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Home , Battle of Quebec (1690), Battle of Quebec (1775), Fort Ticonderoga

The Road to Revolution 1745 - 1776 Terms and People

• – colonist who led troops against the French during the Seven Years’ War; future president

• – force made up of civilians trained as soldiers but not part of the regular army

• alliance – agreement between countries to help each other against other countries

• cede – surrender By the mid-1700s, both Britain and France had claimed vast areas of land in North America - lands long settled by Native Americans. In the , land disputes erupted in the River valley, the area between Lake Erie and the .

France claimed the Ohio River valley as part of its territory. The Virginia colony also claimed the land, and British settlers continued to move west. French troops from marched south to seize and fortify the Ohio Valley. Britain protested the “invasion” and claimed Ohio for itself. Virginia’s Governor Dinwiddie sent young Major George Washington to warn the French to leave the region. The French ignored Washington’s warnings. A young George Washington, representing Virginia and the British government, meets with French commander of Ft. LeBoeuf to request that they leave the area. The French sent Washington home with the message that they would never give up the Ohio River valley. The next year, Washington returned to the Ohio River valley to find the French building a fort at a key location.

Ohio R. Built where the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers meet to form the Ohio River Washington’s First Battle: Jumonville Glen

• Washington is Sent to the Forks of the Ohio in Spring 1754 to Reinforce a Small Party Building a Fort There • Washington’s Force of 350 Begins to Build a Secondary at the Great Meadows • Washington Takes a Scouting Party of 50 Soldiers and Indians Searching for the French

Washington Rock at Jumonville Glen As it • They Surprise and Defeat a Force of appeared in 2007 34 Frenchmen George Washington attacked a small French force at Jumonville Glen. The leader of the French Party, Ensign Joseph Coulon de Villiers de Jumonville, a Diplomatic Envoy, is killed by Native Americans after he surrendered. The incident touched off open fighting between the British and the French and started the . Washington’s First Battle: Impact on the World

“The Volley Fired by a Young Virginian in the Backwoods of America has Set the World on Fire.” -Horace Walpole Washington built a small fort, Fort Necessity, near the forks of the Ohio. He called the landscape around Fort Necessity “a charming field for an encounter”. His inexperience led to a humiliating defeat for the Virginians and the beginning of a worldwide struggle for empire between Great Britain and France. Hoping to form an alliance against the French, the British called a meeting of colonial leaders and local tribes in Albany, . The alliance failed.

Iroquois British refuse to join a British alliance Colonial leaders at the Albany Congress still tried to work out a plan to defend themselves against the French.

Benjamin Franklin urged the colonists to unite against the enemy.

Franklin drew up a plan in which an elected council would have authority to act for all the colonies on urgent matters. It also could form armies and collect taxes to pay expenses.

Albany Plan of Union

The Albany Plan of Union was rejected by the colonial assemblies. Despite the failure to form a united front, the British decided it was time to act. In 1755, troops led by General Edward Braddock marched on Fort Duquesne.

The French and their Native American allies ambushed the British, defeating them.

The British knew little about fighting in North America. Braddock’s Defeat near Ft. Duquesne, 1755 The British disaster at Fort Duquesne was followed by other defeats.

Fort Niagara Fort Oswego

In 1756, Britain declared war on France, marking the official beginning of the Seven Years’ War. The French and Indian War was just the North American theatre of a larger conflict, the Seven Years War. In Europe, Britain, Prussia, and Hanover fought against an alliance of France, Austria, Saxony, Russia, Sweden and Spain. The European phase of the war lasted from 1756 to 1763. Britain’s string of defeats finally ended when a new prime minister, William Pitt, took office.

Pitt’s generals soon turned the tide of the war. In 1758, the British won Fort Duquesne, renaming it Fort Pitt. Such victories helped the British gain Iroquois support.

British Iroquois join a British alliance British victories in 1758 and 1759 set the stage for the key battle or turning point of the war - the Battle of .

The , 1759 Quebec, the capital of , was located atop high cliffs.

The British climbed the cliffs on an unguarded trail and captured the city.

Without Quebec, France could no longer defend its territory. In 1763, Britain and France signed the , ending the war. The Death of General Wolfe by Benjamin West Under the terms of the treaty, France lost its lands in North America.

