Key Topics from Today 3.1 - Contextualizing Unit 3 3.2 - The Seven Years' War (The French and Indian War) 3.3 - Taxation Without Representation ...

Key Topics from Today
3.1 – Contextualizing Unit 3
3.2 – The Seven Years’ War (The French and Indian War)
3.3 – Taxation Without Representation
3.4 – Philosophical Foundations of the Revolution

© Morgan AP Teaching

Period 3: Leadup to
        Revolution

Impact of French
    and Indian War
A lot of the tension started in the British Colonies following the
Seven Years War (1756-1763)—also known as the French and
Indian War

When they British used the colonists and their homes/money to
fight and fund the battles vs the French and Natives, it left a sour
taste

Colonist lives and homes were lost or damaged, and the Crown
(the British King George III) raised taxes on the colonists to pay for
it

The main objection from the colonists was that these taxes were
levied (issued) without their consent, unlike taxes on the people of
Great Britain

Additionally, King George reneged on the promise of land west of
the Appalachians by installing it as an Indian Reserve with the
Proclamation of 1763

New Tax and Collection
In addition to the tensions created by the Royal Proclamation of 1763,
Great Britain, for the first time, attempted to levy direct taxes on the
colonies

In order to pay for the debt incurred by the French and Indian war the
British Crown and Parliament passed the Sugar and Stamp Acts in 1764
and 1765 respectively

Many colonists refused to pay these taxes and fees and harassed British
officials collectors the British government responded by increasing the
presence of British troops

In order to house these troops, the British also enacted the Quartering
Act of 1765 which required colonists to house and feed British soldiers

To make matters worse, a series of taxes were applied to
a broad swath of goods with the Townshend Acts in 1767

Altogether, the colonists were increasingly frustrated with seemingly
new British attempts to assert control and authority over the
previously-independent colonies

Increased British Authority
Colonists vehemently opposed the new taxes, often opting instead to
boycott or purchase smuggled Dutch goods in lieu of paying the British
taxes; in this regard, women played a primary role in the boycotts as
they were often the ones that purchased these goods

In 1773, with the British East India Company on the verge of bankruptcy,
the British passed the Tea Act to reduce the price of British East India
Company tea in the Americas

While the lowered price might seem appealing, most colonists opposed
the measure, suggesting it was a way of covertly legitimizing British
taxes

As such, many colonists opted for the more expensive smuggled
Dutch tea instead of purchasing a cheaper British tea

Fed up with British incursions, a group known as the Sons of Liberty
(men who opposed aristocracy and wealthy landowners) disguise
themselves as Indians and through British tea overboard at the so-called
Boston Tea Party

Continued
As a result of colonial insolence, the British sought to
punish the colony of Massachusetts with the passing of
the Coercive Acts in 1774

Also known as the Intolerable Acts, these laws took away
the right of self-governance in Massachusetts by
replacing the colonial government with a royal governor

The British also planned to disarm the Massachusetts
colony

When British soldiers approached Lexington and
Concord to confiscate arms, they were met with colonial
militia resistance; the first fighting of the American
revolution had begun

Other Influences
Aside from the actions of the Bostonians and Sons of Liberty, several
prominent writers and publishers advocated for independence

The wealthy publisher and intellectual Ben Franklin wrote on and
published the
works of others that criticized the British government and advocated
resistance

One such publication was Thomas Paine's Common Sense-- a book that
praised American self-reliance, affluence, and called for independence

Paine was critical of the monarchal and hereditary system propounded
by the British

Paine instead argued that Americans were highly capable and
competent as they had established successful agricultural and
commercial economies throughout the colonies

To Paine, action towards independence now was both
opportunistic and necessary; many colonists agreed

Key Vocab from Today
Seven Years War/French Indian War         Sons of Liberty
(1756-1763)
                                          Boston Tea Party
Acts:
• Proclamation of 1763 (1763)             Role of Women
• Sugar Act (1764)
• Stamp Act (1765)                        Lexington and Concord
• Quartering Act (1765)
• Townshend Acts (1767)
• Tea Act (1773)
• Coercive Acts/Intolerable Acts (1774)

Key Topics from Today
3.1 – Contextualizing Unit 3
3.2 – The Seven Years’ War (The French and Indian War)
3.3 – Taxation Without Representation
3.4 – Philosophical Foundations of the Revolution