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Social Studies World Geography Unit 02: Celebrate Freedom Week 2012­2013

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Social Studies World Geography Unit 02: Celebrate Freedom Week 2012­2013 Social Studies World Geography Unit 02: Celebrate Freedom Week 2012­2013 This document is the property of TESCCC/CSCOPE and as such may not be replicated or changed without permission. Issues Surrounding the Stamp Act of 1765 British victory in the Seven Years' War (or French and Indian War, 1756–1763) came at a great financial cost. The British national debt nearly doubled. Future expenses were expected to continue to increase due to a decision by the British to keep ten thousand regular soldiers in the American colonies. Keeping them there made it politically prudent to retain a large peacetime establishment, but because Britons were averse to maintaining a standing army at home, it was necessary to garrison the troops elsewhere. Stationing most of the army in North America made sense because Great Britain had acquired the vast territory of New France in the 1763 peace treaty, and troops would be needed to maintain control of the new empire. The outbreak in May 1763 of Pontiac's Rebellion, an American Indian uprising against Anglo­American occupation and expansion, reinforced the logic of this decision. George Grenville—who became prime minister in April 1763—was charged with finding a way to pay for this large peacetime army. The Grenville ministry decided that Parliament would raise this revenue by taxing the American colonists. This was something new: Parliament had previously passed measures to regulate trade in the colonies, but it had never before directly taxed the colonies to raise revenue. British decision making Parliament announced in April 1764 when the Sugar Act was passed that they would also consider a stamp tax in the colonies. By requiring an official stamp on most legal documents, the system was almost self­regulating – a document without the required stamp would be null and void under British law. At the time of the passage of the Sugar Act, in April 1764, Grenville made it clear that the right to tax the colonies was not in question, and that additional taxes, including a stamp tax, might follow. Petitions against this, submitted by the colonies, were officially ignored by Parliament. The Stamp Act was passed by Parliament on March 22, 1765, with an effective date of November 1, 1765. It passed 245­49 in the House of Commons and unanimously in the House of Lords. By the end of 1765, all of the colonies except Georgia and North Carolina had sent some sort of protest passed by colonial legislative assemblies. The Virginia House of Burgesses reconvened in early May, 1765, after news of the passage of the Act was received. Patrick Henry led the opposition to the Stamp Act; his resolutions, proposed May 30, 1765, were passed in the form of the Virginia Resolves. Protests in the streets On August 14, 1765, Andrew Oliver, distributor of stamps for Massachusetts, was hung in effigy "from a giant elm tree at the crossing of Essex and Orange Streets in the city’s South End." All day the crowd detoured merchants on Orange Street to have their goods symbolically stamped under the elm (the elm tree later became known as the "Liberty Tree"). Throughout the colonies, peasants and middle class members of society formed the foundation for groups of resistance and soon called themselves the Sons of Liberty. These colonial groups of resistance burned effigies of royal officials, forced Stamp Act collectors to resign, and were able to get businessmen and judges to go about without using the proper stamps demanded by Parliament. The Stamp Act angered and united the American people like never before. It inspired both political Page 2 GO ON This document is the property of TESCCC/CSCOPE and as such may not be replicated or changed without permission. and constitutional forms of literature throughout the colonies, strengthened the colonial political perception and involvement, and created new forms of organized resistance. These organized groups of resistance quickly learned that they could force royal officials to resign by using violent measures and threats. Repeal Grenville was replaced as prime minister on July 10, 1765, by Lord Rockingham, the first lord of the treasury. News of the mob violence began to reach England in October. At the same time that resistance in America was building and accelerating, conflicting sentiments were taking hold in Britain. Some wanted to strictly enforce the Stamp Act over colonial resistance, wary of the precedent that would be set by backing down. A significant part of the colonial protest had included various non­importation agreements among merchants who recognized that a significant portion of British industry and commerce was dependent on the colonial market. In New York City, 200 merchants had met and agreed to import nothing from England until the Stamp Act was repealed. When Parliament reconvened on January 14, 1766, repeal of the act was proposed. Between January 17 and 27, petitions from all over the country, complaining of the economic repercussions felt throughout the country, were presented. On February 21, a resolution to repeal the Stamp Act was introduced and passed by a vote of 276­168. The King agreed to the repeal on March 17, 1766. Page 3 GO ON This document is the property of TESCCC/CSCOPE and as such may not be replicated or changed without permission. 1 According to the passage, Great Britain utilized which of the following to control its colonial territory? A armed war with others claiming territory B stationing troops in territory that it was attempting to control C making peace treaties with other countries to acquire land D all of the above 2 The Stamp Act is an example of which of the following? F an attempt to control territory through economic means G an attempt to control territory through ethnic conflict H an attempt to control territory through trade restrictions J all of the above 3 Which of the following generalizations can be made about the role of physical geography in Great Britain’s effort to control the American colonial territory? A Ability to control newly acquired French territory was made easier by its location west of the Appalachian Mountains. B British attempts to control trade and smugglers were likely made easier by the location of the English colonies along the Eastern seaboard. C Communication between colonial leaders and British Parliament for the purpose of compromise was severely delayed due to the great distance separating the colonies from the "mother country." D All of the above are true. Page 4 GO ON This document is the property of TESCCC/CSCOPE and as such may not be replicated or changed without permission. 4 Analyze efforts to solve rising conflict related to the British attempts to control the colonial territory as explained in the passage. What political strategies were used by the colonists to convince the British government to repeal the Stamp Act? Why did these strategies work? __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ Page 5 GO ON This document is the property of TESCCC/CSCOPE and as such may not be replicated or changed without permission. 5 Declaration of Rights (Excerpt) A Colonial Response to the Stamp Act The members of this congress, sincerely devoted, with the warmest sentiments of affection and duty to his majesty's person and government, inviolably attached to the present happy establishment of the protestant succession, ... 1. That his majesty's subjects in these colonies, owe the same allegiance to the crown of Great Britain, that is owing from his subjects born within the realm, and all due subordination to that august body the parliament of Great Britain. 2. That his majesty's liege subjects in these colonies, are entitled to all the inherent rights and liberties of his natural born subjects, within the kingdom of Great Britain. ­­ 5. That the only representatives of the people of these colonies, are persons chosen therein by themselves; and that no taxes ever have been, or can be constitutionally imposed on them, but by their respective legislatures. ­­ 7. That trial by jury, is the inherent and invaluable right of every British subject in these colonies. 8. That the late act of parliament, entitled, an act for granting and applying certain stamp duties, and other duties, in the British colonies and plantations in America, by imposing taxes on the inhabitants of these colonies, and the said act,
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