American Revolution

The French and Indian War left England with a huge war debt. How were they going to pay? Tax the colonists, of course!

Taxing was one source of revenue but there were other restrictions on trade and migration which would benefit the English government.

A restriction on migration included the Proclamation of 1763 which forbade colonists from settling west of an imaginary line which ran from Canada down to Georgia along the Appalachian mountains. The proclamation was supposed to protect settlers from hostile Indians as well as restrict trade between them.

Other new acts of taxation came into effect including the Sugar and Stamp Acts, Townshend Acts, and the Tea Act. These acts taxed everyday items and were supposed to prevent contraband trade.

The reaction to the Stamp Act, which basically taxed anything that was printed, included rioting and threats of revolution. The Stamp Act was repealed and replaced with the Townshend Act.

In reaction to the Townshend Act, Colonists boycotted English made goods.

In 1770, Bostonians feel that the British troops are more of a threat than protection. A crowd of angry civiliants taunt British soldiers that are guarding the Boston Customs House. The soldiers fire on 11 of them resulting in 5 deaths including Crispus Attucks, the first African-American killed in the American Revolution. This incident served as propaganda for anti-British colonists.

In reaction to the tea tax, a group of colonists disguised themselves as Mohawk Indians and boarded three ships carrying tea. They then dumped the tea into Boston Harbour. This would later be known as the Boston Tea Party.

Boston Merchants offered to pay for the tea but England passed a set of four new laws to punish the colonists for the lost tea and revenue collectively known as the Coersive Act.

The Coersive Act included: The Boston Port Act, The Massachusettes Government Act, The Impartial Administration of Justice Act and The Quartering Act.

England Passed a 5th law, The Quebec Act, that allowed French Canadians (now British Citizens) to continue their way of life. This was an act to prevent an uprising in Canada.

The four laws of the Coersive Act plus the Quebec Act were known as the Intolerable Act.

The First Continental Congress met in Philadelpha in September of 1774 and produced a "Declaration of rights" that asked for Peace, Liberty, and Security.

As the revolution begins colonists form Militias, citizen soldiers, and Minutemen, militia units ready to respond on a minute's notice to any threat from British troops

In 1775, the British are marching toward Concord, Massachusetts to search for a suspected munitions storage site. The minutemen are warned by Paul Revere, William Dawes, and a third rider, Dr. Samuel Prescott.

The minutemen meet the British troops at Lexington and skirmish with them. This is the first battle of the American Revolution and the "Shot heard around the world".

To help suppress the revolution, Lord Dunmore passes a proclamation offering freedom to all "indented servents, nergroes, or others, who would help put down the rebellion"

The Second Continental Congress met on May 10, 1775 and had two main goals: raise and supply and army and explore reconciliation with England.

The Second Continental Congress also chose George Washington as the Continental Army's Commander.

June 1775- Bunker Hill. The battle started at Breed's Hill and while the British lost more men, they were still victorious. The Continental soldiers volleyed at close range making their aim deadly.

The "Tyrant" we were fighting against was King George III.

On July 4, 1776, a formal statement was adopted by the Second Continental Congress declaring independence from England. The author was a young Virginian named Thomas Jefferson. The Declaration of Independence listed justifications for rebellion and declared the colonies to be independent of Britain.

On December 26, 1776, Washington captured a Hessian garrison wintering in Trenton, New Jersey. Hessians were soldiers hired by the British to fight the American rebels.

Reconciliation came in the form of the Olive Branch Petition. It was rejected by England.

The Boston Massacre was only one form of justification for independence. A pamphlet called "Common Sense", written by Thomas Paine, aka T Paine, laid out a lively and compelling case for independence.

Here are some of the revolutionary population:

Militia- citizen soldiers

Regulars - full-time soldiers

Loyalists - those loyal to England, aka "tories"

One man's hero is another man's traitor. And so was the case of General Benedict Arnold who took command of West Point only to have planned on surrendering it to the British. His plan was revealed when his courier was captured. Arnold then served in the British Army but was never trusted.

The Battle of Saratoga was a decisive American victory. After battles along the Hudston river, the British surrendered. This battle influenced the French to formally sign an alliance with the Americans and join the war.

The winter of 1777 -1778 at Valley Forge, PA was hard on the Continental Army. 2,000 men died from sickness and 8 to 10 men deserted per day. Most were starving and barefoot in the frigid cold winter.

Baron Friedrich von Steuben from Prussia helped train the Continental Army. The army had received money, loans, uniforms and weapons from other sources--France, Spain, Holland. Strict military training was lacking in the Continental Army and von Steuben's training changed them into professional soldiers.

With France as an American ally, Spain also joined in the war as an ally to France because of the Bourbon Family Compact. Both France and Spain were ruled by the same family, the Bourbons.

Spain's role in the American revolution included the blockade of the Mississippi River and fighting the British in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.

