American War of

Independence
Discovery of the New World

– Variety of Native American Tribes in Northern America, the most important- the
Iroquois Confederacy in the North-eastern United States
– The Aztec Empire settled in and around the present day Mexico City
– The Inca Empire included regions of present day Peru, Ecuador, Colombia,
Argentina
– On August 3, 1492, Christopher Columbus set sail on his three ships the Nina.
The Pinta and the Santa Maria to find an alternative route to the East. His
patrons were Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain
– When he landed in the Bahamas he was convinced he had reached India
Meso-America
Aztecs ruled around the Mexico
Valley from 1428 until the Spanish
conquistadores under Hernan Cortez
defeated them in 1521

Mayans existed from the pre-

classical era until their contact with
Europeans in 16th century, covered a
wide territory that included Mexico
and Central America

The Inca empire rose in the early

13th century until the Spanish
conquest in 1572, covered most of
western South America
FIRST ENGLISH SETTLEMENTS

– In 1585, Sir Walter Raleigh took on one of the first English settlement attempts.
He set up a colony of about 100 men on the east coast of North America, on
land he named Virginia after Queen Elizabeth I, who being unmarried, was
known as the “Virgin Queen.” These settlers only lasted for a year before
returning home.
– In 1587, Raleigh made a second attempt at settling a colony at Roanoke,
Virginia. The supply ships sent to the colony never arrived and in 1590 when
help did come, evidence of the existence of the entire colony had disappeared
except for the word “Croatan” inscribed on a post.
JAMESTOWN COLONY

– In 1606, King James I granted a charter to colonize Virginia, the whole area
claimed by England in the New World, to a joint-stock company called the
Virginia Company of London.
– In late 1606, the Virginia Company set sail with about 100 male settlers aboard.
On May 24, 1607, their three ships landed near the mouth of the Chesapeake
Bay area on the banks of the James River. Here they founded Jamestown, the
first permanent English colony in the New World.
– Though the colony faced several hardships, it was the discovery of tobacco as a
viable crop that sustained the colony. The newly-developed tobacco plantation
economy became the first commodity to save the south and provide wealth for
the colonists but it also had negative consequences
JAMESTOWN COLONY

– The vast plantation system required a large labour force. In 1619 a Dutch ship
stopped in Jamestown and dropped off 20 Africans, establishing the beginning
of the North American slave system.
– However, there were a limited number of slaves in all of the Southern colonies
in the early 1600s, with only 300 blacks in Virginia by 1650. Instead, the
planters had to rely on a white labour force of indentured servants.
Other English Colonies

– The New England colonies- Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire,

Rhode Island
– Middle Colonies- New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware
– Chesapeake colonies- Maryland and Virginia
– Southern colonies- Georgia and the two Carolinas
French and the Indian War

– By mid 18th century, North America was changing as the British moved across the Ohio
river valley
– The Spanish occupied a vast region extending from the Gulf of California, across the
desert, and along the Gulf Coast to Florida. The French settled primarily in New France,
the area that would later become Canada.
– European expansion displaced many indigenous peoples. Many tribes decimated
through European diseases
– Alliances were also made with the Native American tribes
– One system of alliances pitted the French and the Huron Indians against the English
and the Iroquois Indians.
– Tensions mounted as the settlers of New France wanted to increase their land
holdings to build up the fur trade. Their primary focus was the lush Ohio River
Valley and the Great Lakes. Meanwhile, the British also started moving into the
Ohio River Valley, with the Crown granting lands to companies such as the Ohio
Company to encourage settlement.
– In 1740s war broke out between England and her allies against France and
Austria.
– As a result, the British captured the French city of Louisbourg, in what is now
Nova Scotia. The French tried to retake the area but were unsuccessful.
– In 1754, the Virginia government dispatched 22-year-old Lieutenant Colonel George Washington
with 150 men to an area near the forks of the Ohio River in modern-day Pennsylvania, where the
French were building a fortified post named Fort Duquesne. Came across a contingent of French
and Huron Indians before he could reach the fort

– After a bloody battle, the French and Indians emerged as victors. They allowed Washington to
retreat with what was left of his troops. This battle marked the beginning of the French and Indian
War.
– In that same year, colonists called for an intercolonial congress—a meeting of representatives of all
British colonies and six allied Native American nations to develop a plan to defend their land from
the French.

