Unit 3 Princeton Review Flashcards
(30 cards)
Albany Plan of Union
1754, representative from 7 colonies met in Albany, NY, to consider the Albany Plan of Union, developed by Benjamin Franklin
Plan provided for an intercolonial government and a system for collecting taxes for the colonies’ defense
At that meeting, Franklin also tried to negotiate a treaty with the Iroquois
Franklin’s effort to unite the colonies failed to gain the approval of a single colonial legislature
The Sugar Act, the Currency Act, and the Stamp Act
After the Seven Years’ War (French and Indian War), British gov had run up a huge debt
New king George II, and his prime minister, George Grenville, felt that the colonists should help pay that debts
After all, they reasoned, the colonies had been beneficiaries of the war; furthermore, their tax burden was relatively light compared to that of taxpayers in England, even on the same goods
Meanwhile, the colonists felt that they had provided so many soldiers that they had fulfilled their obligation
Accordingly, Parliament imposed new regolutions and taxes on the colonists
First was the Sugar Act of 1764, which established a number of new duties and which also contained provisions aimed at deterring molasses smugglers
Although Parliament had previously passed other acts aimed at controlling colonial trade and manufacturing, there was little colonial resistance prior to the decade leading up to the Revolutionary War
There were benefits to being part of the vast British Empire, and most Americans accepted regulations of trade such as the NAvigatin Acts as part of mercantilim
Furthermore although laws such as the Molasses Act of 1733 were on the books, smuggling was common practice and little revenue from taxes was actually collected
Some historians have gone so far as to suggest that Parliament never intended the Molasses Act to raise revenue but merely function as a protective tariff aimed against French imports
Sugar Act of 1764
Parliament was quite shrewd in passing the Sugar Act of 1764, in that this new act actually lowered the duy on molasses coming into the colonies from the West Indies, but also imposed new taxes on other goods, restricted the export of certain goods, and strengthened customs enforcemen
What angered the colonists most wa that this new regulation was to be more strictly enforced: duties were to be collected
It became more difficult for colonial shippers to avoid committing even minor violations of the Sugar Act
Furthermore, violators were to be arrested and tride in vice-admiralty courts, court in which a single judge issued a verdict without the deliberation of a jory
It was this last provision of the sugar Act that suggested to some colonists that Parliament was overstepping it suathority and violating their rights as Englishmen
Currency Act
Another act, the Currency Act, forbade the colonies to ssue paper money
Collectively, the Sugar Act, Currency Act, and Proclamation of 1763 caused a great deal of discontent in the colonies, whose residents bristled at what they correctly viewed as British attempts to exert greater control
These acts signaled a clear end to Britain’s long-standing policy of salutary neglect
That these acts came during a postwar economic depression further aggravated the situation
Colonial protest to these acts, however, was uncoordinated and ineffective
Stamp Act
This changed with the Stamp Act of 1765
Included a number of provocative elements
First, tax specifically aimed at raising revenue, thus awakening teh colonists to the likelihood that even more taxes could follow
Stamp Act demonstrated that the colonies’ tradition of self-taxation was surefly being unjustly taken by Parliament, much to the dismay of many colonists
Second, broad-based tax, covering all legal documents and licenses
Not only did it affect almost everyone, it particularly affected a gorup taht was literate, persuasive, and arguentative – namely lawyers
Third, it was a tax on goods produced within the colonies
Reaction built on previous grievances, consequently was more forceful than any protest preceding it
Pamphlet called The Rigths of the British Colonies Asserted and Proved by James Otis, “no taxation without representation”
Pamphle called The Rigths of the British Colonies Asserted and Proved by James Otis, “no taxation without representation”
Argued that because colonists didn’t elect members to Parliament, they were not obliged to pay taxes (following accepted idea that no Englishman could be compelled to pay taxes without his consent)
Didn’t advocate secession, argued for either representation in Parliament or a greater degree of self government for the colonies
Neither the British nor colonists had much interest in creating a colonial delegation to Parliament: British scoffed at it saying colonists were already represented through virtual representation, colonists knew that their representation would be too small to protect their interests and never pushed the issue
They wanted the right to determine their own taxes
Opponents of the Stamp ACt united, conclusion
VA - Virginia Stamp Act REsolves by Patrick Henry
Bston, mobs burned customs officers in effigy, tore down customs house, destroyed governor’s mansion
Protest groups formed, calling themselves the Sons of Liberty
Opposition very affective, not one of theCrown’s appointed duty collectors was willing to perform his job
1766, PArliament repealed Stamp Act, George III replaced Prime Minister Grenville who colonists hated with Lord Rockingham who had opposed Stamp Act
Declaratory Act passed, asserted that the British gov could tax and legislate in all cases anywhere in the colonies
Thus, although colonists had won battle over stamp tax, had not yet gained any ground in war of principles over PArliament’s powers in the colonies
Propaganda - Common Sense by Thomas Paine
Published in January 1776
