Chapter

Seventh EditionSeventh Edition

OOut of Manyut of ManyA History of the American PeopleA History of the American People

Brief Sixth Edition

Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc.All rights reserved.

Out of Many: A History of the American People, Brief Sixth EditionJohn Mack Faragher • Mari Jo Buhle • Daniel Czitrom • Susan H. Armitage

From Empire to Independence1750-1776

6

From Empire to Independence1750-1776

• The Seven Years’ War in America• The Emergence of American Nationalism • “Save Your Money and Save Your Country”• From Resistance to Rebellion• Deciding for Independence• Conclusion

Chaplain Jacob Duché leading the first prayer in the First Continental Congress at Carpenter's

Hall, Philadelphia, September 1774

Chapter Focus Questions

• What were the conflicts that led to the Seven Years’ War, and what were the outcomes for Great Britain, France, and the American Indians?

• Why did American nationalism develop in the aftermath of the French and Indian War?

Chapter Focus Questions (cont’d)

• What was Great Britain’s changing policy toward its North American colonies in the 1760s?

• What were the assumptions of American republicanism?

• How did the colonies attempt to achieve unity in their confrontation with Great Britain?

North America and Philadelphia

The First Continental Congress Begins to Shape a National Political Community

• 1774: Philadelphia, First Continental Congress 12 colonies met for seven weeks forging a

community of national leaders.• Interests distinct from that of the mother

country.• Patrick Henry: “I am not a Virginian but an

American.”

The Seven Years’ War in America

Woodcut cartoon, created by Benjamin Franklin

The Albany Congress of 1754

• The agenda included Consideration of a collective colonial

response to the conflict with New France and the Indians of the interior;

Negotiation of a settlement with the Iroquois Confederacy.

The Albany Congress of 1754 (cont'd)

• The Conference resulted in The Iroquois leaving without an agreement; Adoption of Benjamin Franklin’s Plan of

Union, though this was rejected by colonial assemblies.

France vs. Britain in America

• Three points of contention between France and England for control of North America:

• The North Atlantic Coast, guarded by the fort at Louisbourg and the mouth of the St. Lawrence

• The border region from Niagara Falls to Lake Champlain, vital for the fur trade

France vs. Britain in America (cont'd)

• The Ohio country, the valley bisected by the Ohio River, and its Indian peoples

MAP 6.1 The War for Empire in North America, 1754–1763

Frontier Warfare

• 1756: war between Britain and France• Early French victories in New York• British expelled French-speaking farmers

of Acadia from their homes. Many moved to Louisiana where they

became known as “Cajuns.”

Frontier Warfare (cont'd)

• Anglo-French war also led to widespread Indian attacks on frontier settlements, killing thousands and throwing settlers into a panic.

The Conquest of Canada

• Prime Minister William Pitt committed to winning the war and eliminating all French competition

• 1758 Easton Conference: Ohio Indians promised their lands would be protected, turning many frontier natives against the French

• Over 50,000 British and colonial troops

The Conquest of Canada (cont'd)

• British forces captured Louisburg, the French forts on the New York border, Quebec, and lastly, Montreal.

The death of General James Wolfe

MAP 6.2 European Claims in North America, 1750 and 1763

The Conquest of Canada

• In the Treaty of Paris of 1763, the French lost all its North American mainland possessions.

A treaty between the Delaware, Shawnee, and Mingo (western Iroquois) Indians and Great

Britain, July 13, 1765

The Struggle for the West

• British policies shocked and threatened western Indians.

• Revitalization movement Ohio Indians and Neolin, the Delaware

Prophet - Holy war to restore native lands and culture

• Pontiac, Ottawa confederacy Proclamation of 1763 confirmed promises of

the Easton Conference

The Struggle for the West (cont'd)

• Colonists opposed Proclamation / westward migration continued

• Concessions—Native anger and resentment

The Emergence of American Nationalism

A protest against the Stamp Act from newspaper editor

William Bradford

An American Identity

• The Seven Years War affected the American colonists by making them proud to be members of the

British empire; noting important contrasts between

themselves and the British; strengthening a sense of identity among the

colonists.• A nationalist perspective emerged.

