Chapter 4 Study Guide

The Empire In Transition

I. Powerful Colonial Legislatures:

-American assemblies has claimed the right to levy taxes, make appropriations,
approve appointments, and pass laws for their colonies
-Assemblies had leverage over the governor through their control of the
colonial budget and they could circumvent the Privy Council
The Colonies Divided:
-a conference of colonial leaders with delegates from Penn, Maryland, New York, and
New England was meeting in Albany in that year to negotiate a treaty with the
Iroquois
-Albany Plan: Ben Franklin proposed a plan by which Parliament would set up in
America one general government for all the colonies (except Georgia and Nova
Scotia); central government would have a president general appt. and paid by the
king
New France and the Iroquois Nation:
-Crisis began in part because of expansion of French presence in America in late 17 th
century
Frances North American empire: Fort Louisburg, guarded approach of St. Lawrence,
Montreal, New Orleans, Biloxi, and Mobile to the east
-Shared territories with large and powerful Indian population in regions labeled
middle grounds
-France offered Indians tolerance; settlers adjusted their own behavior to Indian
patterns; better relations with Indians than the English
Iroquois Confederacy: consisted of Mohawk, Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, and Oneida
formed commercial relationship with English and Dutch although they continued to
trade with the French
-Principal area of conflict: Ohio Valley which the French claimed and several
competing Indian tribes lived there and English settlement was expanding into it
and the Iroquois were trying to settle there; potential battleground
Anglo-French Conflicts: Queen Anne ascended the throne after William and carried
Anglo-French wars that cont. for 80 years
-King Williams War: clashes between the English and French in north New England
and Queen Annes War continued for 12 years with Spaniards and Indians
-Treaty of Utrecht brought conflict to a close in 1712 giving French territory to
English
-Aftermath of King Georges War: relations among English, French, and Iroquois
deteriorated
-Fort Necessity: sent George Washington to Ohio Valley to challenge French
expansion; third of them died and Washington surrendered; clash marked start of
war
The Great War for the Empire:
-General Edward Braddock failed to retake the crucial site at the forks of the Ohio
Valley where Washington had lost the battle; French and Indian killed Braddock
2nd phase: governments of France and England formally opened hostilities and a
truly international conflict began; war was marked by a complex system of alliances:
-France allied with Austria; England allied with Prussia
-William Pitt planned strategy and enlisted colonists impressment in militia.
3rd phase: French outnumbered by British colonists and were seizing French
stronghold; Amherst and Wolfe seized Louisburg but Duscquene fell without fight
-Siege of Quebec: Amherst seized French territorial Quebec and a year later, French
army surrendered to Amherst in Montreal
-British achieved most of Pitts aims in the Peace of Paris signed in 1763
Peace of Paris:
-G.B. got Canada and east of Mississippi, except New Orleans; French ceded New
Orleans and west of Missi. To Spain
Consequences of victory to the Indians:
-The Iroquois confederacy that allied with British only fared a little better than those
who allied with the French; contested English for Ohio Valley
New Imperialism:
-English was at peace but in debt from war
-Unwilling to be taxed by Parliament to support war effort, colonists were reluctant
to tax themselves as well
-Mercantilists wanted England to return Canada to France in exchange for
Guadeloupe, the most commercially valuable of the French sugar islands in West
Indies; terrotorialists prevailed however
Landlords and merchants were objecting to increases in what they already
considered high taxes
Necessity of numbers of British troops on the Indian border was adding even
more to the cost of defending American settlements
Could not rely on cooperation from colonial govts.
Only taxation system administered from London would help
George III became king and removed Whigs because of mistrust
-George had many shortcomings and contributed to instability
Grenville: prime minister in 1763 and said the colonists must obey the laws and pay
a cost of defending the empire
British and the Tribes:
-When English settlers moved into Ohio Valley, tribes under Pontiac struck back
In response: Proclamation of 1763 forbade settlers to advance beyond a line drawn
