APUSH Period 3
Colonial rivalry intensified between Britain and France in the mid-18th century, as the growing population of the British colonies expanded into the interior of North America, threatening French-Indian trade networks and American Indian autonomy
British colonists expanded to the interior of North America (Ohio Valley) which is where the French had already claimed as their territory The Iroquois allied with the British while most other Native American tribes sided with the French After winning the Seven Year's War, Britain made France sign the Treaty of Paris (1762) which made the French give up their North American territory, thus removing the French. This caused the French to lose their Native American fur trading partners After the Treaty of Paris, the British expand to Native American land which leads to Pontiac's Rebellion, led by the Natives to protest British expansion. The British government reacted by creating the Proclamation Line of 1763 which forade any westward expansion past the Appalachian mountains.
The imperial struggles of the mid-18th century, as well as new British efforts to collect taxes without direct colonial representation or consent and to assert imperial authority in the colonies, began to unite the colonists against perceived and real constraints on their economic activities and political rights.
Parliament created laws without direct colonial representation as they supported the concept of "virtual representation", which was based on the belief that a Member of Parliament virtually represented every person in the empire and there was no need for a specific representative from any of the colonies At the urging of James Otis,The Stamp Act Congress convened in New York City on October 7, 1765 as an intercolonial meeting to plan tempered resistance to the Stamp Act. During the meeting, Otis argued for colonist to have "actual representation" meaning that they should be able to vote in the Parliament The first reaction to the Stamp Act was led by the Merchants and their wives. The Boston Merchants had previously mounted tax protests in 1764 which were effectively boycotts of many British manufactured goods that had to be imported from England. The Stamp tax was aimed at domestically produced and consumed items (all documents) and thus they boycotted the such. In February 1768, Samuel Adams of Massachusetts wrote a letter which became known as the "circular" letter to oppose the taxation without representation. He asked the colonists to rise up against the British government. He told what the Massachusetts general court was doing to oppose the Townshend Acts and sent his letter to all the colony legislatures.
Various American Indian groups repeatedly evaluated and adjusted their alliances with Europeans, other tribes, and the U.S., seeking to limit migration of white settlers and maintain control of tribal lands and natural resources. British alliances with American Indians contributed to tensions between the U.S. and Britain.
Paxton Boys (1763 Harrisburg, PA): Scot-Irish group was upset with Pennsylvania's leniency towards Native Americans and felt vulnerable to Native attack, so they murdered 20 Native Americans, then marched to Philadelphia with demands Ben Franklin helped settle the mob by promising to consider their issues Consequence: worsened tensions between urbanites and rural farmers Battle of Fallen Timbers (1794 - Ohio): Native Americans, led by Little Turtle defeated Americans - 630 Americans were killed The Natives were defeated and they signed the Treaty of Greenville Natives ceded a significant amount of land. The small amount of land they were able to attain was later encroached upon
After the British victory, imperial officials' attempts to prevent colonists from moving westward generated colonial opposition, while native groups sought to both continue trading with Europeans and resist the encroachments of colonists on tribal lands.
Pontiac's Rebellion in 1763 was launched by an alliance of Native American tribes (Huron, Ottawa, et al) near the Great Lakes area to protest European influence. They attacked British military posts in the Ohio Country but a strong British counterattack forces them to sign a treaty that lasts for several years. This war led to the Proclamation of 1763 The Proclamation Line of 1763 prohibited the colonists from expanding west of the Appalachian mountains in Britain's attempt to avoid conflict with the Native Americans
The United States government forged diplomatic initiatives aimed at dealing with the continued British and Spanish presence in North America, as U.S. settlers migrated beyond the Appalachians and sought free navigation of the Mississippi River.
Spain and the Mississippi River, and the British presence in North America: Jay's Treaty (1794) - helped settle conflicts between US and Britain that existed even after the Revolutionary war (Britain still had a presence in key posts and was attacking US ships) Pinckney's Treaty (1795)- Spain, fearing a British-US alliance, signed Pinckney's Treaty US could navigate the Mississippi, given right of deposit in New Orleans, Florida boundary was fixed where America wanted it
Britain achieved a major expansion of its territorial holdings by defeating the French, but at tremendous expense, setting the stage for imperial efforts to raise revenue and consolidate control over the colonies.