Samuel Adams

The Press, Politics, and Republicanism

• The 1735 libel trial of New York City editor John Peter Zenger was a bold stroke for freedom of the press.

• The weekly newspaper was an important means of intercolonial communication.

• Newspapers became a lively means of public discourse.

The Press, Politics, and Republicanism (cont'd)

• The notion of republicanism emerged from warnings of government’s threats to liberty.

The Sugar and Stamp Acts

• The costs of the Seven Years War and the subsequent defense of the North American empire added to the huge government debt.

• In 1764, Parliament passed the Sugar Act to raise revenue from the colonies.

• Colonial protest arose in the cities, especially Boston where a nonimportation movement soon spread to other cities.

The Sugar and Stamp Acts (cont'd)

• James Otis, Jr. developed the doctrine of no taxation without representation.

The Stamp Act Crisis

• Colonial concerns included the long-term constitutional implications regarding representation of the colonists in the British government.

• Beginning with Virginia, nine colonies passed resolutions denouncing the Stamp Act.

The Stamp Act Crisis (cont'd)

• Boston emerged as a center of protest with attacks on offices and homes of British officials.

• To counter the growing violence, the Sons of Liberty was formed to encourage more moderate forms of protest.

MAP 6.3 Demonstrations against the Stamp Act, 1765

The Stamp Act Crisis

• British merchants worried about the effects of the growing non-importation movement petitioned Parliament to repeal the Stamp Act.

• In 1766, Parliament repealed the Stamp Act but passed the Declaratory Act, asserting control over the colonies “in all cases whatsoever.”

“Save Your Money and Save Your Country”

British cartoon, “A Society of Patriotic Ladies,” ridiculed

The Townshend Revenue Acts

• In 1767, Charles Townshend, Chancellor of the Exchequer New revenue measure

- import duties on lead, glass, paint, paper, and tea

• Townshend believed Americans would not oppose “external” import taxes.

• John Dickinson: Parliament had no right to tax goods to raise revenue on America.

The Townshend Revenue Acts (cont'd)

• Despite protests, very little sentiment for independence existed in America.

An Early Political Boycott

• In 1767, the Boston town meeting revived the tactic of nonimportation to oppose Townshend’s taxes

• Other port cities responded with their own nonimportation campaigns.

• Appeals to stimulate local industry had strong appeal in small towns and rural areas.

An Early Political Boycott (cont.)

• Colonial newspapers paid much attention to women supporting the boycott.

• During 1769, all the colonies but New Hampshire adopted nonimportation legislation.

• These efforts reduced colonial imports from Britain by 41 percent.

The Massachusetts Circular Letter

• Boston and Massachusetts were the center of the agitation over the Townshend Acts.

• Samuel Adams drafted a circular letter denouncing the Revenue Acts and calling for the colonies to “harmonize with each other” in opposition.

The Massachusetts Circular Letter (cont'd)

• British efforts to suppress the circular letter failed and violence against British officials continued.

• Rumors of mob rule and riots in Boston led to the British army occupying the city.

The Boston Massacre

• The British troops stationed in the colonies were a source of scorn and hostility.

• Confrontations arose in New York City and Boston between colonists and British soldiers.

• In Boston, competition between British troops and townsmen over jobs was a source of conflict.

The Boston Massacre (cont.)

• March 5, 1770 Confrontation between British soldiers and a

crowd ended in the Boston Massacre that left five dead

• Parliament had already repealed most of the Revenue Acts, keeping the tea tax to save face.

The Bostonians Paying the Excise-Man, or Tarring and Feathering

Paul Revere’s version of the Boston Massacre

From Resistance to Rebellion

Committees of Correspondence

• In the early seventies, several colonies established committees of correspondence to: share information; shape public opinion; and build cooperation among the colonies.

Committees of Correspondence (cont'd)

• Statements and letters by Massachusetts Governor Thomas Hutchinson calling for “restraint of liberty” outraged colonists, confirming conspiracy theories.

The Boston Tea Party

• Parliament passed a new tax on tea to save the East India Company from failing.

• Colonial protests included: Mass meetings in Philadelphia and other

cities Boston Tea Party; Tea party in New York;

The Boston Tea Party (cont'd)

• Colonial protests included: Burning a ship loaded with tea in Annapolis;

and Burning a warehouse in New Jersey.