– the Albany Plan of Union focused on two issues: developing a colonial force of defense, and self-
imposed taxation to pay for that defense
– By 1756, the tensions in North America developed into a global conflict. This
conflict, which started in North America as the French and Indian War, came to be
known as the Seven Years’ War in Europe.
– Britain emerged as the eventual victor in this war
– The British victory opened new territory for exploration and expansion
– But they had to deal with resentful former French subjects like the Native
American allies of the French (Pontiac’s war)
– Lastly, the British colonists themselves who were beginning to test the boundaries
of Britain’s rule and were becoming increasingly aggressive toward the natives.
Proclamation of 1763

– Government issued the Proclamation of 1763, which called for a halt to

westward expansion beyond the Appalachians.
– The desired effect of this proclamation was two-fold. First, the Britons hoped to
keep the colonists tied more closely to English colonial authorities by confining
them to the coast.
– Second, the Seven Years’ War had put England in dire financial straits, and
keeping colonists east of the Appalachians would facilitate the collection of
taxes and allow England to refill its coffers.
Proclamation of 1763

– The Colonists defied British rule, rushed westwards

– Brought to surface many resentments of the colonists
– Resentment against having to quarter British troops in their homes during the
war; having to pay for Britain’s wartime efforts
– To the colonists the war was one of the first signs that they were not just
transplanted Englishmen. They were a society with their own traditions,
customs, and identity that was increasingly distinct from the mother country.
Deep Roots of Revolution

– Republicanism-Though under the control of the British Crown and Parliament, in

internal matters, the colonies enjoyed considerable autonomy. They resented the
increasing British interference. Britain depended upon the colonial trade. In 1770
it amounted to 500,000 pounds, in 1776 it was 2,80,000 pounds

– Mercantilism- Colonies were supposed to offer commodities not obtainable at

home, chiefly raw materials and to use manufactured goods produced in the
mother country. Colonies were to offer opportunities for development of a
marine merchant force, wealth of exporters and importers and for investment of
capital
MERCANTILISM

– The first mercantile legislation was the Navigation Act, 1651 which stipulated
that no goods manufactured in Asia, Africa or America could be imported into
Europe or the dominions thereof except in ships of which the proprietor and a
major part of the mariners were English
– Until 1763, most mercantilist restrictions were poorly enforced, and American
capitalism grew within this mercantilist network
– The colonies had already considered themselves as a commonwealth, a loose
association with the British authorities so when the British adopted a stricter
policy the colonists reacted
The Stamp Act

– In 1764, Pitt’s successor Grenville pressed Parliament to pass the Sugar Act—
also known as the Revenue Act—that placed tariffs on sugar, wine, coffee, and
other items imported by the colonies.

– The inadequate funds generated by the Sugar Act forced Grenville and
Parliament to enact a Stamp Act that placed taxes on all printed materials,
including legal papers, playing cards, and newspapers. No one could sell
pamphlets or newspapers or distribute diplomas or licenses without first
purchasing special stamps and placing them on the printed material.
Protests against the taxes

– The famous circular letter from the

Massachusetts House of Representatives
(1768) stated,
“. . . considering the utter impracticability
of their ever being fully and equally
represented in Parliament, and the great
expense that must unavoidably attend even a
partial representation there, this House think
that a taxation of their constituents, even
without their consent, grievous as it is, would
be preferable to any representation that could
be admitted for them there.”
– The Americans made a distinction between “legislation’’ and “taxation.’’ They conceded
the right of Parliament to legislate about matters that affected the entire empire,
including the regulation of trade. But they steadfastly denied the right of Parliament, in
which no Americans were seated, to impose taxes on Americans.
– Only their own elected colonial legislatures, the Americans insisted, could legally tax
them. Taxes levied by the distant British Parliament amounted to robbery, an assault on
the right to property
– When the British replied that the sovereign power of government could not be divided
between “legislative’’ authority in London and “taxing’’ authority in the colonies, they
forced the Americans to deny the authority of Parliament altogether and to begin to
consider their own political independence.
The Stamp Act Congress

– In October 1765, the Stamp Act Congress, comprised of delegates from nine
colonies, petitioned Parliament to repeal the act. Grenville ignored the pleas of the
colonists and ordered the tax to be implemented.
– organizations, such as the Sons of Liberty, staged riots and vandalized the homes of
the stamp distributors. The mobs threatened the safety of the stamp agents and
their families and intimidated them into resigning their posts.
– Many Americans formed non-importation pacts that drastically cut the amount of
goods purchased from England. British merchants, manufacturers, and shippers
suffered from the reduced trade and pressured Parliament into repealing the Stamp
Act.
– On the same day Parliament repealed the Stamp Act, it passed the Declaratory Act,
which reaffirmed England’s authority to pass any law it desired to bind the colonies
and people of America. The colonists remained subordinates
The Townshend Duties

– In 1767, Chancellor of the Exchequer Charles Townshend proposed enacting

new customs duties on the most popular items imported by the colonies.