Native Americans lost, too, as British settlers continued to move west. Terms and People

• duty – import tax • boycott – organized campaign to refuse to buy certain products • petition – written request to a government • writ of assistance – court order that allowed officials to make searches without saying what they were searching for • – Massachusetts lawyer and colonial leader; future president • – leader of the who established the Committee of Correspondence With the French defeat in the Seven Years’ War, Britain gained vast new lands in North America.

Native Americans Colonists saw saw a new threat endless room to their lands. for settlement. Pontiac, the leader of the Ottawa nation, took action to stop settlers from pushing farther west.

Pontiac and his allies launched a bloody attack on British forts and towns. The British responded with equally brutal attacks against Native Americans.

The British defeated Pontiac in 1764, but thousands of settlers and Native Americans had been killed. Pontiac’s Rebellion

Hoping to avoid further wars, the British issued the Proclamation of 1763. It forbid colonists from settling west of a line drawn along the . The stopped settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains. It angered colonists who had hoped to move to the Ohio Valley. The Proclamation of 1763 angered many colonists, who believed they had the right to settle wherever they wanted.

Proclamation of 1763

The colonists largely ignored the proclamation, and Britain found it impossible to enforce. Tensions rose. Colonists POV

Colonists had fought and died to help win the war.

Colonists expected Britain Colonists increasingly to be grateful for the believed their rights their help. were being

threatened. Colonists were loyal subjects; they expected to have the same rights as other British citizens. British POV

The war had put Britain in debt.

Britain continued to British leaders spend money on were concerned troops to protect about paying for colonists from their costly Native Americans. colonies.

British leaders expected the colonists to help pay expenses. of 1764

The stopped American colonists from making and using their own paper money as legal tender. Parliament effectively assumed control of the colonial currency system. Since Parliament favored a "hard currency" system based on the pound sterling and was not inclined to regulate the colonial bills, they simply abolished them. British Taxes

Britain owed a large debt from the Seven Years War (French and Indian War). Keeping troops in the colonies would raise that debt even higher. Britain needed more revenue, or income, to meet its expenses. So it attempted to have the colonies pay part of the war debt. Britain also wanted the colonies to contribute toward the costs of frontier defense and colonial government. In the past, the King asked the colonial assemblies to pass taxes. This time Parliament voted to tax the colonies directly. Colonial leaders claimed that Parliament had King George III no right to tax the colonies, since colonists were not represented in Parliament. The Placed a duty or tax on sugar, molasses, coffee, pimento, and some wines.

Required all legal and commercial documents to carry an official stamp showing that a tax had been paid. increased tensions between Britain and the Colonies. Colonial leaders felt they were being taxed without their consent. Colonial leaders protested the Stamp Act and sent a petition to the King. Some colonists formed secret societies to oppose British policies. Colonial assemblies and newspapers joined the protests. Later, colonial merchants organized a boycott of British goods. A boycott is a refusal to buy. Not all protests were peaceful. Colonists burned stamped paper whenever they could find it. They also attacked and threatened customs officials. Many officials quit their jobs because of fear. This newspaper expressed the colonial anger over the Stamp Act and included a mock stamp drawn as a skull and crossbones. Quartering Act of 1765

The directed colonial assemblies to provide for the basic needs of soldiers stationed within their borders. Specified items included bedding, cooking utensils, firewood, beer or cider, and candles. This law was expanded in 1766 and required the assemblies to billet soldiers in taverns and unoccupied houses. Virginia Resolution of 1765

In response to the Stamp Act, the Virginia House of Burgesses passed the Virginia Resolution in 1765. The resolution rejected the right of Great Britain to tax Virginians and declared that only Virginians could tax Virginians. It led to widespread protest in the American colonies, and to the slogan, "No taxation without representation!" The Sons of Liberty In , in the early summer of 1765 a group of shopkeepers and artisans who called themselves The , began preparing for agitation against the Stamp Act. As that group grew, it came to be known as the . They vowed to not do any business that required stamps. Soon they started to harass tax collectors and publish names of people who did not join the boycott. The was held between October 7 and 25, 1765 at Federal Hall in . The meeting included representatives from 9 of the British colonies in North America. It was the first gathering of elected representatives from the American colonies to organize a unified protest against new British taxation. The delegates discussed the Stamp Act and issued a Declaration of Rights and Grievances in which they claimed that Parliament did not have the right to impose the tax because it did not include any representation from the colonies. Members of six of the nine delegations signed petitions addressed to Parliament and King George III objecting to the Stamp Act's provisions. The Stamp Act is Repealed, 1766 The