The Intolerable Acts

• The Coercive or “Intolerable” Acts 1774 Prohibited loading and unloading of ships in

Boston Harbor until the colonists paid for the tea

Annulled the colonial charter of Massachusetts Terminated self-rule by colonial communities Legalized housing of troops in private homes

at public expense Quebec Act

The Intolerable Acts (cont.)

• These acts were calculated to punish Massachusetts and strengthen British control.

• Many Americans saw them as proof of a plot to destroy their liberty.

MAP 6.4 The Québec Act of 1774

The First Continental Congress

• The delegates to the First Continental Congress in September 1774 included the most important leaders of the American cause.

The First Continental Congress (cont'd)

• The delegates passed the Declaration and Resolves that: asserted colonial rights; declared 13 acts of Parliament in violation of

their rights; pledged economic sanctions until the 13 acts

were repealed.

The First Continental Congress (cont'd)

• To enforce the sanctions, the delegates urged formation of Committees of Observation and Safety to assume the functions of local government.

• The Committees organized militia, called extralegal courts, and combined to form colony-wide congresses or conventions.

• People first began to refer to the colonies as American “states.”

MAP 6.5 The First Engagements of the Revolution

Lexington and Concord

• Early 1775: George III declared New England to be “in a state of rebellion” and order military action against the colonists.

• Patrick Henry in Virginia urged “give me liberty or give me death!”

• Armed conflicts occurred at Lexington and Concord.

Lexington and Concord (cont'd)

• A day of bloody fighting forecast Britain’s problem of fighting an armed community resisting outsiders.

British soldiers fire upon Massachusetts militia at Lexington

Deciding for Independence

The Battle of Bunker Hill in 1785

The Second Continental Congress

• Meeting in May 1775, the Second Continental Congress aimed to organize the defense of the colonies.

• The Congress designated the militia forces besieging Boston as the Continental Army and made George Washington commander-in-chief.

The Second Continental Congress (cont'd)

• The Olive Branch Petition asked George II to prevent further hostilities, while a Declaration of the Causes of Taking Up Arms was more defiant.

Canada and the Spanish Borderlands

• North America reactions to coming war: The French Canadians did not support the

rebellion. Several British Caribbean islands did support

the Continental Congress but the British navy stopped any involvement.

British forces also ensured Nova Scotia and Florida remained in the empire

Spain adopted a neutral position officially, but secretly sought to help the Americans.

Fighting in the North and South

• Fighting continued throughout New England.

• Ethan Allen captured Ticonderoga in May 1775, seizing artillery to be used in the siege of Boston.

• In the Battle of Bunker Hill in June, a bloody British victory strengthened resolve on both sides.

Fighting in the North and South (cont'd)

• King George III rejected the “Olive Branch Petition” and issued a proclamation declaring that the colonists were in open rebellion.

Fighting in the North and South (cont'd)

• American militia forces across the South rose up against British authority.

• By March 1776 the British evacuated Boston.

• Despite a failed invasion of Canada, Americans proved themselves willing and able to fight.

No Turning Back

• Spain and France opened trade with the colonies.

• In Common Sense, Thomas Paine helped cut Americans’ emotional ties to Britain and the King.

• The “two ancient tyrannies” of aristocracy and monarchy were not appropriate for America.

No Turning Back (cont'd)

• North Carolina became the first state to vote for a declaration of independence.

• Congress urged the adoption of state constitutions, severing ties with Britain.

The Declaration of Independence

• Richard Henry Lee: “these United Colonies are and of right ought to be free and independent” led Congress to appoint a committee led by Jefferson to draft a declaration.

• Declaration of Independence approved without dissent July 4, 1776

The Declaration of Independence (cont'd)

• The writers blamed King George III for the events leading up to the decision for Independence. Could be condemned as traitors, sentenced

to death

Conclusion

From Empire to Independence, 1750-1776

• Britain emerged from the Seven Years War dominant in America but, underestimating American republicanism and the colonists’ growing sense of community, drove America from resistance to revolution and helped to foster a new American identity in independence.

Chronology