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Loosening Ties
Eight colonies are under the English Government by 1754 including New Jersey, the Carolinas and Georgia. However, the English government made no major efforts (except increasing of rules that supplemented navigation acts and strengthening of the mercantilist program) to restrict the colonies.
A Tradition of Neglect
Parliaments power grew rapidly under George I and George II at the cost of the kings power. o Relied greatly on merchants and landowners whom feared that strengthening of rules would result in a costly increase of taxes (first prime minister Robert Walpole didnt even strictly enforce the navigation acts).
Colonial administration was decentralized! o Agencies responsible for administering laws that were tangled in a large pile of overlapping of responsibilities and confusion of authority. Few officials actually visited America.
Political briberies and customs briberies. By the 1750s American authorities claimed right to levy taxes, make appropriations, approve appointments and pass laws.
Ohio valley, which was filled with refugee Indians and settling French became a potential battleground with introduction of land-hungry English!
Anglo-French Conflicts
After glorious revolution, William III , and Queen Anne begin struggle against France and Spain (it snew ally) due to previous conflict. Wars broke out for 8 years (King Williams war from 1689 to 1697) and produced some clashes in New England. Border fighting with Spanish! England and Spain engage in war of trading rights. This combined with French and English war over Prussia and Austria was King Georges War in colonies o 1744-1748 they engaged in series of conflicts with French in the colonies!
In aftermath of King Georges War all relationships are destroyed in the colonies. In 1749 new fortresses are quickly built in Ohio Valley and military operations grew rapidly. Tensions continued to increase! o In 1754 government of Virginia sent a militia under George Washington to challenge French expansion with Fort Necessity not far from fort Duquesne (French). Washington surrendered when attacked.
Phase 2 (1756): 7 years war spreads but main struggle remains in the New World! o William Pitt takes over and transforms war effort by bringing in British control. Forcibly enlists colonists. Officers seize tools and supplies from citizens without compensation.
Due to William Pitts new and harsh war techniques, riots broke out (i.e. New York 1757) and they threatened to bring the war effort to a halt.
Phase 3 (1758): To settle riots he agreed to reimburse colonists for all supplies.
Sent large number of troops to America and upped enlistment via colonial assemblies. Generals James Amherst and James Wolfe captured fortress at Louisburg, Duquesne and Quebec. In September 1760 the French formally surrender to Amherst in Montreal.
Effects included extreme cruelty on part of the English. Peace of Paris came after resignation of Pitt who wanted to continue hostilities. The Peace of Paris was signed in 1763. Canada and all other French Territory East of Mississippi except New Orleans went to Great Britain. French ceded all territory to the West of the Mississippi to Spain, thus losing all territory in North America except New England. Americans benefited from selling food etc. during conflict while the English did not financially. The war forced a common foe upon the American colonies (Britain) due to new acts and policies being impressed in 1756-1758. Communal army and Indian tribes had been destroyed aside from Iroquois whom were still weakened.
Burdens of Empire
Difficult to control colonies in 1758 when Pitt was forced to relax his policies and now the colonials were unwilling to be taxed and in defiance of regulations of the British. Territorial annexations of 1763 were debated by the old commercial imperialists and the new territorial ones. Territorializes prevailed and the once French territories began to grow. Arguments that moving in too quickly could stir conflict and that hunting ground would be destroyed. Colonial governments made conflicting claims over land.
In 1760 King George III gains crown with a staggering war debt to fix. o o Extremely insecure and intellectually and psychologically limited. Not equipped to handle the challenges he placed upon himself.
George Greenville Prime Minister in 1763. Brother-in-law of Pitt who had opposite point of view (saw that the colonists should be compelled to obey laws and pay Britain, the administering empire.
John Stuart was in charge of Southern Indian affairs and Sir William Johnson in charge of Northern affairs. Both are sympathetic to the Native Americans. Proclamation fails to meet the modest expectations of Native Americans. Proclamation fails due to white encroachment, and new treaties are drawn up. Treaties continue to fail and the new treaties continue to cut deeper into Native American territory.
