
Colonists saw Stamp Act as an attack on the security of propertybecause it was levied without their consent
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Effect of Stamp Act
colonial boycott of imported British goods
mobbed stamp distributors
9 colonies sent representatives to New York (Oct., 1765)
– sent petitions/resolutions to Parliament
– petitions denied Parliament's authority to tax colonies
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Developing governmental
Principles
no taxation without representation
– colonial mindset rejected virtual representation
Colonies believed they were wholly beyond the control of Parliament
– Colonial view was Parliament had the right to legislate, but not the right to tax (without their consent!)
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Parliament Repealed Stamp Act, Feb., 1766
Parliament believed colonies objected only to internal taxes
Parliament passed the DECLARATORY ACT affirming their authority over the colonies "in all cases what so ever.“
– implied the right to tax
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Townshend Duties, 1767
An attempt to raise duties through external taxation on imported goods.
– Was an attempt to replace L 400,000 in tax relief given England landowners
– duties were to be assessed and collected in America
American customs service were to be re-organized, and headquartered in Boston
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Effect of Townshend Duties
Colonists agreed to boycott & non-importation of English goods
Colonists denied right of Parliament to levy duties for the purpose of raisingrevenue
Parliament sent British Army Regular troops to Boston (Sept., 1768)
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Boston Massacre occurred March 5, 1770.
– troops harassed with snowballs, rubbish
– troops opened fire; 3 Bostonians died, 8 wounded
Townshend Duties repealed (March, 1770)
– all duties repealed, except small tax on tea
– non-importation agreements broke down
– coincided with beginning of 3 years of
commercial prosperity
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The Evolution of
Revolution
1770-1774
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American view of taxation
Taxation was the exclusive right of their own elected representatives.
– control over taxation seen as the only security for life & property
– Colonists saw each Parliamentary attempt at direct or indirect taxation as an attempt to deprive them of control over their possessions.
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Colonists wondered if they were threatened by Parliamentary legislation.
A series of incidents caused colonists to re-examine their relationship with Great Britain
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June, 1772 "Gaspee" incident:
British revenue ship burned by colonists
Massachusetts Royal Gov. & Judges began being paid by the King, not the colonial assembly
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November, 1772
Formation of Committee of Correspondence (Samuel Adams)
denounced Parliament for violating colonial liberties
Committees spread to other colonies
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May, 1773
Parliament passed the Tea Act to help East India Tea Co.
Company able to sell directly to retailers– no Colonial
middlemen
– No Colonial profits
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December, 1773
Boston Tea Party
www.politicaldogs.org/uploaded_images/boston-...
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April, 1774
Parliament passed the Coercive Acts
– closed port of Boston to commerce
– changed Mass. form of government (charter to Royal)
– quartered troops in Boston
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June, 1774
Parliament passed the Quebec Act
– extended the boundaries of Quebec as far south as the Ohio River.
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September, 1774 - First Continental
Congress met in Philadelphia
adopted non-importation, non-exportation, non-consumption agreements
questioned the legitimacy of anyParliamentary authority in the colonies at all.
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April, 1775
Battle of Lexington was a British attempt to seize gunpowder/arms stored at Concord, Mass.
Colonials drove British into Boston; laid siege to the town
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May, 1775
SecondContinental Congress met
chose Geo. Washington to lead Continental Army
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August, 1775
George III declared the colonies in rebellion
hired Hessian (German) mercenaries to use in colonies
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1776- The Year of
Decision
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January, 1776
Thomas Paine published Common Sense
mission was to liberate America from the very
idea of monarchy
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May, 1776
Continental Congress adopted a resolution advising the colonies to assume complete powers of government within their boundaries.
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June 7, 1776
Richard Henry Lee (Va.) introduced a resolution formally declaring the colonies independent
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July, 1776
Lee's resolution was adopted July 2nd
Declaration of Independenceadopted by
Second Continental Congress on July
4th
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