The Treaty of Paris which ended the Seven Year's War made France surrender all North American territories east of the Mississippi River to Britain - except New Orleans - along with Canada. Spain, an ally of France during the war, had to surrender Florida to Britain. With the end of the French and Indian War came the end of the period of "salutary neglect" as Britain tried to counteract their massive debt by taxing the colonies. For example, the Sugar Act of 1764 and the Stamp Act of 1765 which taxed common paper goods: newspapers, stamps, etc. The First Continental Congress, composed of 55 representatives from all colonies except Georgia, convenes in PA in 1774 after great colonial protest due to the Intolerable Acts (Boston Port Bill, Administration of Justice Act, Massachusetts Government Act, Quartering Act, and Quebec Act) to decide a plan of action against the British Parliament. The First Continental Congress created the Declaration of Rights and Grievances in 1765 which was the precursor to the Declaration of Independence that started the revolutionary War
Colonial leaders based their calls for resistance to Britain on arguments about the rights of British subjects, the rights of the individual, local traditions of self-rule, and the ideas of the Enlightenment.
The colonists argued that taxation without representation, writs of assistance (open ended search warrants), and admiralty courts (courts without juries in which one was guilty until proven innocent) were violations of their rights as individuals A Harvard educated lawyer, James Otis who had the highest position as a colonist in an admiralty court, was completely opposed to the granting of the Writs of Assistance. He was appalled at the misuse of the Writs of Assistance because he believed the Writs of Assistance enabled customs officers to become a tyrant Enlightenment Ideals: Consent of the government and basic rights including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness Local Traditions of self-rule: House of Burgesses - the colonies' first legislative assembly, first met in Jamestown, VA in 1619 Mayflower Compact was the first governing document of Plymouth county - signed in 1620; established a majoritarian government and gave rules to the colonists
The effort for American independence was energized by colonial leaders such as Benjamin Franklin, as well as by popular movements that included the political activism of laborers, artisans, and women.
The first reaction to the Stamp Act was led by the Merchants and their wives. The Boston Merchants had previously mounted tax protests in 1764 which were effectively boycotts of many British manufactured goods that had to be imported from England. The Stamp tax was aimed at domestically produced and consumed items (all documents) and thus they boycotted the such. In 1773, Paul Revere, a silversmith and member of the Sons of Liberty, participated in protests against taxation and was the messenger for the Boston Committee of Safety during which he alerted local not to allow British ships land their cargoes Ben Franklin argued that the colonies contributed significantly to the 7 Years' War through colonial taxes and men. He was co-writer of the Declaration of Independence, and gained France's support during the revolutionary war Mercy Otis Warren was an influential female political writer and propagandist that urged independence during the 1700s
The colonists' belief in the superiority of republican forms of government based on the natural rights of the people found expression in Thomas Paine's Common Sense and the Declaration of Independence. The ideas in these documents resonated throughout American history, shaping Americans' understanding of the ideals on which the nation was based.
Thomas Paine' Common Sense published in 1776 was the first work to openly ask for independence from Britain. Paine challenged King George III , saying it was "common sense" to break away from the corrupt monarch because a small island (Britain) could not effectively rule a larger continent. The plain language that he used spoke to the common people of the colonies. ' Thomas Paine's Common Sense enumerated the problems with staying loyal to Britain and flaws in the British monarchy including their system of primogeniture The DEC also reflected Thomas Paine' argument that the only way to attain democracy (Enlightenment ideal) is by achieving independence from Britain The Declaration of Independence was based on the Enlightenment Ideas of John Locke, including natural rights to life liberty and property, consent of the governed, and equality In the Two Treatises of Government (1689) he argued that men are by nature free and equal against claims that God had made all people naturally subject to a monarch. He also claimed people have natural rights that have a foundation independent of the laws of any particular society.
Enlightenment ideas and philosophy inspired many American political thinkers to emphasize individual talent over hereditary privilege, while religion strengthened Americans' view of themselves as a people blessed with liberty.
primogeniture (the right by law of the firstborn male child to inherit the family estate) was outlawed in many states after the war. By 1791, it was illegal in every state. Inasmuch, individual merit became more important than hereditary privilege to acquire wealth. In 1777, Georgia becomes the first U.S. state to abolish the inheritance practices of primogeniture and entail.