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Steven Bucher
Mr. Herrmann, Mr Rutherford
AP U.S. History
11 September 2015
Chapter 7 Notes
Why was it a road to revolution
Victory in the Seven years War made British the imperial dominance in North America
-Extremely costly so London government tried to tax the colonists
-Reinforced American political identity
Stronger grasp on the colonies by the British lead to tensions
-exposed irreconcilable differences between Americans and British

What were the Deep Roots of Revolution

2 main ideas that got the Colonies excited
One of two ideas:Republicanism idea arose
- models from Roman and Greek era
-society as one in which all citizens willingly subordinated their private, selfish interest to
the common good.
2nd idea: British political commentators: radical Whigs
-Very popular with the colonists
-feared threat of liberty posed by the arbitrary power of the monarch
-attacks on the kings ministers
-warned citizens to be worried about corruption and conspiracies
Both idea got the colonists on edge

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-Colonists had gotten use to working on their own without a larger entity
-After 1763 British were holding onto American more closely now

Mercantilism and Colonial Grievances

Only Georgia was established by the British government, all of the other 13 were
not established by the government
founded by companies and religious groups
Mercantilism - embraced by British
wealth and power and countries economic wealth could be
measured
London government looked to the Americas as tenants
expected to profit from them
Did not want them to have economic selfsufficiency: need to have them reliable on England
Passed laws regulating trade
Navigation Law of 1650 - aimed at Dutch traders
Kept currency shortage in the colonies
sold more than they could provide to the colonies
Forced to print depreciated money in the colonies
British were working mischievously with the Mercantilist system
What were the Merits and Menace of Mercantilism
England was selfish and oppressive against the colonists
Although most Navigation Laws were loosely enforced
Americans gained benefits
liberal bounties for ship making, huge tobacco market, protection
from largest navy
But felt like they were being used economically by the British
economic restrictions
What was the Stamp Tax Uproar
British in debt 140 million pounds
move to redefine relationships with colonies
Sugar Act of 1764 - raised tax revenue for colonies
increase duty on foreign sugar imported from the
West Indies

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Quartering Act of 1765 - required certain colonies to provide food

and quarter for British Troops
Stamp Tax - tax on stamps and requirement to use stamps on
everything
A lot heavier tax than what was passed
Admiralty courts - where those who offended Stamp and Sugar Act
No jury's, guilty until proven innocent
uproar against all the taxing
No taxation without representation
Americans denied the right of Parliament since no Americans were involved
fed up after there was no division between legislative authority and
taxation authority in colonies and Americans began to deny Parliament's authority
How was there a Forced Repeal of the Stamp Act
Stamp Act Congress of 1765
27 delegates from 9 colonies came to N.Y to debate Parliament
Largely ignored by England however starts an effect among
colonists
Nonimportation agreements against British goods
Spontaneous unity among the American people under same idea
Gave opportunities to the common folk
Sons and Daughters of Liberty arose
enforced the non importation agreement against
violators
broke down the collecting of taxes
stamp agents were forced to resign
Hit England hard
merchants manufacturers and shipper suffered
Parliament repealed the Stamp Act
Repelling od Stamp Act in 1766
Declaratory Act - reaffirms Parliament's right to bind colonies in
all cases
standoff between the line England made and the one the colonists
made
sovereignty among the colonies
What happened because of the Townshend Tea Tax and what caused the Boston Massacre

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Townshend Acts
import duty and regulation on glass, white lead, paper, paint, tea
tax having to be paid at the American Ports
Colonists were in a rebellious state of mind after victory of the Stamp Act
London suspended legislature of New York in 1767
fought against Townshend Act and got to lower it
Ended up not making enough revenue
got rid of Townshend Act but kept tax on tea
Boston Massacre - March 5, 1770
British Redcoats opened fire on crowd of taunting civilians

What were the Seditious Committees

Townshend Act was eliminated but Taxes on tea were still in affect
Committees of correspondence - formed by Samuel Adams in Massachusetts 1722
kept opposition of British government alive
Son every colony had something like this to exchange ideas and
info
very important to the establishment of a united action and evolved
into first American congresses
Tea Brewing in Boston
Not much progress in rebellion or unity till 1773
British East India Company was facing bankruptcy
monopoly on the tea business
Tea conflicts
forcing tea-bearing ships back to England with full cargo
burned cargo in Maryland
Boston was toughest to break (the tea distributors)
Governor was against the law but never acted upon
it
Boston Tea Party - December 16 1773
hundred Bostonians dumped 342 chests of tea into the harbor
perfect thing to rally the American people
What were the Intolerable Acts
Response to the Boston Tea Party and to stop other Intolerable Acts
many rights of Massachusetts were gone,

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Quartering Act strengthened and soldiers were able to go on trial

but always were freed
Quebec Act 1774
French were able to retain religion, old customs and tradition in
Quebec
Aroused anti-Catholics and most of the Colonists, seemed unfair
What kind of Bloodshed occurred?
Brutal punishment from the British as punishment for the violence by Americans
First Continental Congress in 1774
readress colonial issues and was a consultative body rather than
congress
Declaration of Rights
The Association called for complete boycott of British goods
Ultimatum with British with the meetup of
Congress
Parliament rejected Congresss proposition
Clash and violence was imminent
Lexington And Concord was the location of British commanders and troops
killing of eight Americans
retaliation by the colonists and 300 casualties
war was in effect
What were some imperial strengths and weaknesses?
Bad population odds (3 British to 1 American)
British has professional army source some 50000 men
poorly trained American troops
British enlisted some Indians and loyal colonists
Britain had many distracts with the French, oppressed Ireland and
weak Parliament
Hard conditions to operate under in America for Brit Troops
low rations and tough officers and 3000 miles from
homebase and late orders from London that took months
huge area to enforce, 1000 by 600
miles of colonies
What were some American Pluses and Minuses?

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Outstanding leadership within the colonies

George Washington, Ben Franklin
Foreign aid from France
Poor and bored offices, ex Marquis de Lafayeete (made a general
in the colonies)
Fought very defensively and very self-sustaining already
Moral advantage, fighting for something meaningful
Badly organized and uncoordinated
feebler as everything continued, Continental Congress for example
Jealousy between colonies
Economic difficulties
forced to print Continental paper money in great amounts
Inflation skyrocketed prices and lots of debt
Who was the Thin Line of Heroes?
Dangerously low military supplies
need weapons for training and actual fighting as well
Valley Forge a place where soldiers went without bread in harsh winter for 3 days
showed problem of lack of food for the soldiers
Militiamen were highly unreliable
very poorly trained
smallpox outbreaks among the soldiers weakening them even more
Womens role in the war
mained their father or husbands business
Camp Followers
cooked, sewed and helped the soldiers in return for
money and rations
Few thousand regulars were trained well by drillmasters
some non-English speakers: Baron von Steuben from Germany
Gained experience and were able to hold up against the British
troops
Blacks fought for American cause
5,000+ had enlisted and fought at Trenton, Brandywine, Saratoga
and other battles
British also enlisted African Americans in return for their freedom
Fled from South plantations and even from Africa
Minority of selfless Americans willing to die for the cause

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