– Parliament approved The Townshend duties (also referred to as the Townshend

Revenue Act), which taxed a wide variety of imports, including glass, lead,
paints, paper, silk, and tea. Unlike the Stamp Act, the new levy was an indirect
tax payable at American ports.

– This was followed by suspension of the legislature of New York for failing to
comply with the Quartering Act
“BOSTON MASSACRE”

– Colonists responded with boycott of British goods; some continued to smuggle

goods
– As conflict in the colonies intensified, Britain transferred two regiments of
troops to Boston.
– On March 5, 1770, tension between the two forces peaked when a small group
of colonists threw snowballs at a British soldier guarding the Custom House. The
crowd grew in size as the participants’ jeers turned malicious. When the
intimidating mob moved closer to the building, the British soldiers panicked and
fired into the crowd. Five Bostonians were killed and several more injured.
The Boston Tea Party

– Boston massacre forced Lord North, the PM, to repeal all duties except the one on tea.
– In 1773, the British East India Company faced bankruptcy because of American boycott
and smuggling
– The British government, set to lose a large amount of tax revenue if the company
failed, ratified a Tea Act that allowed the company to bypass English and American
wholesalers and sell directly to American merchants at reduced prices.
– The Tea Act renewed the colonists’ resentment toward Parliament and prompted them
to protest the British regulations. Mobs lined the ports in New York and Philadelphia
and refused to allow the crews of the British ships to unload their tea cargo.
The Boston Tea Party

– In Boston, Massachusetts governor Thomas Hutchinson was determined to

force the issue in an effort to exert royal authority over the “rebels.”
– He ordered the three tea ships to remain docked in Boston harbor until their
cargoes were unloaded.
– During the night of December 16, 1773, Samuel Adams and about fifty
members of the Sons of Liberty disguised themselves as Indians and boarded
the three ships.
– Onlookers huddled in groups on the dock and watched the band of colonists
dump several hundred chests filled with tea into Boston harbour.
The Coercive Acts

– The Boston Port Act closed the city’s harbor to all commercial traffic until the
East India Company was paid for the destroyed tea.
– The Administration of Justice Act, dubbed the “Murder Act” in Massachusetts,
transferred legal cases involving royal officials charged with capital crimes to
Great Britain, where many colonists believed they would be set free.
– The Massachusetts Government Act increased the governor’s powers,
decreased the authority of the local town meetings, and made elective offices
subject to royal appointment.
– The Quartering Act, which was applied to all American colonies, required
citizens to house British soldiers when other living quarters proved inadequate.
–  the Quebec Act that extended the Canadian border south to include the Ohio
River Valley, land that was previously claimed by Massachusetts, Connecticut,
and Virginia.
– Many colonists were convinced that the five laws, which they labeled the
Intolerable Acts, directly threatened their liberty.
Enlightenment and its Impact

– John Locke- social contract, right to rebellion

– “Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the
consent of the governed, -- That whenever any Form of Government becomes
destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it,
and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and
organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect
their Safety and Happiness.” –Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration of
Independence
– Thomas Paine- declared that King George was a “Royal Brute” who did not
deserve the colonists’ respect and claimed that the authority of all government
officials, from governors to senators to judges, should originate from popular
consent.
– He further argued that the concept of an island ruling a continent defied natural
law.
The first Continental Congress

– September 1774 - delegates from twelve colonies met at Carpenter’s Hall in

Philadelphia to fashion a common response to the Intolerable Acts. John
Adams, George Washington, Samuel Adams, and Patrick Henry were among the
fifty-five members.
– the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Rights and Resolves,
drafted by John Adams.
– The declaration argued that Americans were entitled to legislate for themselves
“in all cases of taxation and internal polity,” conceding to Parliament only the
power to regulate “our external commerce.”
– In January 1775, orders went out from London to prohibit the meeting of the
Second Continental Congress.
– On the night of April 18, General Thomas Gage sent British troops marching
from Boston toward Concord. The soldiers were ordered to seize colonial
weapons and gunpowder and arrest John Hancock and Samuel Adams, whom
the British considered to be the leaders of the Patriots.
THE SHOT HEARD AROUND THE
WORLD
– “By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood,
And fired the shot heard round the world”.
Emerson
Battle of Lexington and Concord