along the App. Mountains
Benefits: British could control white settlement, slow exodus from coastal colonies,
where Englands most important markets and investments were, and would reserve
opportunities for fur trading and land speculation
-John Stuart in charge of Indian affairs in S. colonies & William Johnson in the N.
The Colonial Response:
Sugar Act of 1764: designed in part to eliminate the illegal sugar trade between the
continental colonies and the French and Spanish West Indies
Currency Act of 1764: required colonial assemblies to stop issuing paper money
Stamp Act of 1765: imposed a tax on most printed docs in the newspapers,
pamphlets, etc.
Effect: British officials were soon collecting more than 10x as much annual revenue
from America before 1763; created problems
Bad Results:
-Paxton Boys demanded relief from colonial taxes and for money to help them
defend themselves against the Indians; only made concessions to them
-Small civil war broke out from Regulator Movement in North Carolina; farmers who
organized opposition to high taxes that local sheriffs collected
-To suppress, William Tyron (governor) raised an army of militiamen
defeated them
Stirrings of Revolt:
Effects of Stamp Act: direct attempt by England to raise revenue in the colonies
without consent of colonial assemblies
House of B. sounded the trumpet of sedition when committed treason and said
that if he does not revoke the policies, George III will lose his head. (Led by Patrick
Henry)
-Created the Virginia Resolves when H. of B defeated not all of Henrys resolutions.
-Sons of Liberty: 1st terrorist group
-Rockingham who succeeded PM Grenville killed the Stamp Act
-In response, Parliament passed the Declatory Act asserting its authority over the
colonies in all cases whatsoever
Townshend Program: named after Charles Townshend; purpose was to raise
revenue in the colonies to pay the salaries of governors and judges so that they
would remain loyal to G.B., to create a more effective way of enforcing compliance
with trade regulations, to punish NY for failing to comply w. Quartering Act, and to
est. that Parliament had the right to tax the colonies
Resulted in: Boston Massacre: British army soldiers killed 5 male civilians and
injured six others; Crispus Atticks was killed
-Samuel Adams became part of opposition to the British rule and proposed
creation of committee of correspondence to publicize the grievances against
England
Englands balanced constitution: checked balances between the monarchy,
aristocracy, and common people (king was becoming too powerful and was
becoming corrupt)
-No taxation without representation: people werent represented in parliament
Tea Excitement:
-Occasional acts of rebellion: residents of Rhode Island boarded the Gaspee and set
it afire and sank it in Narragansett Bay; sent defendants to England for trial instead
of colonial courts
Tea Act: permitted the company to sell tea directly to colonists without colonist
middlemen (cheaper tea) and American colonists were upset
-Was supposed to convince colonists to purchase Company tea on which the
Townshend duties were paid, this implicitly agreeing to accept Parliaments right of
taxation
 -Resistance leaders argued that it was another example of results of
unconstitutional tax; responded by boycotting tea (Boston Tea Party)
Coercive or Intolerable Acts:
1. Port Bill: shut down Port of Mass. Until they pay reparations for tea
2. Govt Act: no more local governments
3. New Quartering Act: took away pay for housing soldiers
4. Admin. Of Justice Act: all courts were controlled by British
Quebec Act: controlled by the British; was to provide govt for French speaking in
Canada and granted rights to Roman Catholics
Cooperation and War:
Samuel Adams made comm. Of corresp. And then Virginia called 1 st Continental
Congress: 55 delegates from 12 colonies and Rhode Island did not show up
Respond to acts: 1 vote per colony represented at Penn. State House
5 major decisions:
1. Rejected Galloways plan for a colonial union under British authority
2. Endorsed statement of grievances with language reflecting extremists and
moderates
3. Approved that colonists make military preparations for defense against possible
attack by British troops in Boston
4. Agreed to means for stopping all trade with G.B. continental association
5. Agreed to meet again to continue congress
Conciliatory Propositions: parliament proposed that colonies would tax themselves
at their demand
Lexington and Concord: Thomas Gage sent 1000 soldiers out from Boston and
intend to surprise colonials
-British had lost almost three times as many men as the Americans