Crisis in the

Colonies

Chapter 5

The most serious threat to the English colonies came from France.

France claimed the land from the St. Lawrence River west to the Great Lakes and south to the Gulf of Mexico.

St. Lawrence River

Great Lakes

Gulf of Mexico

By the 1740s English settlers began moving west into the Ohio Valley to get in on the fur trade.

French and Indian War

• Native Americans did not want to give up the land to European settlers (French or English) but the conflict between the two countries became too big.

• Native American decided the only way to protect their way of life was to pick sides.

• French – most Native Americans sided with the French.– Algonquins – Hurons

• English– Iroquois

• English made a trade deal with them• the Iroquois were long time enemies of the Algonquins and

Hurons

Native Americans Choose Sides

Date: 1754 – 1763

Called the French and Indian War because it was the English against France and their Native American allies.

Also called the Seven Year’s War.

Fighting BeginsThe French were building forts in the Ohio River Valley.

Governor of Virginia sent a Lt. Col. in the Virginia militia on a diplomatic mission to talk with the French at Fort Dunquesne.

George Washington

George Washington

22 years old

Washington had with him a Seneca Indian chief, Tanacharison.

He hates the French – he claims that the French boiled and ate his father.

French Fort Duquesne

On the way Washington stumbled across French troops.

Nobody knows who fired the first shot.

It lasted 15 minutes.

The French were outnumbered and surprised – Washington’s men killed 10, wounded 1 and took 21 prisoners.

One of the wounded men was Joseph Coulon de Villiers, sieur de Jumonville.

As he sat there he spoke (in French) to Washington – “we came on a peace mission…why did you attack us?”

Before Washington had time to have it translated Tanacharison killed Jumonville.

Fort Necessity Washington built a makeshift fort and waited for reinforcements.

•On July 3rd, 1754 the first French soldiers appeared on the horizon about 600 yards from the fort.

•The slow-paced slaughter lasted for nine hours. •Washington lost 100 men •French lost 5 men

•Washington signed the Articles of Capitulation- in this document he took responsibility for the

“assassination” of Jumonville.

Most of the fighting took place in the Ohio River Valley.

Representatives of seven of the Colonies met in Albany, New York from June 19 – July 11, 1754

-New Hampshire - Connecticut

-New York - Maryland

-Pennsylvania - Massachusetts

-Rhode Island

Albany Congress

Purpose

2. They also wanted to plan a united colonial defense called the Albany Plan of Union.

- It was created by Benjamin Franklin- Grand Council (made up of elected representatives from

each colony.)They would make laws, raise taxes, and set up the

defense of the colonies

1. They wanted to discuss better relations with Indian tribes (Iroquois)

Benjamin Franklin

REJECTED!The colonial assemblies rejected the Plan of Union because they did not

want to give up any of its powers to a central council

The war in North America was not going well for the British in the beginning. They were spread thin on resources because they were also fighting wars in Europe.

WARWAR

William Pitt became the head of the British government in 1757.

He had a new plan for winning the French and Indian War

Focus all attention on winning the war in North America because then they would be free to focus on victory in other parts of the world.

-sent the best generals -offered colonists money for military service and supplies

Fall of New France• Quebec was vital to the defense of New France. Without it they

would not be able to supply their forts farther up the St. Lawrence River.

Battle of the Plains of Abraham• September 13 - 18, 1759• The French thought the cliff was too steep to climb so

they were not defending it.• The British were able to climb the cliff and surprise the

French. The French surrendered• The fall of Quebec sealed the fate of New France

Treaty of Paris 1763

• The fighting between France and Great Britain went on in Europe for several more years. It finally ended in 1763.

Treaty of Paris 17631. Britain gained Canada and all French lands east of the Mississippi River except New Orleans.

Treaty of Paris 17632. Spain, which had entered the war on the French side in 1762, gave up Florida to Britain

Treaty of Paris 17633. Spain received all French land west of the Mississippi and New Orleans

Proclamation of 1763• As the English colonists continued to move west

they clashed with Native Americans• In order to stop conflicts Parliament passed the

Proclamation of 1763.