The was passed by Parliament in 1766. It was an attempt to regulate the behavior of the American colonies. American colonists had organized the Stamp Act Congress in response to the Stamp Act and called into question the right of a distant power to tax them. The Declaratory Act asserted Britain's exclusive right to legislate for and tax its colonies. Placed duties, or import taxes, on various goods brought into the colonies. Glass

Paint Lead

Paper The Messenger of the Revolution

Paul Revere and the Sons of Liberty used the to rally the American colonists against the British.

Paul Revere The Boston Massacre

The Boston Massacre outraged the people of Boston and stood as a symbol of British tyranny. Paul Revere’s engraving gave a one-sided depiction of the incident.

The Bloody Massacre Perpetrated in King Street (March 5, 1770), engraving by Paul Revere A more accurate depiction of the Boston Massacre?

The Boston Massacre - Unknown Artist, 1874? John Adams, a colonial leader, defended the soldiers, believing they should receive a fair trial. Still, the Boston Massacre became a rallying point for the colonists.

Leaders from different colonies began exchanging information and ideas, helping to unite the colonists against the British.

Committees of Correspondence The Old State House in Boston, today. Repealed

Falling colonial imports and raising opposition convinced the British government that its policies were not working. The British parliament repealed the Townshend duties on all but tea in order to underscore the supremacy of parliament. Committees of Correspondence

Committees of Correspondence were formed by the colonial assemblies to communicate with similar groups throughout the colonies. Many correspondents were members of the colonial assemblies and were also active in secret Sons of Liberty organizations. In the early years, committees were formed to address a specific problem, then disbanded when resolution was achieved. Terms and People • monopoly – total control of the market for a certain product

• repeal – to cancel; officially end

• minuteman – citizen soldier who could be ready to fight at a minute’s notice

reduced the price of tea but gave the British East India Company a monopoly over the American tea trade. This enraged colonial shippers and merchants. The allowed the East India Company to send tea directly to the colonies, rather than having to first send it to Britain. Britain

Tea Thirteen India Colonies

The colonists thought they should be able to buy tea from whomever they wanted. Plus, they were angry that they were still paying the tea tax. Protests against British Taxes were sometimes violent. This British political cartoon shows Bostonians tarring and feathering a tax collector as a protest against the Tea Act. To protest the Tea Act, the Sons of Liberty tried to stop tea from being unloaded in colonial ports.

When officials ordered a shipment to be unloaded in Boston, the protestors took action.

Dressed as Native Americans, they dumped the tea into the harbor. The Sons of Liberty organized a protest against the tea act that came to be known as the

. Americans throwing the Cargoes of the Tea Ships (December 16, 1773) British leaders were outraged by the actions of these protestors during what became knows as the .

They passed a series of laws designed to punish the colonists of Massachusetts—especially those in Boston.

The new laws were so harsh that colonists called them the . General was appointed Governor The Port of Boston was closed! of Massachusetts. The upper house of the Massachusetts legislature was Strengthened the Abolished! Quartering Act. British soldiers British officials accused could be housed of crimes would stand wherever trial in Britain! necessary! 1774 established Canada with a permanent government that operated under French Civil Law. Special provisions were made to insure the growth of the Catholic Church. Additionally, all lands west of the Appalachian Mountains and North of the Ohio River was deemed under the jurisdiction of Quebec (not the America Colonies). The First , 1774 debated how to respond to the Intolerable Acts. Massachusetts was to create a revolutionary government and military defenses. Colonies were encouraged to create . Congress resisted a revolutionary course of action but did Petition King George III. They also agreed to cease all trade with A chaplain leading the first prayer in the First Continental Congress at Britain until the Acts Carpenter's Hall, Philadelphia, September 1774. were repealed. Lord North’s Compromise, 1775

Parliament will not tax any colony whose inhabitants tax themselves for the purpose of contributing to the common defense. Acts of Parliament, 1775 1. fishermen are prohibited from fishing off the coast of Newfoundland and may only trade with Great Britain and the British West Indies.