Not only advocated for colonial independence but also argued for merits of republicanism over monarchy
Though literacy rates in New England were somewhat higher, thanks to the Puritan legacy of teaching children to read the Bible, most could not read
Nevertheless, Paine’s pamphlet sold more than 100,000 copies in its first 3 months alone
Secret was that Paine stated argument for independence in plainspoken language accessible to colonists who couldn’t always keep up with the lofty Englishtenment speak of the Founding Fathers
It helped swing considerable support to the patriot cause among people who had worried about the wisdom of attacking the powerful mother country
The Declaration of Independence
Thomas Jefferson wrote Delclaration of Independence
Not only enumerated colonies’ grievances against the Crown, but articulated the principle of individual liberty and the government’s fndamental responsibility to serve the people
Began the Revolutionary War
Battle of Saratoga
Turning point in the American Revolution, decisive victory of Ameriacn troops agaainst British, ending British promiennce in upstate NY and serving as arecruitment tool for the Americans
With this victory, teh French gov agreed to a formal alliance with the Continental Congress, and began sending military adisers, weapons, and financial assistance
Battle of Yorktown
Symbolic end to the Ameriacn Revolution, even though the British remained in NYC until 1783 and other British troops reamaine dactive in the South unti l1782
Major British general Cornwallis was surrounded by the French navy on the York River and George Washington’s troops via land, and surrender after a length siege
Cornwallis’s surrender began a long period of negotiations between the American colonies and Great Britain, which would finally end the war in October of 1783
British surrendered at Yorktown in October 1781
Revolutionary war general
Contiental Army as opposed to local militias had trouble recruiting good soldiers
Eventually, the Congress recruited Black people, and up to 5000 fought on the side of the rebels (in return, most of those who had been enslaved were granted their freedom)
The Franco-American Alliance, negotiated by Ben Franklin in 1778, brought the French into the war on the side of the colonists, after the Battle of Saratoga
This was hardly surprising given the lingering resentment of the French toward the English after the French and Indian War
It would be three years before French troops landed in America, but the alliance buoyed American morale, and with the help of miliita units, especially in the South, the colonists kept up a war of atttrition until suppport could arrive from France
By then, the British found themselves outlasted and forced to abandon an unpoular war on foreign soil
The Treaty of Paris of 1783, signed at the end of 1783, granted the US independence and generous territorial rights
Neither the Declaration of Independence nor the revolution with its republican ideology abolished slavery
These events didn’t bring about a more egalitarian society
Like black people, many women played a significant role in the Revolutionary War, etiher as “camp followers” or by maintaining households and businesses while the men were off fighting the Revolution
Many women also served as spies, while the British offered their enslaved people freedom if they fought for them
Shays’s Rebellion
Daniel Shays was a Revolutionary War veteran who was not receiving his pay from the war
As the MA governemtn was enforcing the ability of banks to repossess farms and foreclose on homes of people who could not pay, Shays was facing foreclosure
His plan was to take over the courthouses that were making these rulings
He and his men seized a weapons armory in Springfield and used those weapons to attack courthouses
The MA government couldn’t mobilize any forces to stop Shays and his men, so private citizens organized to put the rebellion down
This was one of the leading reasons for the Constitutional Convention
Revealed lingering resentment on the part of the backcountry farmers toward the coastal elite
One thing that especially worried the wealthy was that the national government was essentially powerless to stop such rebellions
Gov under the articles did have some successes however
Greatest achievements were the adoption of ordinances fgoverning the sale of government land to settlers
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
Northwest ORdaninance of 1787
Contained a bill of rights guaranteeing trial by jury, freedom of relgiion, and freedom from excessive punishment
Abolished slavery in the Northwest territories (northwest of Ohio River and east of Mississipppi River, up to Canadian border) and also set specific regulations concerning the conditions under which territories could apply for statehood
Thus the ordinance is seen as a forerunner to the Bill of Rights and other progressive government policies
It was not so enlightened about Native Americans though, it essentially claimed their land without their consent
War ensued, and peace didn’t come until 1795 when the US gained a military advantage over the Miami Confederacy, its chief Native American opponent in the area
Remained important long after the Northwest territories were settled because of its pertinence to the statehood process and to the issue of slavery
Federalist Papers
The Federalist position was forcefully and persuasively argued in the Federalist PApers, anaonyously authored by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay
Published in a NY newspaper and were later widely circulated
They were critical in swaying opinion in Ny, a large and therefore politically important state (VA, PA, and MA, were the other powerhouses)
Constituion went into effect in 1789; Bill of Rights added in 1791
STrict Constructionists
Led by Jefferson and James Madison
