Chapter 4 Sec 1 Notes
Events Leading up to the Revolution
French & Indian War Beginnings
British & French fighting through 1600’s
1740’s both interested in Ohio River
Valley
◦ French-easy travel from New France to
Louisiana
◦ British-fur traders and land speculators
French & British forts
◦ British fort taken over-named Ft. Duquesne
Albany Conference
British goals:
◦ urged colonies to
work together to
prepare for war
w/France
◦ Wanted alliance with
Iroquois, who
controlled western
New York
Results:
◦ Iroquois neutral
◦ British commander
appointedGen.Braddock
◦ Albany Plan of Union
Developed by Ben
Franklin
Colonies unite to form
federal government
(rejected)
Unity for common
defense
French & Indian War
British attack of Ft.
Duquesne
◦ War went on for 2 years
◦ British victory at Quebec
◦ Spain entered war on
French side
◦ Britain seized
Cuba/Philippines
◦ Braddock killed
◦ British defeated
◦ George Washington,
Military Aide
Leadership saved them
Delaware people
See British weakness
Attack settlers
British turning point
Treaty of Paris 1763
◦ Ended war
◦ Eliminated French power in
N. America
◦ FL given to British, Cuba &
Philippines back to Spain
Battle of Quebec
WAR IS EXPENSIVE!!!!
Britain borrowed enormous amount of
money to pay for the war
◦ Deep in debt
◦ British thought colonies should pay for part of
war
Cost of stationing of troops in colonies
Proclamation Act of 1763
Pontiac convinced
other Native
Americans to go to
war against British
British didn’t want
the cost of another
war
Line Drawn-no
settlers west of it
Settlers & western
farmers mad
British Tax Policies
George Grenville
◦ Lord of Treasury
◦ Reduce debt
◦ Changed tax rates on
raw sugar & molasses
◦ Hurt trade
◦ Smugglers guilty until
proven innocent
Customs duties
◦ Taxes on imports &
exports not been
enforced
◦ Smuggling
Started enforcing
◦ Vice-admiralty court
Sugar Act
Not fair-no due process
(proper court
procedures)
James Otis
◦ No taxation to raise
money w/o
representation
Currency Act
To slow inflation,
Parliament passes act
◦ Inflation-money loses value
over time
◦ Banned use of paper
money because it lost value
quickly
Colonist liked paper
money
◦ Use paper money to pay
back loans
◦ Since money was not
worth much as when they
borrowed it, loans easier to
pay back
Stamp Act
Grenville introduced
to raise more money
First direct tax on
colonists
Stamps on printed
materials:
◦ Newspapers, pamplets,
posters, wills,
mortgages, deeds,
licenses, diplomas, dice,
playing cards
Quartering Act
Forced colonists to pay more for their
own defense
If colonists did not provide barracks,
soldiers stayed at cost of colonists
Sons of Liberty
Mass
demonstrations/meet
ings taking place
Organized meetings
& Intimidated stamp
distributors
In Boston, effigy of
stamp collector hung
on tree, house
ransacked & wood
burned
Stamp Act Congress
Stamp Act Congress
◦ 9 colony representatives
◦ Declaration of Rights
and Grievances
Sent to king
◦ Stamp Act ignored
◦ Boycott of English goods
nonimportation
Britain repealed the
Stamp Act
Passed Declaratory
Act (Parliament’s
power)
Townshend Acts
Charles Townshend
◦ Customs duties on glass,
lead, paper, paint, tea
◦ Legalized writs of
assistance
New Chancellor of
Exchequer
Series of new
regulations and taxes
1767
Townshend Acts
Created to help with
financial problems
Revenue Act 1767
(general search warrants)
Letters from a
Pennsylvania Farmer
◦ Dickinson
Sam Adams
◦ MA assembly
◦ “Circular” letter
British & Colonial Actions/Reactions
British officials
requested
withdrawal of letter
MA assembly
ordered dissolved
Boston & NY refused
◦ Boycott
VA Resolves
◦ Only House of
Burgesses can tax
VA house dissolved
Daughters of Liberty
◦ Boycott of cloth
◦ Spinning own
◦ “homespun” sign of
patriotism
Colonial imports
declined
Boston Massacre
British disapatched
troops to Boston
Troops harassed
1770 crowd of
colonists taunted and
threw snowballs at
soldier guarding a
customs house
Squad came, in tumult,
shots fired
First colonist to die
Crispus Attucks
◦ 3 people dead
Shootings became
known as Boston
Massacre
◦ News spread through
colonies
Almost all of
Townshend Acts
repealed (except tax
on tea)
Perspective of Boston Massacre
Colonists’ viewpoint
Read pgs 124-125
Answer Questions
1-3 on page 125 at
the bottom of
your notes
British viewpoint
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