2. No arms or ammunition may be imported into the colonies. The Voice of the Revolution

Patrick Henry delivered his “Give me Liberty or Give me Death” speech to the House of Burgesses in March 1775. The Midnight Ride

Paul Revere, William Dawes, and rode across the countryside warning that British troops were marching towards Concord. The Midnight Ride

“The British Are Coming!”

“Listen my children and you shall hear Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere, On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five; Hardly a man is now alive Who remembers that famous day and year.” From "Paul Revere's Ride" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow April 19, 1775 Seven hundred British troops marched on Concord to seize weapons, destroy supplies, and arrest Patriots, but first “The shot heard ‘round the world” they had to pass Lexington Green. There in the pre- dawn stood 77 captained by a farmer named John Parker. British Major John Pitcairn cried out to them, “Disperse, you rebels! Damn you, throw down your arms and disperse!” Captain Parker told his men, “Stand your ground. Don’t fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here.” Who fired the first shot? “… about five o’clock in the morning, we proceeded towards the Green, and saw a large body of troops marching towards us. “At 5 o’clock we arrived Some of our men were coming to there and saw a number of people, the Green, and others had reached I believe between 200 and 300, it, at which time, they began to formed in a common in the middle disperse. While our backs were of the town. We still continued turned on the British troops, they advancing, prepared for an attack fired on us, and a number of our though without intending to attack men were instantly killed and them. As we came near them, they wounded, not a gun was fired by fired one or two shots, upon which any person in our company on the our men without any orders, fired British soldiers to our knowledge and put them to flight.” before they fired on us…” Source: Entry for April 19th, 1775, from Source: Sworn by Nathaniel Mulliken the diary of Lieutenant John Barker, an and 33 minutemen on April 25 before officer in the . three Justices of the Peace.

Lexington and Concord were the first battles of the Revolutionary War. North Bridge, Concord Terms and People • blockade – the shutting off of a port by ships to keep people or supplies from moving in or out

• mercenary – soldier who serves another country for money On May 10, 1775, the Second Continental Congress began meeting in Philadelphia to address the events taking place in Massachusetts. On May 10, 1775, leader of the and captured Fort Ticonderoga. The fort had a large number of and supplies that were needed by the surrounding Boston. “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes.” The No one knew how the untrained American volunteers would hold up against the tough British soldiers.

But the Americans held off two attacks, losing a third only after running out of ammunition.

The British won the battle, but lost many troops. Despite the deepening conflict, most colonists still hoped for peace. Even some Patriot leaders considered themselves loyal subjects of the King. They blamed Parliament for the terrible events taking place. In July 1775, moderates in Congress drafted the and sent it to London. This document asked the King to restore harmony between Britain and the colonies. The King rejected the petition and announced new measures to punish the colonies. “When once these rebels have felt a smart blow, they will submit,” he declared. Get the Lead Out This painting shows the New York–based “Sons of Freedom pulling down a statue of King George III at Bowling Green on July 9,1776. The lead statue was later hauled to Connecticut, where it was transformed into bullets and guns.

Bowling Green is New York City’s oldest park. According to tradition, this spot was also the site of the legendary sale of Manhattan to Peter Minuit in 1626. Photo of Bowling Green Park today → led a group of Patriot soldiers that hauled 59 cannon from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston. Since there were no roads, they built sleds and dragged the cannon through the snow-covered mountains. It took two months. An Early Defeat

In November 1775, Benedict Arnold led an attack on Quebec. They hoped to defeat British forces there and draw Canadians onto the Patriot side. Winter conditions were harsh and the Canadians remained loyal to the British. Arnold was wounded and the American attack failed. They limped home in defeat. An Early Victory! When Washington arrived at the militia camp near Boston, he immediately began to gather supplies and the army. When the cannon arrived, Washington moved his troops to , overlooking Boston. With the Americans poised to bombard the city, General Howe withdrew with over 9,000 troops and 1,000 loyalist supporters. Boston’s Patriots joyfully reclaimed their city. Despite these early American victories, the British still held many advantages.

• They controlled the most powerful navy in the world. • They hired mercenaries to help fight.

After a failed invasion of Canada, the Americans knew they were facing a long and difficult struggle. Journal 

Prioritize the top three events that you believe played the most significant roles in the American colonist’s decision to declare independence from England, and discuss why you chose these particular events.