Chapter 4, Unit 2

Virtual vs Actual Representation

Virtual representation via the English Parliament was the idea that Parliament reflected the interests of all the people of the empire collectively, as opposed to a certain individual or area. Actual representation meant an individual, as a member of Parliament, voted and represented ideas according to his part of the empire. the colonists called for "actual representation" in Parliament as a result of the imposed taxes that they felt were an infringement on their rights. they wanted to impose laws on themselves as a separate entity, which would eventually become independent America.

"No taxation without representation"

reflected the colonists' belief that they should not be taxed because they had no direct representatives in Parliament. They wanted actual representation rather than virtual representation.

What does the 3rd amendment state?

No soldier can be quartered in a citizen's home through the government.

Peace of Paris (1763)

Peace of Paris ended the 7 Years' War which was among England, Spain, and France. The French surrendered Canada and other French controlled territories east of the Mississippi, except New Orleans, to England. New Orleans and French territory west of the Mississippi were given to Spain. In all they gave away their title to the mainland of North America.The treaty expanded England's territory in North America but as a result of this expansion; England's government was forced to be more involved in running the colonies.

John Locke

17th century English philosopher who opposed the Divine Right of Kings and who asserted that people have a natural right to life, liberty, and property. He laid much of the groundwork for the Enlightenment and was very influential upon the founding fathers.

Statutory Neglect (Why did Britain start getting involved)

20% of the english population was now living in the colonies so they needed to start paying more attention to them

Satutary neglect (Definition)

17th and 18th-century policy enforced by the British crown to not place any strict policies (particularly trade policies) on the colonies and to leave them alone to keep them loyal to the British crown. Salutary Neglect allowed colonists to get used to self-rule so after the French and Indian war when the British crown started established strict policies and forced Americans to join the war effort, they were angered and it directly led up to the American revolution and ruined relations with the mother country.

Sugar Act

1764; English Parliament placed a tariff on sugar, coffee, wines, and molasses. colonists avoided the tax by smuggling and by bribing tax collectors. The It was a revenue-raising act passed by the Parliament of Britain to improve America and would pay for expenses like the Redcoats who would protect them. The colonists were angered that the British imposed taxes without consulting them. (Also eliminated sugar trade with the French and Spanish West Indies)

Currency Act

1764; The currency act was an attempt for the British to control the colonies' ability to create their own currency. They made the colonies exchange their money for British money and only got half the original amount which plunged them into financial depression. It was enforced to stop inflation.

Virginia Resolves-

1765; The Virginia Resolves (introduced by Patrick Henry), were a series of resolutions passed by the Virginia House of Burgesses as a protest to the Townshend acts but mostly in response to the Stamp Act of 1765. It advocated for taxes only by own representatives.

Stamp Act

1765; law that taxed printed goods, including: marriage licenses, land deeds documents, wills, newspapers, etc. and were not binding unless the tax had been paid and the paper had received an official governmental stamp. It was the first direct tax specifically targeting American colonies, without colonist representation.

Townshend Acts

1766; Charles Townshend took control of Parliament. He placed many acts on the colonists to enforce the power of England, especially after the Stamp Act revolts from the colonists. These acts, although received even further displeasure from the colonists.The colonies viewed these acts as unnecessary and sneaky ways to raise revenue. As a result, they began to resent the British laws on the colonies and retaliated with revolts and boycotts.

Boston Massacre

1770; tensions between the local workers and British soldiers were rising and harsh words were exchanged, which resulted in the "liberty boys" throwing rocks and snowballs at the soldiers. The soldiers, in attempt to protect the custom house, shot into the crowd killing five people. It became the opportune portrait of British brutality and oppression. The soldiers who had fired shots were sentenced to manslaughter and sent to prison.

Boston Tea Party

1773; The Boston Tea Party was a colonial boycott of the Tea Act. In 1773, 150 men boarded the three ships while dressed as Mohawks and dumped the tea chests from these ships into Boston Harbor. The results of the Boston Tea Party infuriated the crown. Many followed the example and showed support towards them. Britain as a result, lost a lot of money and looked bad in front of other countries.

Tea Act

1773; not a new tax; rather it exempted the British East India Company making their tea less expensive putting other tea companies in danger. The Tea Act was a subject of much controversy for the colonists because it was another form of taxation without representation.

Coercive/Intolerable Acts

1774; In order to show authority and suppress ideas of uprising, Parliament closed the port of Boston, severely limited its colonial government, allowed British officers to be tried in England, and required Massachusetts to provide housing to troops in empty rooms and barns. Food was not getting in, and people died. Other colonies up and down the coast, showed their support by rebelling against England.

