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The Great American Revolution

By Matthew Rueckert

What You Need to Know

1765-1783

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The French and Indian War (1756-1763)

The French and Indian War is also known as the Seven Years War in the colonies. It was a battle for territory. Mainly between Britain and France seeking to control North America, Caribbean, and India.
During the war, the British racked up quite a debt trying to pay for troops, resources, and military artillery. The British needed way to pay back this debt, so they placed a series of taxes on the colonists to pay for the war.
These events will eventually lead to the American Revolution.

The French allied with the Natives, promising them freedom and resources if they helped fight the British.

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No taxation without representation!

At the end of the French and Indian War, the British consoled Native fear of westward expansion with the Proclamation of 1763.

The Sugar Act, April 5, 1764 restricted trade destinations from Colonial exports. Lowered the tax rate on molasses, and sugar from 6 pence to 3 pence per gallon. It also affected certain wines, lumber and iron. The strict enforcement of trade and taxation immediately damaged the colonial economy, frustrating the hard working colonists.

The Stamp Act (Feb 6, 1765) was Parliament's first major attempt to control the colonies. The act dictated that for every piece of paper used by a colonist, a tax of 3-6 pence will be taxed. The British were eager to pay off their debt. This Act/tax motivated serious thought about revolt.

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“Taxes grow without rain” —A Jewish Proverb

The Quartering Act (March 24, 1765) British parliament mandated that British troops must be sheltered by colonist whenever necessary. Troops lived amongst the people to prevent rebels from revolt. Close quarters between soldier/civilian caused the Boston Massacre where 5 colonists were killed by British soldiers in a street scuffle.

These events are the catalyst to 3rd Amendment to the Constitution in the Bill of Rights.

QUESTION: Should the government be allowed to house troops in your home w/out consent, whether in times of peace and/or war? Why or why not?

Artist rendition of British troops firing into crowd of colonists on March 5, 1770 after losing patience with a few patriots throwing snowballs, stones, and sticks at the soldiers.

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Other Major Events Leading Up to the Revolutionary War

Stamp Act Congress (Oct, 1765): The first united meeting between Colonists and British parliament came together to discuss the major taxes being placed on the people. “No taxation without representation became the theme of the meeting.
Not all colonies were on board with revolution. Loyalists remained committed to British government even during times of frustration. Patriots were those who rebelled against British tyranny and unruly laws/policies.

Thomas Jefferson and the idea of Natural Rights. All men are created equal and have inalienable rights, among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Where did Jefferson get this philosophy from? What do they mean?

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FRUSTRATED COLONISTS

The Townshend Revenue Act (June 29, 1967): Originated by Charles Townshend and enacted by English Parliament, was created to collect revenue from the colonists by putting customs duties on imports like glass, wine, lead, paints, paper, and tea. It was a way of making up for the loss of repealing previous acts like the Stamp Act.

1773 May 10: The Tea Act: This Act did not increase revenue for Britain, nor did it tax the colonists. It was used to help the East India Company get rid of millions of pounds of unsold tea; so they sent it to the colonists at a bargain price. However, colonial merchants felt like the government was trying to undercut them and ruin business; so colonist refused to let the ships take port, telling them to go back. The ships were commanded to stay by Royal governors which backed up traffic in the harbor. This eventually led to what is known as The Boston Tea Party.

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1773 December 16: The Boston Tea Party

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The Intolerable Acts 1774

The Intolerable Acts were a set of 5 punitive laws set in place by the British government after dumping 92,000 pounds of tea into the Boston Harbor.

The Boston Port Act, March 31, 1774 mandated that no imports should arrive in Boston w/out specific permission from parliament.
The Administration of Justice Act May 20, 1774 allowed colonial government officials to trump certain laws in the colonies requiring colonists to recognize new policies put in place.
The Massachusetts Government Act May 20, 1774 set aside previous laws established and gave royally appointed government officials all-encompassing powers.
The Quartering Act June 2, 1774 forced colonists to house and feed any British soldiers in the colonies. This way royal parliament could maintain some sense of control w/in the colonies.
The Quebec Act June 22, 1774 “passed by the British Parliament to institute a permanent administration in Canada replacing the temporary government created at the time of the Proclamation of 1763. It gave French Canadians complete religions freedom and restored the French form of civil law.”

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Proceedings of the First Continental Congress Sept 5-Oct 26

The first Continental Congress met in Carpenter’s Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to discuss relations between them and Great Britain. Every colony except Georgia sent delegates. Delegates were selected by the people through legislature. Many of the men wanted to remain loyal to the British but with better communication and representation in parliament. Others like Peyton Randolph, who was deemed president of the Convention, and Patrick Henry wanted nothing more than to separate and reap the benefits of their efforts. They still wanted communication with Britain but wanted to represent themselves globally.

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The Articles of Association October 20, 1774

“The association was a universal prohibition of trade with Great Britain. Though it made a handful of exceptions, it prohibited import, consumption and export of goods with England. Unlike most of the individual associations, it established citizen committees to enforce the act throughout the colonies.”
Joseph Galloway’s (Pennsylvania) plan was rejected when brought up to the First Continental Congress; it asked that colonists compromise w/Britain and create a Grand Council like English parliament to represent American affairs in England.

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Let the War Begin—The Great American Revolution

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Boston Patriots

James Otis- “One of the first vociferous opponents of British taxation policies. As early as 1761, Boston merchants hired him to provide legal defense against British search warrants.

John Adams-”Samuel’s second cousin, was no less a patriot. His early fame as a defense attorney for the British soldiers in the trial that followed the Boston Massacre cannot be taken in isolation.”

John Hancock- “The man with the famous signature —John Hancock—was also a Bostonian. Hancock earned the early ire of British officials as a major smuggler. The seizure of one of his ships brought a response from Bostonians that led directly to British occupation in 1768.”

Paul Revere- Revere was cut from a separate economic cloth than the aforementioned. He was a silversmith with humble circumstances. He is most famous for is midnight ride warning the people of Boston that the British military was advancing on the people. (Revere’s ride was on April 18, 1775)

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“The shot heard round the world”

In the early morning of April 19, 1775 about 240 British soldiers stood face to face with 70 American Minutemen. Each side nervously anticipating what the next few actions would bring. Standing only about 50 yards apart from each other, a gunshot went off, blazing through the air. Immediately both sides started firing upon one another. Thus, ‘the shot heard round the world’ launched the war the of Great Revolution.

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The War Begins

Once the war had officially started, each side exerted most of their effort to fighting and surviving. Life changed drastically for many colonists. Those who were allowed to stay at their homes were forced to help prepare resources such as clothes, food, shelter, weapons, and so forth to help provide for Colonial troops. Women, played a major role in the overall well-being and support of the war.
However, we must keep in mind, not all wanted war with the Motherland. There were still British loyalists that sought to aid British soldiers.

The Second Continental Congress immediately rallied together to try and ensure an American victory. Their wisest decision was to make George Washington Commander in Chief and head of the Colonial army. He did this expecting no pay, seeing that they were already struggling to financially support the war.

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Wartime America

“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to separation.” (first paragraph of Declaration of Independance.)

The American people believed that God had endowed them with certain rights, and that the British government sought to take those away.

Do you as citizens feel that we have progressed as a country, or are digressing? Why?