If This Be Treason. Married Martha Dandridge Custis She was a widow with 2 children Very wealthy She...
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Transcript of If This Be Treason. Married Martha Dandridge Custis She was a widow with 2 children Very wealthy She...
If This Be Treason
Chapter 7
Married Martha Dandridge CustisShe was a widow with 2 childrenVery wealthyShe and Washington did not have children of
their ownWashington oversaw the Custis White House
PlantationNear Williamsburg
Capital of colonial VirginiaLife of a farmerOwned slaves
Reports say he treated them well
Washington
Lawmaking body of the Colony of VirginiaMet at Williamsburg
Washington electedPatrick Henry
“Caesar had his Brutus. Charles the First his Cromwell, and George the Third… may profit by their example.”
“If this be treason, make the most of it!”
House of Burgesses
Stamp Act (1765): Required colonists to pay tax on all official documentsTax came in form of a stamp/seal Needed for all legal documents, diplomas, licenses,
newspapers, etc.Parliament and King George III created the
Stamp Act to pay for French and Indian WarParliament figured the war was for America, so
Americans should pay for itParliament could search colonial storehouses in
New England for smuggled goodsTrials held at “admiralty courts” by the British navy
Not at courts with colonial juries
Stamp Act
Colonists upsetSaw themselves as EnglishmenDid not feel like they were being treated
equallyBelieved only their local assemblies could tax
themParliament had never directly taxed them beforeSince they were not represented in Parliament,
they believed Parliament shouldn’t tax them
Sons of LibertyLed by Samuel AdamsMore radical protest styleColonial revolutionaries
Sons of Liberty
Stamp Act Congress (1765)Representatives from 9 colonies met in NYCDeclared that Parliament could not tax themAlso declared trial by jury was a right for all
Englishmen, and the King and Parliament couldn’t take it away
England repealed the Stamp Act in March 1766
Stamp Act Congress
Most colonists thought life would go back to normal after repeal of the Stamp Act
Declaratory ActParliament had direct control over when and
how it taxed the coloniesDidn’t upset most Americans
Radicals were upset, however
Declaratory Act
Charles Townshend became Chancellor of the Exchequer for EnglandGiven the power to taxWanted to punish colonists for rebellion against
Stamp ActTownshend Acts
New taxes on English made items sent to coloniesTax on tea imported by the British East India Co.
Massachusetts Assembly wrote a letter in protestLetter angered British Secretary for the Colonies Demanded they take it back or he would disband
themThey didn’t, he took away their authority and ability to
meet
Townshend Acts
Mob in Boston attacked a British customs officerBritish troops sent to BostonUpset radicals more
Sam Adams called for revolution
Massachusetts decided action would be foolish because British army was too powerful
New Prime Minister in EnglandRepealed Townshend Taxes
Except the taxation of tea
Reaching a Boiling Point
Bostonian mob threw rocks and icy snowballs at British guard outside the customs house
20 British soldiers called in for reinforcementDid not attack
One soldier hit with clubFiredRest ordered not to fire
Did anyway3 colonists dead, 2 mortally wounded
Sons of Liberty termed it a “massacre”Spread pamphlets and an engraving to fire
people up
Boston Massacre
British soldiers put on trialJohn Adams to defend the British
Only lawyer willing to do soCousin of Sam Adams
Adams argued they were provoked by the mob, and the British government was more to blameBritish were acquitted (found not guilty)
At Trial
Tea expensiveEast India Co. could only sell tea to British
merchantsThese merchants then sold it to colonists
Townshend ActsSmuggled tea cost less
Sons of Liberty had ties to these smugglersNew law in 1773 allowed East India Co. to sell
directly to colonistsCheaper now than smuggled teaOnly could sell to merchants with no ties to
smugglersRadicals protested
Said England was playing favorites
Tea Time
NY and Philly stopped East India Co.’s ships from entering harbor
Boston allowed ships in stillEven though it was a more radical city
Dec 16, 1773 Sons of Liberty sent a message to Mass. Gov. Hutchinson demanding he force the ships to leave Governor refused
150 colonials dressed like Mohawk IndiansRowed to tea shipsEmptied 343 large boxes of tea into the harbor
Boston Tea Party
Part II
Passed in response to the Boston Tea Party1st one: Boston Port Act
Ordered harbor closed until all spilled tea was paid for
British navy blockaded, Redcoats occupied cityPrivate citizens had to “quarter” RedcoatsMassachusetts Government Act
Certain gov. offices now chosen by the royal governorInstead of being elected, as they had beenLower judges, justices of the peace, and sheriffs
Turned many people against the British
Coercive Acts
Citizens met at Faneuil HallDrew up the Solemn League and Covenant
Not to export/import to/from with Great BritainSent this to the other colonies as well
House of Burgesses (VA) decided to stand with BostonWashington wanted them to join so that the British
could be stopped from taking their liberties as wellRoyal Gov. of VA dissolved the House of
BurgessesThey met at Raleigh Tavern insteadDecided that they should definitely join the Solemn
League and Covenant
Faneuil Hall
Meeting of Colonies at PhiladelphiaAll thought Britain had been acting unjustly
Disagreement as to what they should do about itLoyalists = torriesRadicalsMost people were in the middle
Wrote “Declarations and Resolves”Declared colonists had certain rights as citizens,
through their charters, and from natureNo king could take away these natural rights
Challenged Parliament to repeal Coercive ActsOr the colonies would block all British
imports/exports
First Continental Congress
Many British commoners’ were upset at treatment of colonistsSome talk of Parliament giving into colonist’s
demandsKing and most in Parliament wanted to get
tougherHarsh laws against New England Harsh trade laws
NE could only trade w/ England and Ireland
Upset colonists moreNot enough to make most of them want to
rebel
England's Response
Loyalists impatient that British army had done little about radicals
General Gage felt pressure to do somethingKnew the rebels were storing arms at Worcester
and ConcordWanted to capture patriots there too
Patriots found out about the plan through their spiesUsed couriers to warn colonists about British
comingLanterns in tower of Boston’s Old North ChurchOne if by land, two if by sea
Paul Revere was one of the couriersRode, warning people “the British are coming”
Midnight Ride of Paul Revere
MinutemenPatriots who were ready to assemble to fight at a
minute’s noticeMinutemen gathered at Lexington
APR 19, 1775Warned not to fire unless fired upon
Major John Pitcairn led the British into LexingtonOrdered minutemen to lay down their arms
Rebels began to retreat behind a stone wallPitcairn sent soldiers to stop themShots rang out
Redcoats then fired volley against Pitcairn’s orders 10 Patriots killed, 9 wounded
Slaughter at Lexington
News spread quickly, upset colonists against British
Redcoats marched to Concord4 miles from Lexington
2 battalions of minutemen already therePatriots retreated over bridge, settled on a
ridgeBritish lined up under the ridge, but over the
bridgeDangerous position
2 hours of tension
Gathering at Concord
British realized they were in a bad positionPatriots advanced, Brits retreatedPatriot militia opened fire
Killed 7, wounded 5
British retreated all the way to LexingtonPatriots ambushed them w/ guerilla warfare
the whole wayFrustrated British
Met up with more British troops at Lexington, fled to BostonBritish: 73 killed, 200 woundedPatriots: 49 killed, 41 wounded
Clash at Concord
News spread to other coloniesPeople came from other colonies to join the
Massachusetts's militiaBritish army besieged Boston
Aftermath