- Forbid colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains

- All settlers already west of the line were to remove themselves at

once

Britain sent 10,000 troops to enforce it.

The proclamation angered colonists. -Some colonies claimed land in that area -colonists had to pay for the troops there to enforce it.

New ProblemsNow that the French and Indian War was over

Great Britain faced new problems

2. A vast area to administer: Britain had new territories and had to protect the old colonies and maintain peace with the Indians

1. A great national debt: Britain had amassed a huge national debt of about 130 million pounds from the war. (2.5 trillion today)

Prime minister George Grenville decided that the colonists in North America should help share the burden.

Several acts were created to control the colonies and to increase revenue to pay off debt.

This strategy by the British improved revenues tenfold after 1763.

The French and Indian War was fought to protect the colonists so they should help pay for it.

New British Taxes

Sugar Act 1764* put a new tax on molasses

* was lower than an earlier tax on molasses

(combat colonial smuggling)

* the law also made it easier for British officials to bring

colonial smugglers to trial – Grenville wanted to be clear that he expected this tax to be paid

Stamp Act 1765* Placed new duties on legal documents such as wills, marriage papers, and diplomas

* Also taxed dice, cards, newspapers, and almanacs

* All items had to carry a stamp that showed the tax had been paid

Townshend Acts 1767•taxed goods such as paper, paint,

lead and glass

•included the Writs of Assistance which allowed customs officials to search ships cargoes without a reason (no warrants were needed)

•this was a violation of rights guaranteed to British citizens

Colonists ProtestThe colonists, who were ruled minimally from

Britain, enjoyed governing themselves.“No Taxation Without Representation” –

Colonists protested by created and circulated petitions and boycotting British products

Colonists formed the Sons and Daughters of Liberty.

Some more radical colonists showed their dislike of the taxes by holding mock hangings and tarring and feathering tax collectors.

Sons of Liberty attacking a tax collector

Britain’s trade went down by 14% Britain’s trade went down by 14% because of the colonists’ boycotts. because of the colonists’ boycotts.

British merchants petitioned British merchants petitioned parliamentparliament

Parliament repealed the Stamp Act Parliament repealed the Stamp Act in 1766.in 1766.

New Colonial LeadersSam Adams – great organizer of rallies,

protests and public support.

Sons of Liberty

Created the Committees of Correspondence – it was a way to inform colonists of what was happening in Boston Samuel Adams

Mercy Otis Warren – wrote plays criticizing British officials

Mercy Otis Warren

Patrick Henry – lawyer, outstanding public speaker.

Patrick Henry

“Give me liberty or give me death”

John Adams – lawyer, extremely intelligent and well versed in British law

John Adams

Abigail Adams – Helped to advise her husband. Helped to lead women during the independence movement.

Colonial assemblies refused to obey and the British send troops to enforce the law and protect customs officials

Boston Massacre

Boston was a center of protest

Colonists were forced to Quarter British soldiers

(Quartering Act)

March 5, 1770 A crowd gathered outside a customs house.They began throwing ice and snow at the

British soldiersThe crowd grew larger and rowdier and the

soldiers panicked and fired into the crowed.

5 colonists were killed.

Crispus Attucks Crispus Attucks (an African (an African American sailor) American sailor) were the 1st killedwere the 1st killed

The British soldiers were arrested and tried for killing the colonists.

John Adams was their lawyer.

He wanted to prove that the British could get a fair trial in the colonies.

Boston Massacre Trial

Adams successfully defended the British soldiers arguing that the crowd had provoked the soldiers.

Most were acquitted and two were found guilty of manslaughter.

They were branded (M for manslaughter) on the hand and sent back to Britain

Paul Revere made an engraving of the event called “The Bloody Massacre”

The picture misrepresented the event and enraged colonists.

On the same day as the Boston Massacre Parliament repealed most of the Townshend Acts and the Quartering Act.

