AOS 1 Flashcards
(35 cards)
Salutary Neglect
The policy of avoiding strict enforcement of parliamentary laws meant to keep American colonies obedient to England
Mercantilism
A belief that the colonies only existed for the financial benefit of England
Natural Rights
Rights you are born with, including the right to liberty (meaning freedom to say and do what you want as long as it doesn’t interfere with others liberty), life and property.
The Enlightenment and how it relates to the colonists:
Based on reason and logic - not logical to be taxed on a government we haven’t voted for
Enlightenment celebrated natural rights - inalienable (can’t be taken away)
Importance of individual liberty, Americans overthrew individual liberty
Happiness (Natural right), being ruined by proclamation line
Emerging idea (james otis) no taxation without representation
Gave colonists justification to testify the taxes imposed
French and Indian War, date and significance
Date: 1754-1763
Significance:
Britain wanted to drive the French out of Fort Duquesne and sent George Washington to do so, however instead he started a gun fight that resulted in him having to surrender to the French.
After this a war broke out between the two nations over a matter of land and resources. Both nations wanted area in America to utilise for resources and for Britain to use the area to mercantilise. The war lasted for 9 years and ended when the Treaty of Paris was signed. However post war Britain fell into a 130 million pound debt and began to tax the colonies and ended ‘Salutary Neglect’
The Albany Congress, date, and significance
Date: July 10, 1754
Significance:
Britain believed the colonies needed to be unified under one single government as opposed to their previously autonomy way of governing. This was as Britain was preparing for a possible war over land with France and knew in uniting the colonies that they would be a stronger force as opposed to not being unified in which they would lose, hence the engraving ‘Join or Die’. The Albany Proposal was to be signed at the Albany Congress and would unify all 13 colonies under one rule that was overseen by the British government. However only 7 of the 13 colonies were present at the meeting indicating that the colonies did not accept the idea of unifying under British rule and were happy with their previous autonomy.
The Treaty of Paris, date and significance
Date: 10th of February 1763
Significance:
The Treaty of Paris was signed to end the French and Indian war and placed all land east of the Mississippi River, as well as modern-day Canada, under the control of England; the French were removed as a political force in America.
London took a much closer interest in colonial laws and policy; unchecked and unregulated expansion into the vacant western territories would lead to conflict with the natives and remnant French settlers.
The Proclamation Act, date, evidence and significance
Date: October 7, 1763
Evidence:
“And we require all persons whatsoever, who have either wilfully or inadvertently seated themselves upon the lands . . . Above described . . . Forthwith to remove themselves from such settlements . . . and to the end that the Indians may be convinced of our justice” – Proclamation Act 1763.
Significance:
Issued by King George the III after the French and Indian War, it fabade all colonists to settle past the Appalachian Mountains.
This came after a a pan-tribal confederacy led by Ottawa chief Pontiac rose up in rebellion. The British realized that the Native Americans were not fond of them so did not allow to colonists to settle on their land in order to avoid future conflict and possible war - meaning the British would need to spend more money they simply did not have after the French and Indian War. The Proclamation of 1763 was developed so that the colonial settlers in America were protected from Indian attacks and the Indians land was protected from colonial encroachment.
The Proclamation Act, colonial response
Some anger because they felt the British were limiting them and imposing on their liberty. Did not cause much anger
The Sugar Act, date, evidence and significance
Date: 1764
Evidence:
‘No taxation without representation’
‘(The Sugar Act created) a greater alarm within the country than the taking of Fort William Henry (by the French on the western frontier) did in 1757’ Governor Bernard of Massachusetts.
‘Our colonies can’t carry the burden of this tax’ Stephen Hopkins
“The Sugar Act (Grenville’s American revenue Act) was parliament’s first law for the specific purpose of raising money in the colonies” (Howard Zinn)
Significance:
The British added tax on sugar and sugar products as a result of paying for the 130 million pound debt incurred after the French and Indian war. The colonist we not pleased as they believed they could not be taxed by the British government without receiving representation in parliament. Many colonists began to participate in protests against the matter.
Merchants had been required to pay a tax of sixpence (dropped to three pence in order to strictly enforce) per gallon on the importation of foreign molasses.
Repealed in 1765 due to the overwhelming anger from the colonists.
Colonial leaders did not agree with the act.
The Sugar Act. colonial response
Created Effigies to intimidation, engravings
Protests
Wrote pamphlets - James Otis (The Rights of the Colonists) - ‘No taxation without representation’ and ‘Violated natural rights’
The Quartering Act, date and significance
Date: 1765
Significance:
Was an Act to house the British troops in the Colonists homes, when the British brought over 10,000 soldiers they worked out they had nowhere to house them - so they made the colonists and paid them for housing the troops.
The Quartering Act, colonial response
The colonists were against the act and felt as though by housing the soldiers was making them look accepting of the British actions
The Stamp Act, date, evidence, significance
The Stamp Act
Date: Passed in March 22, 1765
Evidence:
“Through this Act, the British were taxing the colonial population to pay for the French war, in which colonists had suffered to expand the British Empire.” - Howard Zinn,
‘Entitled to all liberties, privileges and immunities’ - Virginia Resolves
Significance:
Was essentially an act passed that created a taxation on any piece of printed paper used in the colonies. Each piece of paper had to be stamped.
The Stamp Act, colonial responses
Debates, such as the Virginia Resolves by Patrick Henry
Protest, petitioning, boycotts (Sons of liberty)
Non compliance to the law
Engravings - ‘O the fateful stamp’
Intimidation of Oliver Hutchinson
If this new tax were allowed to pass without resistance, the colonists reasoned, the door would be open for far more troublesome taxation in the future.