Governor Bernardo de Galvez, namesake of Galveston, was successful in defeating the British at the Battle of Saratoga which gave Florida back to Spain.

General Cornwallis, the commander of the British Army was outnumbered and out of provisions when General Washington and Compte de Rochanbeau from France met him at Yorktown, Virginia. Cornwallis surrendered and instead of surrendering his sword to Washington in person, he sent his second in command. Washington did the same.

Fighting would go on for another two years around the world: Caribbean, Atlantic, and India.

The treaty that ended the war and gave America its independence was the Treaty of Paris 1783.

French and Indian War

In 1754, England found itself in another war with France (after a series of wars which spread from Europe to the New World). This new war began as a dispute over the Ohio Valley. New England trappers were fierce competition against French trappers.

As the French began to extend their claim from Canada into the Ohio Valley, they built forts along the way. A young British major named George Washington was sent to kindly tell the French that they were encroaching on English land and that they should leave so the two sides could remain at peace with each other.

The first answer was "non". Washington then returned a group of Indian allies and armed Virginians who skirmished with a French encampment. Washington and his men then retreated and built Ft. Neccessity. The French attacked the fort and killed a significant number of men. Washington surrendered and was sent back to Virginia.

France had many early victories during the war including the capture of Ft. William Henry. However, the outcome of the war favored the British when their navy sailed toward France's two major settlements, Quebec and Montreal. After both French settlements fell, France surrendered. The formal treaty that ended the French and Indian War was The Treaty of Paris 1763.

18th Century New England Immigration

Between 1700 and 1770, New England colonies became more diverse. By 1770, the colonies became less Anglo and less white. Immigrants included Scots, Scots-Irish, Africans, Germans as well as a small percentage of English.

Many came for different reasons--either to escape war or poverty. Each group brought different religions and of course, language and culture.

While European immigrants came by choice, those from Africa did not. Most were slaves or servants. They are an example of forced migration.

Slavery in the colonies varied by region. Slaves in the north, if ever used, were used mostly for domestic work or raising livestock. Slaves in the south were primarily used for agriculture as southern crops depended on slave labor -- tobacco, rice, indigo, sugar, etc. Slave labor was necessary for he southern economy and to provide the old world with new world products.

For some, slavery and indentured servitude were the same thing. However, an indentured servant was only under a master for 4 to 7 years, while slaves were under complete control for their entire lives.

Some servants and slaves were able to buy their freedom. Olaudah Equiano (Gustavus Vass) was able to buy his freedom and publish his own narrative. He mentions how he was kidnapped and how he spent most of his life as a sailor.

African contributions to the new world include the banjoy, sweet potato, and musical rhythms.

The 18th Century also experienced The Great Awakening. Revivals led by George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards along with other preachers brought a new sense of spiritual enlightenment to the colonies.

Exam I

Exam I will consist of 70 questions - all multiple choice. I will provide the scantrons, just bring a pencil and maybe a lucky charm if needed. Good luck.

Also, today at 12:30, Pastors for Peace will be speaking about their Caravan through Mexico to Cuba. This will be in G-191.

Read Chapter 5 for tomorrow.

Monday's Main Topics

Northern and Middle Colonies

Maryland - haven for Catholics

Lord Baltimore

Pilgrims

Plymouth

Massachussetts Bay Colony

John Winthrop

Masoset

Squanto

New Amsterdam

New York

Charles I

Oliver Cromwell

Charles II

Duke of York

Manhattan

Manhate

Peter Minuit

New Jersey

Pennsylvania

William Penn

Quakers

Salem Wytche Trials

Navigation Acts

King Phillip's War

Southern Colonies

The Southern Colonies we discussed were early English settlements on the eastern coast of the U.S.

Roanoake

Jamestown

John Smith

Pocohantas

John Rolfe

Algonquin

Trade between the English and Indians

Tobacco trade

Virginia Company

Joint Stock Exchange

James I

Protestant Reformation

English Reformation

Henry VIII

Mary I "Bloody Mary"

Edward VI

Puritanism

Persecution of Puritans

Spanish Exploration

Treaty of Tordesillas

Geographic Revolution and Columbian Exchange

Race for land - England: John Cabot

Spanish Exploration:

Amerigo Vespucci

Vasco Nunez de Balboa

Ferdinand Magellan

Portugal: Pedro Alvares Cabral

Martin Waldeemüller

Spanish Exploration and Conquest of Mexico

Hernan Cortes

Malinali

Montezuma

Francisco Pizarro

Juan Ponce de Leon

Lucas Vazquez de Ayllon

Panfilo de Narvaez

Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca

Hernando de Soto

Francisco Vasquez de Coronado

Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo

Spaniards vs. Aztecs

New Spain in the Sixteenth Century

Royal Fifth

Encomienda System

Social Hierachy defined by national origin or race