New imperial method was to reinforce the mercantile system however colonists greatly resented these new regulations. Resistance included a band of people in 1763 by the name of the Paxton Boys descending on Philadelphia in search of colonial money to defend themselves from Indians. o This shows those in the borderlands constantly were underrepresented.
In 1771 a small scale civil war known as the Regulator movement broke out in North Carolina. Members of the upcountry opposed high taxes. The West was badly represented. They armed themselves and rose against Governor William Tryon. o Tryon raised an army whom defeated 2,000 Regulators in the Battle of Alamance.
The Grenville Program increased the burden of taxation and closed manufacturing opportunities. The majority of the colonists believed they suffered from this. In 1763, economic bust from war lead England to impose more taxes lead to severe postwar depression. Economically, it became apparent that something was wrong. Unemployment rates were up. Colonists politically long for the self-rule that they always had. Destroying provincial assemblies and creating salaries to royal officials from tax money lead to political discontent from the colonists.
Stirrings of Revolt
The victorious war for empire gave colonists an incentive to demand more political support and at the same time gave the British to a strengthened belief that tightening of administration was needed. These are directly conflicting interests
The Stamp Act differed from all other taxes as it was not an attempt to regulate commerce but an attempt to raise money. Colonists were afraid this might set precedence for more taxes. Group of young Virginian aristocrats in hopes to change Virginian politics by challenging the tidewater planters attacked the stamp act. o Patrick Henry made a dramatic speech to the House of Burgesses that predicted that the present policies must be revised or George III would lose his head. o Patrick Henry wrote Virginia Resolves a list of resolutions that declared Americans the same rights of English (especially regarding local taxes). The House of Burgesses shot most down, but they were printed and circulated. James Otis of Massachusetts called forth an intercolonial congress that (1765) sent a petition to the king and parliament stating they should only be taxed via provincial assemblies. The Sons of Liberties take the law into their hands during the summer of 1765 and rioted all along the cost. In Boston, loyal aristocrats along with government Hutchinson were attacked. The British backed off not because of petitions or riots but because of the economic pressure that the colonial boycott had caused. Enforced by the Sons of Liberties, the boycott of the stamp act marked stories of unemployment, poverty and discontent. Stamp act was repealed via pressure from Marquis of Rockingham (new prime minister) but a new act, the Declaratory Act which stated Parliament had authority ver the colony in all cases whatsoever was created.
New taxes including lead, paint, paper and tea: known as the Townshend duties. Although at first Townshend believed the taxes would be acceptable as they were external the colonists still saw them as taxation without consent. The Massachusettes Assembly lead in opposing the measures by circulating a letter to all colonial governments for them to stand up against every tax internal and external imposed by parliament. At first this went no where but when Lord Hillsborough warned the assemblies endorsing the letter could make them dissolved, Massachusetts remained against, with support. Townshend also created a new board of customs in America meant to stop corruption in colonial custom houses (successful-ending smuggling in Boston, but hated). Boycotts of the Townshend Duties. o Begins with Philadelphia and New York but spreads. o Townshend dies in 1767 and Lord North takes over. He repeals Townshend acts but leaves tea.
Colonists believed that the English government was fair because the monarchy, aristocracy and common people were able to check each other. However, when the monarch began having too much power, the unbalance aggravated Americans. Americans believed they should be taxed only with their own consent or greater and more horrible consequences may emerge. Virtual vs. Actual representation issues emerge between Britain and the colonies. America wanted sovereignty that Britain was not prepared to give.
The Quebec Acts were made to provide a civil government for Roman Catholics but raised anger in the colonies as the colonists saw it as a threat from their propaganda influenced eyes. o Those who were interested in Western lands saw it as an attempt to block them. o Religiously, some saw it is the tyranny of the pope (blinded by religion). Consequences of this act caused other colonies to rise up in support for Massachusetts and women to find replacements to commodities they were shunning.
fired. The goal of these were to separate the radical population from the majority of the population