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Themes & Learning Objectives • Students will

understand the key actors involved, as well as the importance of political, economic, and cultural factors/events that led to the Seven Years’ War—and its impacts going forward

• Students will

understand the key political, economic, and cultural divisions that grew between the UK and the American colonies prior to the American Revolution

• Students will become familiar with key individuals, events, and factors in relation to the American Revolution

• All information can be found in the required texts for

this course: • Gary Nash and Clayborne Carson, et. al., The American

People and The Struggle for Freedom: Second Custom Edition for Tennessee State University Vol. 1 (Pearson Custom Publishing, 2011)

Key Questions to Consider • What was the ‘Seven Years War’, and what were the results? How did it

sow the seeds of the American Revolution? • What cultural, political, and economic factors led to 13 North American

colonies declaring independence from the British Empire? • How did General Washington defeat the British Empire? What were the

results of the American Revolution? • What were the effects of the American Revolution for Native Americans?

British Hegemony and the Seven Years’ War PART I

“Britain Incorporated” • Glorious Revolution (1688) = more efficient imperial administration • 1696: Boards of Trade—CUSTOMS enforcement • Parliament extends vice-admiralty courts (part of the Navigation Acts) • More power to Royal Governors • More economic regulations to curb colonial production—wool (1699);

beaver hats (1732); iron products (1750); Molasses Act (1733) • Weak monarchs Anne; George I (House of Hanover)

Britain in Geo-Political Economy • Four wars w/France between 1689-1763 • Profound effects on European governments, colonial life/administration,

and North American Indian groups • Wars centered on the ‘balance of power’ in Europe, the Caribbean, and

North America • Peace of Utrecht (1713) lasts until war between UK & Spain (1739)

• 1744-48 conflict merges with wider world war: “War of Austrian Succession” (“King George’s War)

Continuing British-French Hostilities • Deep-seated tensions between British/French colonists since the early

1600s • Exasperated by British population growth in North America—to almost 2

million by mid-18th century • Inevitable western encroachment—demand for land & fur • 1740s: British settlers move into the Ohio Valley • French begin recruiting Indian groups to drive out British settlers • European mobilization for war in North America (1754)

The Seven Years’ War (1756-63)

Preludes to War • (1755) General Edward Braddock w/1400 UK troops, 450 Virginians, and

Washington’s band of Indian scouts march across VA towards Fort Duquesne (near modern Pittsburgh)

• 218 French soldiers and Quebecois militiamen; 637 Indian warriors • Meet by chance in the woods—UK annihilated; Braddock killed • French-allied Indian groups raid the entire western frontier to purge British

colonists

Mobilization • French and Catholic settlers in Nova Scotia (formerly Acadia) dispersed to

other British colonies in the Caribbean; lands redistributed to New Englanders

• 1756: Declaration of war • 1757-58: 23,000 UK troops dispatched; 14,000 navy men • Iroquois refuse to commit to British campaign

Indian Relations & the Seven Years’ War • French allied with most interior tribes—UK success dependent upon

Iroquois support • Two Options: • Buy them off • Display UK power • *BOTH FAIL

Getting the Iroquois On- Side • 1758: • -Fall of Louisbourg (Cape Breton Island) • -Fall of Fort Duquesne • Navy cuts off French trade for Iroquois—finally agree to support UK

Cherokee Conflicts • Continuous run-ins between Cherokee people and British settlers on the

frontier • Conflicts spanned from Virginia to South Carolina • 1759-61

The Fall of France in North America • 1759: Fall of Fort Niagara—key link between France’s inland North

American empire and the Atlantic • Fall of Martinique—SUGAR • 1760: Fall of Montréal… and Quebec as a whole • Seven Years’ War continues in Europe and the Caribbean, but effectively

ends French presence in North America

Après-Guerre—Impacts of the Seven Years’ War • Treaty of Paris 1763 • New Orleans and the Louisiana Territory west of the Mississippi River given

to Spain; Havana • Florida given to the UK • UK establishes an Appalachian border to divide settlers from Indian groups

in their new territories—whites already west of the Appalachians expelled—PROCLAMATION LINE OF 1763

• UNENFORCEABLE

Après-Guerre ct. • UK riddled with massive war debts • North American colonies suffer heavy losses • Depressed Colonies • Draconian taxation to pay for war debts • American colonies now filled with seasoned ‘American’ soldiers • War had caused local legislatures to better organize and communicate

The ‘New’ New World The Political Economy of Tyranny & Revolution PART II

Britain After the Seven Years’ War • National debt balloons from ₤75 million to ₤145 million • Crown and Parliament view the colonies as an easy tax base • 10,000 UK troops remain to police Canada and referee Indian tribes • Keep colonists on task as “subjects” of the Empire

King George III (1738- 1820) • Third monarch of Hannover dynasty • Hannover Dynasty unpopular with segments of society (Jacobites) • Chief minister: George Grenville • Desire to upgrade the entire administrative procedures and structures of