Argued that the Constitution allowed Congress only those powers specifically granted to it or those “necessary and proper” to the execution of its enumerated powers
While a bank might be “desirable” and perhaps beneficial, they argued, it was not “necessary,” and thus its creation was beyond the powers of the national government
Loose Constructionists
Led by Hamilton
Argued taht the creation of a bank was an implied power of the governmetn because the government already had explicit power to coin money, borrow money, and collect taxes
Hamilton put forward that the government could do anything in the execution of thos enumerated powers – including create a bank — that was not explicitly forbidden by the Constitution
French Revolution Response
JEfferson wanted to support the revolution and its republican ideals
Hamilton had aristocratic leanings and so disliked the revolutionaries, who had overthrown the French aristocracy
The issue came to the forefront when France and England resumed hostilities
The British continued to be America’s primary trading partner after the war, a situation that nudged the US toward neutrality in the French-English conflict
Even Jefferson agreed that neutrality was the correct course to follow
When French gov representative Citizen Edmond Genet visited America to seek its assistance, Washington declared the US intention to remain “friendly and impartial toward belligerent powers”
This was called the Neutrality Proclamation
Genet’s visit sparked large, enthusiastic rallies held by American supporters of the revolution
Whiskey Rebellion
Hamilton’s financial program not only stirred controversy in Conress and helped to create our two-party system but also instigated the Whiskey Rebellion in 1791, which began in western PA when farmers resisted an excise tax on whiskey
As part of his financial program, Hamilton imposed the tax in an attempt to raise revenue to degray the debt incurred by the Revolution
Washington, determined not to let his new government tolerate armed disobedience, dispatched the militia to disperse the rebels
After the opposition was dispelled the rebels went home, and although there were some arrests and two convictions, Washington eventually pardoned both men
Significant because demonstrated the lasting class tensions between inland farmers and the coastal elites who ran the new government
But while Shays’s Rebellion demonstrated that the national gov of the time had lacked the power to respond, Americans noted that the new government had power it wasn’t afraid to use
Some saw fairness in Washington’s actions; others saw the making of tyranny
James Madison, among others, would retreat from his support of the Federalists to back Jefferson’s camp of Democratic-Republicans
Treaty for Seven Years War/ French and Indian War
The treaty gave England control of Canada and almost everything east of the Mississippi Valley
The French kept only a few small islands, underscoring the impact of mercantilism since the French prioritized two small but highly profitable islands over the large landmass of Canada
William Pitt, the English prime minister during the war, was supportive of the colonists and encouraged them to join the war effort promising them pay and some autonomy (this helped to create one of the first real senses of intercolonial unity)
When the leadership in Britain changed the war, that led to resentment by the colonists agaist the British rule
AFtermath of Seven Years War/French and Indian War
The English victory spelled trouble for Native Americans, who had previously been able to use French and English disputes to their own advantage
They negotiated their allegiances in return for land, goods, and the right to be left alone
The NAtive Amerians particularly disliked the English, howeer, because English expansionism was more disruptive to their way of life
French had sent few colonists and many of those colonists were fur trapped who didn’t settle anywhere permanently
In the aftermath of the war, the English raised the price of goods sold to the Native Americans (they now had a monopoly, after all) and ceased paying rent on their western forts
Pontiac’s Rebellion
In response to Engish raising prices of goods sold to the Native Americans and ceased paying rent on their Western forts
Ottawa war chief, Pontiac rallied a gorup of tribes in the Ohio Valley and attacked colonial outposts
In response to Pontiac’s Rebellion, the Paxton Boys, a group of Scots-Irish frontiersmen in PA, murdered several in the Susquehannock tribe
In reponse to the initial attacks, the British gov issued the Proclamation of 1763,
Pontiac’s Rebellion was, in part, a response to the colonists expanding into the
Ohio River Valley and encroaching on the Native Americans’ llands
The British were forced to quell this rebellion at great cost in addition to the costs of fighting the French
They used germ warfare, in the form of smalllpox-infected blankets, to help defeat the Ottawa
Proclamation of 1763
In response to Pontiacs Rebellion, British wanted peace with Native Americans
forbid settlement west of the rivers running through the Appalachians
The proclamation came too late
Settlers had already moved west of the line
The proclamation did have one effect, however
It agitated colonial settlers who regarded it as unwarranted Britihsh interference in colonial affairs
Significant because
The year 1763 is often viewed as a turning point in British-colonial relations i that it marks the end of salutary neglect
The Proclamation onf 1763 may be viewed as the first in a new series of restrictions imposed on the colonists by the British Parliament, and in that way, it marks the first step on the “road to “evolution”
Furthermore, it establishe d apattern of demarcating “Indian Territory,” a pattern that would be adopted and pursued by the US government long after the colonists gained their independence