King George III asked Parliament to retain the tax on tea. “there must always be one tax to keep up the right to tax”

The boycott of British goods ended

Impact of the Boston Massacre

From Protest to RevolutionTea Act 1773

Before the Tea Act: British East India Company bought tea in Asia and sold it to colonial merchants who sold it to the colonists for more than they paid for it

The Tea Act of 1773:British government allowed BEIC to sell directly to colonists, cutting out the colonial merchants. It also added a small tax to the tea.

$4 $6 $8$6 plus tax $6.25

Colonists protested

No Taxation without Representation

hurt colonial merchants

It cut me out of the trade and out of a

job!

Colonists heard of 7 ships with the taxed tea were headed for the colonies.4 -Boston 1- Philadelphia1- New York 1-Charleston

Boston Tea Party

Boston Tea PartyColonists, through protest, were successful in getting all ships to return to England…..except in Boston.No Taxation

without Representation!! We will not allow that tea to enter the colonies!!

Boston Tea PartyProtestors in Boston held a town meeting to

discuss the issue. They asked the Massachusetts governor, Thomas Hutchinson, to have the ships removed from the harbor.

He refused.

"This meeting can do nothing further

to save the country."

Samuel Adams

Boston Tea Party

Sam Adams and the Sons of Liberty, some dressed as Mohawk Indians, boarded the British ships loaded with tea.

They threw 342 chests of tea into the Boston harbor.

Intolerable Acts(Coercive Acts)

The British reacted to the Boston Tea Party by punishing the Boston with a series of 4 laws.

The colonists named the laws the Intolerable Acts because they were so harsh.

Boston must pay!!We must make an example of them!

Boston Port Act

1. They shut down the port of Boston. It would remain closed until the colonists paid for the ruined tea.

Massachusetts Government Act

2. Forbade colonists to hold town meetings more than once a year without the governor’s permission.

This denied the people of Boston the right to make decisions for themselves.

Administration of Justice Act

3. Allowed customs officials charged with a crime to be tried in Britain or Canada.

The troops now felt freer to abuse the colonists.

Quartering Act

4. Forced the lodging of soldiers in private homes.

Quebec Act(considered by some as one of the Intolerable Acts)

The British soon feared the citizens of Quebec would rebel.

Quebec Act After the French and Indian War citizens in Canada became British citizens.

They had to swear allegiance to Britain.

Quebec Act

1. Set up a government for Canada and protected the rights of French Catholics

British Colonists were mostly Protestant and did not like Catholics

Quebec Act

2. Also referred to the land between the Ohio and Missouri rivers as part of Canada.

Some of this land had British colonists living here (Ohio River Valley)

1st Continental Congress

September 1774 –

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

delegates from 12 colonies met (Georgia did not send a delegate).

Who was there?

John Adams (MA)

Samuel Adams (MA)

Patrick Henry (VA)

George Washington (VA)

Passed a resolution backing Massachusetts

Agreed to boycott British goods and stop exporting goods to Britain.

Urged colonies to organize a militia.

Lexington and Concord

• Colonial minutemen began to hide guns and ammo. One stockpile was in Concord, Massachusetts.

• British heard about this and set out to seize the weapons in Concord.

The Sons of Liberty had set up an alarm system.

When the British left Boston for Concord the Sons of Liberty were watching.

“One if by land, two if by sea.”

Old North Church

Paul Revere and other riders rode through towns warning colonists that the “regulars were coming”

Thanks to Revere and the midnight riders the colonists were warned that the British were coming.

Daybreak, April 19th , 1775 the British arrive at Lexington and discover that 70 minutemen were waiting.

The British ordered them to leave. As they were leaving, a shot rang out. Everyone started shooting and by the end 8 colonists were killed.

Nobody knows who fired the first shot; the “shot heard round the world”

British Victory

The British pushed on to Concord where they found no arms.

As they began the journey back to Boston they were met by 300 minutemen.

Fighting broke out again. This time the British were put on the run. 273 British were killed, wounded or missing.

Colonist Victory

• News of Lexington and Concord spread through the colonies and many felt this ended all hopes of a peaceful resolution.

• The battles of Lexington and Concord marked the beginning of the American Revolution.

Old North Bridge