Roots of the Revolution

• The American Revolution before 1763
  Was the American Revolution inevitable?
  • The Virginia Charter: no matter where you go, you will always be Englishmen. Most Americans felt like they were being treated more like step-sons than sons
  • The colonists were already people who were unhappy with the situations in England ie they were religious, poor, or discontented.
  • The Voyage itself took at least three months and changed us some historians say.
  • distance from BNA (british north america) to england
  • Virginia and North Carolina is bigger than the UK. "Can a continent be governed by an island?"
  • "The Frontier Thesis" we are unique creatures, and americans are different than anyone in the world because they were constantly living on a frontier, on the edge of wilderness. You had to be a Jack of all Trades, and either do everything for yourself or you die. The Frontier led to:
    • individualism
    • self-reliance
    • independence
• Anglo-American relations to 1607-1775 the roller coaster effect of mercantilism
  • 1607-1640: the British cared less about us. Jamestown was more of a chore/burden. An increase in interest because of the Great Puritan Migration (most went to the West Indies to grow sugar)
  • 1642-1660: Very little interest because of the English civil war. The cavaliers (the king) versus the roundheads (protestants). The roundheads/Protestants won with Oliver Cromwell that crazy guy. They stuck his head on a pike to warn Charles II
  • 1660-1720: Charles II took lots of interest in the colonies since they were so successful and rich! A short decline when he left the throne and then a return with William and Mary. The reorganization of 1696 was important, and the Brits started to crack down on stuff.
  • 1721-1763: In 1721 A new leader comes to the Parliament: Sir Robert Walpole. Everyone was smuggling and breaking the rules. He thought the laws were too hard on the colonists so he started to use salutary neglect.
  • 1763-1775: Frightening interest because of the end of the French and Indian war that put the British £55 million in debt.
• Tightening the Reigns of the Empire 1763-66
  • New Leader George Grenville became Prime Minister in 1763. He thought he was a monetary genius because he was ex chequer. Had all sorts of ideas about how to make the colonists pay the £55 million pounds in debt.
    In short, he wanted the colonists to pay one third of the £55 million pound of debt.
  • Proclamation of 1763, "Don't pass the green line (the tops of the Appalachian Mountains)!" said George Grenville.
    • He didn't want the colonists to rub elbows with the Indians
    • wanted to reestablish the fur trade
    • didn't want to need to built more forts for defence, which would cost more money
    • why was this passed when it was? the Pontiac's Rebellion which occurred around the Ohio River Valley
  • Sugar or Revenue Act of 1764: basically what this act did was put a tax on non-british goods coming from the West Indies and other islands (mainly sugar but also indigo). Barbados and Jamaica had tax-free sugar because they were British islands. Enforced by the british navy.
    • Whats wrong with the tax? its an indirect tax- hidden in the price of the product, like gas in North Carolina.
    • British navy used- Vice Admiralty Courts with no jury. If they found you guilty they took your ship
    • The British said that it wasn't a tax it was just TRADE REGULATION
  • The Currency Act of 1764
    • Not allowed to print paper currency
    • Taxes needed to be payed in gold and silver
  • (First) Quartering Act of 1765
    • required to provide "necessities." ie salt and empty barns
    • the british weren't building barracks.
    • most people were just pissed off because why?? why are they even here? eventually people started saying that the british were there to take their liberty
  • The Stamp Act of 1765: an old idea that had been around a long time
    • This tax was not indirect like the sugar tax
    • if disobeyed you were subject to the vice admiralty courts- no jury trial
  • Taxation without representation: the battle between actual representation and virtual representation
    • the colonists didn't even want taxation with representation like they said they did, they wanted taxation with their own home representation. Britain had lots of rotten boroughs and would not mess around with actual representation because many of its own people were not represented accurately.
    • Country thinkers- Trenchard and Gordon were convinced that Robert Wapole was highly corrupt, "power tends to breed more power." the founding fathers were aware of these writers. your loyalty goes to your country first, before your leader/president
    • Stamp Act Congress oct 1765
      • arranged to boycott everything with the stamp on it. less peaceful organization was the Sons of Liberty (Sam Adams, J Otis, J Waren)
      • tar-ing and feathering of tax collectors
      • Committees of correspondence also came about under the Stamp Act: they would spread ideas and keep everyone informed about what was going on in Massachusetts
    • New Prime Minister Lord Rockingham- was only repealed because the merchants were complaining about the boycott
    • The Declatory Act of 1766: hardly noticed, but Parliament sent a letter that said they could tax, legislate, and do anything they wanted at any time they wanted.
      Lord Rockingham got fired because he was too nice to the colonies