Non Importation Agreement

1774; in an attempt to defy Britain's rule, the members of the First Continental Congress decided to stop importing and exporting goods and to stop using all goods made in Britain. This was in response to the many taxes Britain established, including the Sugar Act, the Tea Act, and etc.The Non Importation Agreement was the ultimate declaration of their boycott.

First Continental Congress

1774; response to Intolerable Acts; 55 men from 12 colonies meet on Philadelphia; the boycott of British goods and trade with them, to draw up a list of complaints for King George to see, and to tell the colonies to train militias in case of war. The Americans were angry with the Intolerable Acts and were meeting to resist them, severing ties even further with the British. It was also one of the most notable times when most of the colonies united for a common cause. (most British they've ever been; thought it was basic rights as Englishmen)

Lexington and Concord

1775; Lexington and Concord are two cities in Boston where the colonist's "minutemen" had stored gunpowder and weapons in case that would have to defend themselves against the British soldiers. The British caught word of this and ordered the gunpowder to be seized. The colonists caught word of this and prepared for battle. The battle at Concord and Lexington gave the colonist a sense of victory and confidence and with that the idea of Independence became less foreign and more achievable although they didn't think about independence for a while after the battle. Both sides accused each other of starting the battles.

British War Debt

After the French and Indian war, the British was in debt and financing the war had been a major drain on the treasury. This made America more expensive and Britain grew to resent the colonists. Therefore, the British started taxing the colonists, which then led to resistance from the colonists and led to the Revolution. (First glimmer of American unity, when they met other colonists at war.)

Was America or Britain more prosperous during the time of the sugar, currency, and stamp acts? Why?

America was more prosperous because of the abundance of the land and the fact that they only paid 1/26 of the taxes as the British.

Samuel Adams

American Revolutionary leader and patriot, Founder of the Sons of Liberty and one of the most vocal patriots for independence; signed the Declaration of Independence. He also helped formulate resistance to the Stamp Act and played a vital role in organizing the Boston Tea Party.

Examples of statutory neglect (How did Britain start getting involved)

Navigation Acts, Trade rules, Dominion of New England, Crown-Appointed governers.

Proclamation of 1763

French settlers and traders started to settle in Ohio Valley where Indians lived and this angered them so the British government issued the Proclamation of 1763, which forbade settlers to settle beyond the Appalachian Mountains.

William Pitt (Who was he? Why is he important?)

He introduced a policy which made colonists supply living necessities for the British soldiers but they felt cumbersome and became hostile so the policy was repealed.

French and Indian (Seven Years') War - (Definition)

In 1754, the French and Indian war broke out when the French (who wanted the land for their fur trade), and English (who wanted the land for settlement) were arguing over a settlement of the Ohio River Valley. The war eventually ended with the treaty of Paris, giving the British most of the land of West Indian Islands and most of the French colonies in India. The British, angry about the little financial contributions from the Americans for the war and in severe debt decided stricter rules were necessary and started taxing citizens which angered them. (It would also later allow British to take over India.)

Paxton Boys and Regulator Movement

In 1763, band of people from West Pennsylvania demands for relief from colonial taxes, and wanted money to defend themselves against Indians. The regulator movement was farmers in the Carolinas who opposed to high taxes that local sheriff's collected, and western counties unrepresented, and they armed themselves and refused to pay high taxes and they were unsuccessful and died. These were some of the acts of rebellion against taxes leading up to the American revolution.

Albany Plan (Definition)

The Albany plan was a meeting suggested by Benjamin Franklin (with Delegates from Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, and New England) to arrange a treaty with the Iroquois (according to suggestions from the British government) during the French and Indian War. Benjamin Franklin suggested a plan that would unite America under one general government but let each colony keep its current constitution. This meeting was the first step to unity in the American colonies but also alluded to the problems that came with that unity later. But After the colonists discovered the success that occurred from teaming up in the French and Indian War it boosted their confidence and form bonds between the colonies. (July 10, 1754)

Sons of Liberty

The Sons of Liberty were a group of boys in Boston considered terrorists by the Crown due to their activities; they burned stamps after the stamp act and terrorized stamp tax agents. They were also for a more egalitarian society, often attacking "pro-British 'aristocrats'". They burned down the home of Thomas Hutchinson, who had privately opposed the Stamp Act but had to support it once it became law. They were the representation of how the Colonists' felt and it was one of the first acts of radical behavior exhibited by the colonists and a step in the direction of revolution and the war to come.

Why was no taxation without representation a little unreasonable?

The house of lords and the house of commons were the only people who had a say in England so asking for actual representation would actually be asking for privilege. They were also practically asking for no taxation because it is impractical for them to sail for 3 months at a time.