Chapter 5: Choosing Loyalties, 1763-1776

1. Victory’s New Problems
   1. Dealing with Indian Resistance
      1. Following its victory over France and its acquisition of Canada, England faced many problems on the American frontier and in Canada.
         1. Creeks and Cherokees in the Southeast clashed with American colonists.
         2. In the Northwest, American Indians rebelled against British control and settlement by colonists.
      2. To reduce conflict on the frontier, the British government decided to keep NativeAmericans and American colonists apart.
         1. The Proclamation Line of 1763 forbade colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains.
   2. Demanding More from the Colonies
      1. After the war with France, the British government became critical of the colonists.
         1. The government argued that the war had been fought primarily on behalf of the colonies.
         2. The Americans had engaged widely in smuggling to avoid import duties on foreign goods.
      2. In 1764, George Grenville introduced new measures to assert greater control overthe Americans.
         1. Writs of Assistance permitted easier searches for smuggled merchandise.
         2. The Sugar Act authorized trials of suspected smugglers without juries.
   3. The Colonial Response
      1. Many objected to greater British control, coming as it did during a postwar economicdepression.
      2. Others welcomed hard times, arguing that a moral reawakening was necessary.
      3. Debate about how to respond to the Sugar Act occasioned the first widespread discussion of rights, liberty, and the powers of government among the Americans.
   4. The Stamp Act
      1. To help pay for the costs of the British Empire, the Grenville government enacted the Stamp Act of 1765.
         1. This was the first time the British government sought to impose a DIRECT tax, as distinct from an EXTERNAL tax (an import duty), on the colonists.
      2. Opposition to the Stamp Act cut across all lines in colonial society.
   5. The Popular Response
      1. In Boston, the Sons of Liberty embarked on a campaign of demonstration and riot that prompted the Stamp Act agent to resign.
         1. Similar demonstrations in the other colonies led stamp agents almost everywhere to resign.
   6. Political Debate
      1. The Stamp Act raised the issue of taxation without representation, but the colonists did not threaten rebellion.
      2. At the Stamp Act Congress, they agreed that Parliament had the right to rule the colonies but not to tax them without representation.
   7. Repeal of the Stamp Act
      1. To protest the Stamp Act, many colonists subscribed to nonimportation agreements in which they pledged to boycott British goods.
      2. The economic effects of nonimportation led the British government to repeal the Stamp Act.
         1. Along with repeal, the English passed the Declaratory Act, in which they asserted their right to impose taxes on the colonies.
2. Asserting American Rights
   1. The Townshend Acts and Colonial Protest
      1. The Townshend Acts of 1767 imposed customs duties on English paint, lead, glass, and paper, as well as on tea.
         1. Parliament chose this course of action because Benjamin Franklin assured them that the colonists opposed only direct taxes, not customs duties.
         2. Townshend’s program also required the colonists to help pay for troops stationed in their cities.
      2. The colonists rejected the Townshend duties.
         1. They argued that ACTUAL representation-as opposed to VIRTUAL representation-was required for any revenue measures whose purpose was to raise money (instead of to regulate trade).
         2. They renewed the boycott of British goods.
   2. The British Humiliated
      1. Protest against the Townshend Acts mushroomed in Massachusetts.
         1. The governor was forced to suspend the assembly because it called for a petition by all the colonial legislatures against the acts.
         2. Strong-arm methods in the streets enforced the boycott of British goods.
         3. Smuggling was protected by the Sons of Liberty; the attempt to seize the smuggling ship Libertyled to violence against British officials.
      2. Tensions also escalated because of the British troops stationed in Boston.
         1. The tension reached its peak in the Boston Massacre, when British soldiers fired on a crowd of colonists, killing five.
      3. The British government sought to quell the conflict with the colonies by repealing the Townshend Acts.
         1. It retained the tax on tea alone.
   3. Success Weakens Colonial Unity
      1. Repeal of the Townshend Acts brought tensions between groups in the colonies into the open.
         1. Artisans and laborers hoped to continue the boycott of British goods, but merchants would not agree.
         2. The wide discussion of rights, liberties, and representation prompted artisans and laborers to demand greater political participation for people like them-selves.
3. The Crisis Renewed
   1. Disturbing the Peace of the Early 1770s
      1. Britain continued to try to eliminate smuggling of foreign goods by the Americans.
         1. In Rhode Island, colonists destroyed the Gaspeeand would not help the British identify the perpetrators.
         2. Fearing British intentions after the Gaspeeincident, five colonies organized Committees of Correspondence.
   2. The Tea Act and the Tea Party
      1. To save the East India Company from bankruptcy, the British government passed the Tea Act, authorizing the Company to sell tea directly to the colonies.
         1. The colonists viewed the Tea Act as a trick to get them to buy tea-and thereby pay the Townshend tax on tea.
      2. Colonists in many cities prevented the tea from being landed.
         1. In Boston, a band of men disguised as Native Americans dumped the tea into the harbor.
   3. The Intolerable Acts
      1. Because of the Boston Tea Party, the British government enacted four pieces of legislation to punish Boston.
         1. The Quebec Act, enacted coincidentally at the same time, added fuel to the flames.
      2. Colonists everywhere responded with anger toward Britain and with sympathy and aid for Boston.
   4. Creating a National Forum: The First Continental Congress
      1. Delegates from all colonies (except Georgia) met in Philadelphia in September 1774 to determine what to do about the Intolerable Acts.
         1. The delegates included some of the country’s most important future leaders.
      2. The Continental Congress considered several plans of action.
         1. It approved the Continental Association, another boycott of British goods.
         2. It defeated Joseph Galloway’s Plan of Union, but approved John Adams’s Declaration of Rights and Grievances, which set forth the colonial position on customs duties and taxation.
         3. It adopted the Suffolk Resolves, which called on the colonists of Massachusetts to arm themselves.
4. The Decision for Independence
   1. Taking Charge and Enforcing Policies
      1. Throughout the colonies, those in opposition to the British government began to seize control.
         1. They enforced the Continental Association.
   2. The Shot Heard Round the World
      1. In April 1775, General Gage moved to seize colonial weapons in Lexington and Concord.
         1. Armed conflict broke out between patriot forces and the British army columns.
   3. The Second Continental Congress
      1. The Continental Congress reconvened in May 1775 and took steps to prepare for war.
         1. It approved the creation of an army, with George Washington as commander in chief.
      2. Not yet ready for independence, it approved the Olive Branch Petition.
      3. England, however, rejected reconciliation and instead adopted the American Prohibitory Act.
   4. The Impact of Common Sense
      1. Tom Paine’s pamphlet convinced many that the time had come for America to become independent.
   5. Declaring Independence
      1. In June 1776, the Continental Congress considered a resolution declaring independence.
         1. It did not approve it until July, following completion of a declaration of independence written by Thomas Jefferson.
   6. Declaring Loyalties
      1. Many colonists chose to remain loyal to Britain.
         1. They came from all ranks and classes of white colonial society.
      2. African-Americans pointed out the inconsistencies of the radical position even before the Declaration of Independence.
         1. Some white Americans agreed that slavery was inconsistent with liberty.
         2. Others worried that slaves would seek their freedom by supporting the British.
      3. Native American response to the news of the war was far from uniform.
         1. Alignments were often determined by intertribal rivalries and Native American concerns about the safety of their own villages.
      4. Fewer than 50 percent of the colonists supported the American side.