The Stamp Act Congress, date, evidence, significance
Date: October 19th, 1765
Evidence:
‘With the warmest sentiments of affection’
‘Entitled to all the inherent rights and liberties’
‘That no taxes be imposed on them, but with their own consent’
‘Will be extremely burdensome and grievous’
Significance:
It was a congress held in New York and was attended by twenty-seven representatives from what has been known throughout American history as the thirteen colonies. The meeting paved the way to the ‘Declaration of Rights and Grievances of the Colonists’, which stated that there should be no taxes imposed on Colonists without their consent or receive a tax from a body which they have no representative in.
In 1766 the Stamp Act was repeal, partly due to the congress.
The Declaratory Act, date and significance
Date: March 18th 1766
Significance:
Was an act passed on the day of the repeal of the stamp act. The act allowed for the British to impose any laws or taxes on the colonists.
The Declaratory Act, colonial response
The colonists were too excited about to repeal of the stamp act to fully understand the declaratory act.
The Townshend Duties, date, evidence and significance
Date: 1767
Evidence:
“Another Act of Parliament which appears to me to be unconstitutional and as destructive to liberty of these colonies.” – Letters from a Farmer
“Clearly conceived his scheme as a way of habituating Americans to the payment of new taxes” – Jack Rakove
Significance:
A series of measures introduced into the English Parliament by Chancellor of the Exchequer Charles Townshend. The Townshend Acts imposed duties on glass, lead, paints, paper and tea imported into the colonies. Taxed anything that needed to be imported into the colonies. Was used for the purpose of Mercantilism and to assert the power of Britain in the colonies. Colonists began to show discontent again.
Also used to pay governor’s, when previously if colonists were showing discontent their salary would be withheld, however this was not the case anymore.
The Townshend Duties - colonial response
It took the colonists nearly two years to mount another effective boycott of British goods as an incentive for the repeal of the Townshend duties.
Colonists were angered by the act
The Sons of Liberty began their clandestine activities again in response to the 2000 British troops in Boston
Samuel Adams wrote the Circular Letter in February 1768
In December 1767, John Dickinson, published the first of twelve Letters from a farmer denouncing the new duties and other government money raising measures.
Letters from a Farmer date, evidence and significance
Date: 1767
Evidence:
‘If it becomes undoubted that a resolution is formed to annihilate the liberties of the governed, the English history affords frequent examples of resistance by force’
Significance:
Dickinson was a wealthy lawyer from Philadelphia but, writing as a ‘simple farmer from Pennsylvania’ he became the foremost American pamphleteer. Newspapers published his letters and by March 1768 all twelve were collected into a single pamphlet. The letter implied that Britain had authority to regulate external matters such as trade but it’s ministers had no right or power to interfere in colonial politics or to raise taxes in the colonies; such matter were the sole domain of the thirteen assemblies. However the letters are written in a reasonable tone that encouraged colonists to not join in radical violent behavior. Declared British policies were unconstitutional as they were not being represented in Parliament.
The Circular Letter, date, evidence and significance
Date: February 1768
Evidence:
‘Are infringements on their natural and constitutional rights’
‘Not represented in the British Parliament’
‘Cannot by any possibility be represented in the Parliament…being separated by an ocean of a thousand leagues’
‘Express with greatest deference’
Significance:
Written by Samuel Adams and contained strongly worded criticism of Britain and their government. Declared British policies were unconstitutional as they were not being represented in Parliament. Adam’s saw this as illegal and inappropriate. Adam’s called for a unified response from all the colonies. The letter became endorsed by the assembly of Boston and was forwarded to the speaker of every other colonial assembly. Lord Hillsborough, colonial affairs secretary was outraged and ordered for colonial assemblies to not support the letter and Governors of america were forced to dissolve any assemblies that refused to comply. However the Massachusetts assembly voted 92-17 against withdrawing the letter and the assembly was closed by the governor. This left Massachusetts without a government for most of 1767-1768 leading to lawlessness and mob violence. This prompted Hillsborough to send more troops to Massachusetts.
The Boston Massacre
Date: March 5th 1770
Evidence:
“The ‘Boston Massacre’, especially as it was depicted in Paul Revere’s exaggerated engraving, aroused American passions” – Gordon S. Wood,
“The American cause now had martyrs.” – Alan Farmer,
‘Brought the merchants to a serious realisation of the growing power of the irresponsible elements and the drift of events toward lawlessness.” (Arthur Schlesinger)
‘Coverage of the “massacre’ had little impact in the American colonies outside Massachusetts” (Martin Manning)
Significance:
Boston proved a particularly turbulent setting. Boston was the centre of political violence as it was a major trade town and many merchants were losing money due to the repealing of taxes.
There were increasing numbers of troops in order to keep the peace and the imposition of the Townshend Duties.
The large numbers of poorly paid British troops created competition for jobs already in short supply in Boston (due to an economic downturn) as they began to undercut town workers for casual labour.
The Troops were seen as frequently accosting the young women of the town.
The Sons of Liberty had been working to propagandise the death of an 11 year old boy at the hands of a custom informer
On the evening of March 5th a British sentry names Hugh White clipped a young boy over the head with his musket after the boy had been throwing snowballs and abusing him. Word of Whites assault began to spread and a mob formed in King Street. Fearing for Whites safety, Captain Thomas Preston formed a small platoon of men with fixed bayonets although gave orders not to fire and surrounded White. The soldiers were hit with snowballs and oyster shells.
In confusion some of the soldiers fired their bayonets and wounded 5 colonists. This sparked outrage in the colonies.
The Boston Massacre, colonial response
Groups such as the sons of liberty used the funerals of those murdered to propagandise revolutionary discontent towards the British
Aroused American passion
Paul Revere created the engraving ‘The Boston Massacre’ in which he was ‘primarily interested in the political aspects of this print’ and contended that the colonists were in fact the victims
