Chapter 5 Important Takeaways
Introduction:
➔ Stamp Act → Led to outrage among colonists (Hutchingson riots)
◆ Wanted “Liberty” for colonies; wanted British liberties to extend to the colonies
The Crisis Begins:
➔ During Seven Years War, colonists were treated as allies by the British, but by 1760 they
were treated more as subordinates
◆ The British had borrowed more than 150 million pounds from banks and
individual investors; thus, they needed to get the money back by enforcing more
acts and taxes on the colonies
◆ Navigation Acts → Parliament imposed acts that were intended to promote
self-sufficiency of Britain by restricting colonial trade to Britain only.
● “Writs of assistance” → allowed general search warrants for smuggled
goods anywhere; even private property
◆ Virtual representation → Britons thought that the colonies didn’t need actual
representation in Parliament, since they were already “virtually represented” by
all members of Parliament
● Colonists opposed this idea and said that if they didn’t get representation,
they shouldn’t be taxed either
➔ Sugar Act 1764 → reduced tax on molasses to try to decrease smuggling, and now
allowed court cases of smugglers to be tried without a jury (effort to strengthen
navigation acts)
➔ Currency Act → ban on colonial assemblies from printing paper money
➔ Stamp Act of 1765 → all sorts of printed materials (documents, letters, even playing
cards) would require a revenue stamp
◆ This act affected all colonists, causing them to unite together against unjust laws
◆ “No taxation without representation”
➔ Committee of Correspondence → group organized by Samuel Adams in retaliation for
Gaspee incident to address American grievances and form network for rebellion
◆ 9 out of 13 colonies sent representatives to Stamp Act Congress in NY to get
Britain to repeal the Stamp Act
◆ Stamp Act successfully repealed in 1766, but replaced with Declatory Act which
said that only Parliament could pass laws for colonies and people of America, not
America’s elected officials
➔ Regulators → group of wealth South Carolina back country residents who wanted more
inland settlement representation
◆ Condemned the elite
◆ Turmoil until 1771; Battle of Alamance where colonial militia surpressed them
➔ Townshend Acts of 1761 → parliamentary measures that taxed tea and other
commodities and established Board of Customs Comissioners and colonial
vice-admiralty courts; basically they taxed imported British goods
➔ Daughters of Liberty → movement by women who spun clothing at home and signed
agreements not to buy British products (boycotting); held public spinning and weaving
bees to demonstrate patriotism
➔ Boston Massacre → March 5, 1770: colonists attacked British troops and in panic,
troops fired into crowd and killed five people
◆ Paul Revere made an inaccurate engraving that stirred up colonial frustration
◆ British had seized a ship for smuggling and soldiers were competing for colonists
jobs causing tension beforehand
➔ Merchants lost money so the Townshend Acts were repealed except for the tax on tea,
so boycotts decreased however tensions were still there
➔ The Tea Act
◆ East India Company (monopolistic joint-stock company) had economic trouble
and price of its stock rapidly grew and then fell
● To save company, England sold their tea for cheap price in American
colonies but buying that tea (which was taxed) would mean agreeing that
the British had the power to tax the colonies
● On December 16, 1773, colonists dressed as First Nations dumped
£10,000 of tea into Boston Harbor (Boston Tea party
➔ Intolerable Acts
◆ After Boston Tea Party, Parliament wanted to exert control over colonies
● Closed Boston port until the tea was paid for
● Parliament chose officials instead of allowing colonists to elect
● Disallowed colonial trials of British soldiers
● Quartering Act → forced colonists to house soldiers
● Quebec Act → extended Canadian territory to Ohio River and allowed
Roman Catholic Church to be there; Protestants were very worried
Coming of Independence
➔ Suffolk Resolves → urged Americans to refuse obedience to new laws, withhold taxes,
and prepare for war
➔ Continental Congress → First meeting of representatives of colonies, held in
Pennsylvania; all mainland colonies except Georgia and Florida sent delegates
◆ Renowned speaker Patrick Henry spoke of an American identity
➔ Continental Association → called for a complete halt in British trade
◆ Comittes of Safety enforced despite assembly’s disapproval
➔ Battle of Lexington and Concord → April 19, 1775: British soldiers marched from
Boston to nearby Concord to seize arms, but colonists resisted
◆ “Shot heard ‘round the world”
➔ Battle of Bunker Hill → June 17, 1775: Arrival of American cannon, Britain abandoned
Boston; British led by Howe and cut down original Liberty Tree
➔ Continental Army established
◆ Paid through printed money from colonies
◆ Commander was George Washington
➔ Many colonists opposed idea of rebellion and feared break from Britain to lead to more
turmoil
➔ Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation → granted freedom to any slave that fought for the
crown
◆ Angered many colonists
◆ America offered emancipation for those who fought for America as well
➔ Massachusetts and Virginia elites’ had secure power, while New York had more diverse
power and thus had less easy consensus
➔ American exceptionalism → belief that US has special mission to be refuge from
tyranny and symbol of freedom to the rest of the world
Common Sense
➔ Common Sense appeared in January 1776
◆ Spoke of how British system is bad everywhere and being part of the British
empire is a burden on the colonies
◆ Spoke of freedom for new nations
◆ Wrote in a simple and clear manner that all could understand
Declaration of Independence
➔ Approved on July 2nd, 1776, written by Thomas Jefferson
➔ Only 13 of the many colonies declared independence
➔ “All men created equal” and “Land, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness”
➔ Changed meaning of American Freedom; it is now for everyone
Global Declaration of Independence
➔ Spain created San Francisco, trying to block Russia
➔ Grand Congress = 2nd Continental Congress
➔ Declaration inspired many other revolutions all around the world
Securing Independence
➔ British were strong, but Americans had advantages as they fought on their home ground,
and had allies such as the French and Spanish that wished for England’s defeat.
➔ At first Washington’s army got many defeats; army went from 28,000 to 3,000
◆ To boost morale, successful surprise attacks on Trenton and Princeton
➔ Battle of Saratoga → Major defeat of British general John Burgoyne and more than
5,000 British troops; turning point in battle as it gained America French, Dutch, Spanish
and boosted American morale greatly
➔ Most First Nations allied with British to push settlers off their land such as majority of
Iroquois, but Cherokee were neutral
➔ Battle of Yorktown → Final battle in Independence War where British general
Cornwallis surrendered
➔ Two years later (September 1783), Treaty of Paris was signed where American
delegation got independence and land between Canada and Florida and east of
Missisippi, got the right to fish in the sea off of Canda, and Spain got Florida.