British Empire

Money & Taxes • Grenville & Parliament • 1764: Revenue Act (Sugar Act) • -Adds to list of England-only products • -Requires shippers to post bonds • Currency Act (1751) amended • -Earlier legislation targets Massachusetts paper money • -Now: all colonies forbidden—stifling trade • 1765: Stamp Act • -Newspapers; pamphlets; almanacs; legal documents; liquor licenses;

diplomas; playing cards; dice • -Had been in effect in England for years

Opposition & Stamp Act Riots

Initial Reactions to Stamp Act • Virginia’s House of Burgesses (1764) • -Protests led by Patrick Henry (accused of treason) • -7 Resolutions—published continentally • -VA has the right to tax itself • New York • -Stamp Act Congress; pragmatic approach • -Parliament’s right to legislate, but not to direct taxation • Boston • -The most boisterous of continental opposition • -Rioters destroy the homes of Lt. Governor Thomas Hutchinson and British

officials

The ‘Sons of Liberty’ • Largely comprised of the more radical middle-classes • Artisans, craftsmen, etc. • Violent protests (New York; Newport)

Assertiveness of King George • Overhaul of imperial customs collection and administration • Establishment of a Secretariat of American Affairs • Three vice-admiralty courts per port city • Behind the scenes—a turf war between Crown & Parliament

The Unrelenting Parliament • Townshend Acts • -Paper, lead, paints • -TEA • Quartering Act (1765) • -Public funds for housing UK troops • -Continued UK troops presence and abuses • Massachusetts in Revolt • -Samuel Adams • -Protests • *General American confusion: WHY IS PARLIAMENT DOING THIS TO US?

The “Boston Massacre”

• March 5, 1770—Parliament in London repeals the Townshend Acts, but…. • Coincidentally, British troops fire on a riotous crowd in Boston • Crispus Attucks the first of five colonists to fall in the attack • Governor Hutchinson arrests the troops, but the damage has been done

The Rural Experience • The interior settlements of North America were insulated from the flash

points of resistance • Less imperial engagements (customs, impressments, troops, etc.) • Exceptions: Western North Carolina & rural New York

The “Regulators” of North Carolina • Western North Carolina long known for corrupt counties and county officials • Land speculators, Sheriffs, Lawyers, etc. • Small farmers form the “Regulators” and go outside the corrupt system of

law to force change • Public whippings of officials • Property attacks; Storming Jails to free other farmers • 1768/1771: Governor William Tryon sends troops

Impasse Between the UK and its Colonies • 1772: Crown announces it will now pay the salaries of Mass. Governor, and

judges • Boston Town Meeting produces “Committee of Correspondence” to

establish dialogue with other localities • 80 more committees in Mass. by end of 1772 • All but 3 colonies establish committees of correspondence in legislatures • 1772: Gaspee (royal ship) runs aground—burned by Rhode Islanders;

captain arrested

Tea: the Final Straw • Tea Act (1773)—East India Company • Boston “Tea Party”--₤10,000 worth of East India Company tea dumped into

Boston Harbor • NON-CONSUMPTION PACTS—BOYCOTTS of British goods • Increase in “homespun” and local production

British Reaction • 1774: Lord North & Parliament pass the COERCIVE ACTS (known to

Americans as the “Intolerable Acts”) • Lockdown of Boston Harbor; bar local courts from trying British officials

and troops • General Thomas Gage (Commander-in-Chief of the Americas) replaces

Gov. Hutchinson • In essence: martial law

American Posturing • CONTINENTAL CONGRESS • 55 delegates from all but GA to Philadelphia • Sectional differences & disputes • Radicals from VA & Mass. call for outright resistance • Middle colonies more moderate • Consensus: repeal the Coercive Acts or all exports to

the UK, Ireland, and British West Indies would cease

• Subsequent widespread riots and radicalization • Formation of unchartered bodies, associations, and

legislatures

The Break • April 1775: General/Governor Gage sends troops out from Boston to arrest

‘agitators’ and seize arms caches at Concord • -Met en route by 70 ‘Minutemen’ at Lexington • -UK troops fired upon en route back to Boston—dozens of casualties • -Boston under siege • -2nd Continental Congress called (May 1775-Philly)

Thomas Paine (1737- 1809) • Common Sense (Jan. 1776) • Anti-Monarchy • Full fruition of Enlightenment-Liberal values • Spread like wildfire through the colonies • A new ideology of Republicanism for all

Revolutionary

Republicanism • Classical Liberal/Enlightenment Philosophy + Religious

history/transformation = an ideology of Revolutionary Republicanism • “Public Virtue” vs. “Factionalism” • Women disenfranchised, but key players in radicalization and resistance • Often conflicting visions across the class spectrums of the colonies on the

path to republicanism • “Ideology” = Theory becoming Popular Practice

Widespread Mobilization • Role of PRINTED MATERIALS in fomenting resistance and revolution—

newspapers; pamphlets • Making the philosophy of “Liberty” into an ideology • Adding God to the struggle—preachers, authors, etc. • RADICALIZATION of the colonies

Phillis Wheatley • Brought from Africa to Boston as slave at age 7 • Skilled writer/reader as a child • First poem at age 14 • Known in trans-Atlantic society as Boston’s “Ethiopian Poetess” • 1st published Black American poet