– In April 1775 on orders from the Crown, British soldiers, or redcoats as

Americans referred to them, marched west from their station in Boston to
Lexington and Concord. They were to confiscate colonial weapons and
gunpowder and capture John Hancock and Sam Adams, the leaders of the
“rebel militia.”
– The Massachusetts Patriots, as they were calling themselves, had been
accumulating arms and training “Minute Men,” so named because they were
said to be ready to fight in a minute. When the redcoats arrived at Lexington,
about 70 Minute Men refused the British solders’ orders to disperse, and a shot
was fired.
Battle of Lexington and Concord

– The British troops pushed on to Concord, destroyed whatever supplies the

Patriots had not removed, and were forced to retreat by a growing number of
American militiamen.
– The Second Continental Congress met the next month, on May 10, 1775, in
Philadelphia, with representatives from all 13 colonies
– The assembly organized the troops who had gathered around Boston into the
Continental Army, appointing George Washington Commander-in-Chief.
Battle of Bunker Hill

– Clash of arms on a contradictory basis as Americans profess loyalty to King George

on one hand and voicing their desire to patch up relations. On the other hand they
were raising armies and shooting down His Majesty’s soldiers
– In June 1775 the colonists seized a hill known as Bunker Hill from which they
menaced the enemy in Boston. The British, instead of cutting off the retreat of their
foes by flanking them, blundered bloodily when they launched a frontal attack with
three thousand men.
– Sharpshooting Americans mowed down the advancing British
– Eventually the colonists had to abandon the hill when their store of gunpowder ran
out.
Olive Branch Petition

– The Continental Congress issued the Petition professing American loyalty and
advancing one last plea to the King to prevent further hostilities.
– Also issued “Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms,”
– King George III refused to even look at the Olive Branch Petition, and in August
1775 declared the colonies to be in open rebellion. The King ended all hopes of
reconciliation when he hired thousands of German troops, called Hessians, to
help defeat the rebellious Americans.
Paine’s Common Sense

– called not simply for independence, but for the creation of a new kind of
political society, a republic, where power flowed from the people themselves,
not from a corrupt and despotic monarch
– Resonated with the colonists who already had experience with governance with
their democratic town meetings and annual meetings
– The absence of a hereditary aristocracy and the relative equality of condition
enjoyed by landowning farmers meshed well with the republican repudiation of
a fixed hierarchy of power.
Declaration of Independence

– On June 7, 1776, RICHARD HENRY LEE introduced a resolution to the Congress

that declared the thirteen colonies "free and independent states." Congress did
not act on the resolution immediately. A vote was set for early July
– A subcommittee of five, including Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and THOMAS
JEFFERSON, was selected to choose the careful wording. Such a document must
be persuasive to a great many parties. Americans would read this and join the
patriot cause. Sympathetic Britons would read this and urge royal restraint.
Foreign powers would read this and aid the colonial militia. 
– “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that
they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among
these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights,
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the
consent of the governed, ….”
Battle of New York

– August 1776
– British General William Howe had landed 32,000 troops on Staten Island,
including 9000 Hessian mercenaries
– The battle of New York was a disaster for the Americans. More than 300 were
killed, 800 were wounded, and another 1000 were captured. 
Entry of France

– British General Burgoyne defeated at Saratoga

– France, who had been waiting for proof that the Americans might win before
extending support, rushed into action.
– In early 1778, the French and Americans signed two treaties. The first was a
Treaty of Amity and Commerce that strengthened trade between France and
America. The second, a Treaty of Alliance, contained several stipulations.
– First, if France entered the war, neither country would stop fighting until
America won its independence.
– Second, neither France nor America could conclude peace with Britain without
the consent of the other.
– And finally, both were responsible for guaranteeing the other’s possessions in
America against all other powers.
BATTLE OF YORKTOWN

– Aug-Oct 1781
– British General Charles Cornwallis decided that the Carolinas could not be
subdued until Virginia was brought under control.
– Washington sent more troops to Virginia to re-enforce the small army under the
Marquis de Lafayette, Cornwallis withdrew to the coastal town of Yorktown.
– Washington prepared to march the Continental and French armies to Virginia. 
– Cornwallis now faced a besieging army of 17,500 men and had to surrender
Peace of 1783

– By 1782, citizens of Britain were tired of war in the American colonies. Ready to
negotiate a peace settlement
– Three American peace negotiators appointed by the Continental Congress went to
Paris: Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay
– The Americans insisted on recognition of independence as the precondition for any
negotiations.
– The boundaries for the new nation were set as the Great Lakes to the north, the
Mississippi River to the West, and roughly the northern boundary of Florida to the
south. Florida was given back to Spain and Britain retained Canada.
– The British agreed to withdraw their troops from America as quickly as possible.