From ‘Subjects’ to ‘Citizens’ • Richard Henry Lee of Virginia calls for the drafting of a formal declaration of

independence • Thomas Jefferson of Virginia takes the task—signed July 4, 1776 • Next task: uniting the colonies—long torn by disputes and disagreements • Conflicting views on the nature of centralization

Articles of Confederation • The colonies were, in essence, FORCED together to form a united

resistance to UK • Strong or Loose Union? • Compromises: • -Article 9—Congress has sole authority over foreign affairs, Indian relations

outside the colonies, postal service, and interstate disputes; equal citizenship between colonies

• -Article 2—Sovereignty of states; unanimous amendment procedure

• *Not ratified until 1781

The Revolution PART III

The North • Growing Continental Army under the command of General George

Washington • British forces led by brothers, General William Howe (army) and Admiral

Richard Howe (navy) • 1776: General Howe evacuates Boston • British command moves to NYC for the duration of the war • Advantages: NY Harbor; Hudson-interior access; food; LOYALISTS

Early Northern Struggles • Washington’s advances on NYC repelled • War shifts across NJ and PA • Arrival of Hessian (German) mercenaries from King George’s realms • Despite numerous defeats, Washington achieves meager advances at

Trenton and Princeton in the winter of 1776-77 • Failed American attempts to control Canada

Persevering in the North • Raising revenue for the Continental Army difficult—Articles of

Confederation were never ratified • Washington shifts strategy to Guerrilla Warfare • Oct. 1777: Washington forces the surrender of UK commander John

Burgoyne and 5700 UK troops at the Battle of Saratoga (NY) • France enters the war • Congress reluctantly gives extraordinary powers to General Washington to

circumvent inefficiencies

Turning South • Northern stalemate = Brits move South—more Loyalists and more potential

to enlist slaves to UK side • 1778: Fall of Savannah • 1780: Fall of Charleston (5400 Americans captured) • Camden, SC: 1000 American fatalities; 1000 captured

• British, however, overplay their hand by moving into North Carolina

Americans Fight Back in the South • Oct. 1780: Washington sends Nathanael Greene to lead the Southern

forces • Also adopts Guerrilla Warfare as tactic against UK forces and Loyalists • GA and Carolinas complicated by roving groups of bandits • Jan. 1781—Cowpens, SC: General Daniel Morgan leads Americans to

victory • Brits give up on the interior of the Carolinas and Georgia—move into

Virginia

Gathering in Virginia • 1781: General Cornwallis retreats from the Carolinas into Virginia • 7500 UK troops press deep into VA • Run Gov. Jefferson & legislature out of Charlottesville and into the

countryside • August 1—Cornwallis retreats back to Yorktown • Leaves entire UK army dependent upon British naval control of the

Chesapeake Bay

The Reckoning at Yorktown • French Admiral Comte de Grasse takes control of the Chesapeake Bay • Washington’s Continental Army and thousands of French troops descend

from Pennsylvania • Oct. 19, 1781: Cornwallis surrenders the British Army at Yorktown • News takes 1 month to reach London

The Settlement • Sept. 1781—American and British delegations join the European powers in

Paris • Treaty of Paris (1783) • -Recognition of American independence • -Establish western boundary at the Mississippi • -Fishing rights in Newfoundland • -Restoration of Loyalist properties & rights • -Recognition of pre-war debts owed to the British • *Seeds sewn for future conflict

How did the Americans

Win? • Only 13 colonies revolted—none in Caribbean • Dutch loans and French military assistance • Americans’ unwillingness to surrender • Disorganization and Uncooperativeness helped • Washington’s guerrilla tactics • Lack of full UK military engagement—stretched elsewhere in Europe and in

Ireland

Native Peoples and the Revolution • Iroquois Confederation (15,000)—from the Hudson to Ohio Valley—join

forces with the UK in 1777 • 5 Southern Tribes (Choctaw; Chickasaw; Seminole; Creek; Cherokee)

constant skirmishes with colonists • Oneida and Tuscarora join the revolution • Most native peoples allied themselves with the UK—for several reasons

African Americans and the Revolution • Free Blacks and slaves fight for the Revolution in the North • Many flee behind British lines in search of freedom • 1775: Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation from Virginia—all slaves willing to fight

could join British forces at Norfolk—over 500 flee • Following the War—many follow Loyalists to Canada • Many eventually go to Sierra Leone by the turn of the 19th century • Some fled to native peoples on the frontiers, with mixed receptions

Black Loyalists In Focus: Thomas Peters • Yoruba slave • Sold into slavery in Spanish Louisiana • Fled slavery in North Carolina and joined British forces • Forced to Canada with Loyalists after the war • Eventually returned to West Africa (Sierra Leone)

Conclusions • Students should understand the relationship between the Seven Years’ War

and the fomenting of the American Revolution • Students should understand how each conflict impacted the spectrums of

class, race, and gender in North America Students should be familiar with key individuals, events, and factors in relation to both conflicts—and the British policies that led to colonial revolt