The_Road_to_Independence

In May of 1754 the French and Indian War broke out in the Colonies due to dispute over land in the Ohio Valley1. The Colonists fought with the British against the French to protect their home and families. After six years of war in the colonies the French were defeated with the capture of Montreal in 1760. Colonists were able to go back to the life they were used to living, but the British were heavily in dept with the cost of the war in America and in Europe. To reduce this dept the British ministry imposed many new taxes on the Colonists. Due to taxation, unfair representation in British Government and military tyranny the American Colonists eventually sought their independence from the British Empire. In 1763 when the Treaty of Paris was signed officially ending the French and Indian War, the British government enacted the Royal Proclamation of 1763. This proclamation organized the land acquired from the treaty. A boundary line was established between colonists and American Indian lands, this was not a permanent line but one that could be moved westward in an orderly manner. It also stated that no land was to be privately purchased from Indians; all land was to be purchased through the crown officials and settled with Indian leaders. This immediately upset British Colonists and land agents because it officially gave the Crown a monopoly on all land purchases. In addition it required all settlers that were settled west of the Appalachian Mountains to return east2. This caused contention because there were already many settlers and land claims that had yet to be settled. The Royal Proclamation was one of the first acts that began to separate Colonists from England. In 1764 some of the first taxes were enacted to help offset the cost of the war. The Sugar Act increased duties on imported sugar, textiles, coffee, wines, and indigo. It also doubled the duties on foreign goods reshipped from England to the colonies and forbade the import of French wines and foreign rum3. In the same year the Currency Act was established, it prohibited colonists from printing paper money. These acts were met with protests from the colonists. This also united many against British dominance. Town hall meeting were held to protest the “Taxation without representation in parliament.4” In July of 1764 James Otis published "The Rights of the British Colonies Asserted and Proved." Otis inquired whether the power of government should be in the hands of one, a few, or many. He stated that when “administrators, in any of those forms, deviate from truth, justice and equity, they verge towards tyranny, and are to be opposed; and if they prove incorrigible, they will be deposed by the people.” 5 This help lead to the boycott of British goods. In 1765 the enactment of the Stamp Act and the Quartering Act led to more protests from the colonists. The Stamp Act placed a tax on all printed materials including; newspapers, pamphlets, bills, legal documents, licenses, almanacs, dice and playing cards. The tax collected would also not go to local government but directly to England. Furthering angering Colonists the Quartering Act required Colonists to provide housing and supplies to British troops. The Stamp Act was issued in March of 1765 and was to be enacted on November 1, 1765. The Colonist quickly united in opposition of the acts. In Virginia “Patrick Henry presented seven Virginia Resolutions to the House of Burgesses claiming that only the Virginia assembly can legally tax Virginia residents.”6 Throughout the colonies a secret organization formed called the Sons of Liberty, their aim was to use intimidation to force stamp agents, who collected taxes for parliament, to resign. Before the act could even be enacted all stamp agents in the colonies had resigned.7 The Sons of Liberty also used intimidation to stop American merchants form ordering British goods. In October the Stamp Act Congress passed a "Declaration of Rights and Grievances," it not only asked for the repeal of the Stamp Act but also stated that without representation in Parliament, Parliament could not tax Colonists.8 On November 1st almost all daily business and legal transactions stopped as the Stamp Act went into effect. Most Colonists refuse to use the stamps; in addition violence broke out in New York City with protest to the Stamp Act.9 In December British General Thomas Gage, requested the New York Assembly to make Colonists house and supply his troops in accordance with the Quartering Act. The New York Assembly refused to enforce the Quartering Act. In March of 1766 Parliament repealed the Stamp Act, some members of Parliament thought that the use of force should be used to enforce the Stamp Act while “others commended the colonists for resisting a tax passed by a legislative body in which they were not represented.”10 In the response of the repeal Colonists relaxed the boycott of British goods amidst celebrations.11 Even though Parliament had repealed the Stamp Act that did not mean they were going to surrender control of the colonies. The same day they repealed the Stamp Act they passed the Declaratory Act. It stated “that the said colonies and plantations in America have been, are, and of right ought to be, subordinate unto, and dependent upon the imperial crown and parliament of Great Britain; and that the King's majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the lords spiritual and temporal, and commons of Great Britain, in parliament assembled, had, hath, and of right ought to have, full power and authority to make laws and statutes of sufficient force and validity to bind the colonies and people of America, subjects of the crown of Great Britain, in all cases whatsoever.”12 In addition to having full power and authority it also stated that the Colonies were denied the right to make any laws and statutes. In August of 1766 because of colonists refusal to comply with the Quartering Act violence broke out in New York City, the headquarters for British Troops in America. The violence broke out between British soldiers and the Sons of Liberty members; one Colonist was wounded in the skirmish. Parliament suspended the New York legislature after it once again refused to comply with the Quartering Act. The suspension was never carried out though because the New York legislature agreed that it would provide money to help quarter troops.13 To help pay for the cost of administering and protecting the American colonies Parliament passed a new tax in June of 1767. The Townshend Revenue Acts taxed glass, lead, paint, paper and tea. In reaction to the Townshend Acts Colonists once again enabled a boycott on British goods.14 In addition to the boycotts of British goods until the Townshend Act is repealed, Colonists protested the taxation through a Circular Letter written by Samuel Adams. In his statement, which was approved by the Massachusetts House of Representatives, Adams opposed Parliament’s taxation without representation. He stated that as his Majesty’s American subjects had an equal claim to “the full enjoyment of the fundamental rules of the British constitution; that it is an essential, unalterable right in nature” and furthermore “that the Acts made there, imposing duties on the people of this province, with the sole and express purpose of raising a revenue, are infringements of their natural and constitutional rights; because, as they are not represented in the British Parliament, his Majesty's commons in Britain, by those Acts, grant their property without their consent.”15 In reaction to Adams letter England’s Secretary of State for the Colonies, Lord Hillsborough, ordered all assemblies to stop the endorsement of Adams letter, unable to stop the assemblies by the end of the month three other assemblies had endorsed the letter. In July of 1768 the British governor of Massachusetts dissolved the state’s legislature after it defied his order to revoke Adams’ letter. British troops are sent to Boston to keep order after residents were urged to arm themselves.16 The boycott of British goods had spread to include the city of Philadelphia and New York City by March of 1769. The Virginia House of Burgesses in May passed a set of resolutions condemning England’s actions against Massachusetts. It also resolved that the “sole right of imposing taxes on the inhabitants of this his Majesty’s colony and Dominion of Virginia is now and ever hath been, legally and constitutionally vested in the House of Burgesses.” In addition it also stated that all trials for “any felony or crime whatsoever committed and done” that are sent “beyond the sea” denies them of the rights of a British Subject.17 Ten days after the House of Burgesses passes their resolutions, the Royal governor of Virginia dissolved the House of Burgesses. However they are able to meet and agreed to boycott British trade goods, luxury items and slaves.18 By the end of July, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and North Carolina joined in the boycott. The Repeal of the Townshend Acts in April of 1770 resulted because of the reduced profits on imported British goods due to colonial boycotting. Parliament withdrew the tax on all items except tea. In response to the taxation laws the colonists relaxed the boycott on British goods. In the beginning of 1770 violence broke out in New York City between members of the Sons of Liberty and British troops over a “broadside attacking the New York Assembly for complying with the Quartering Act” and several men were seriously wounded but there were no fatalities.19 Due to the troops stationed in Boston there were conflicts between the Colonist and British soldiers. It reached a climax when on March 5th a mob of Colonists attacked soldiers with rocks, wooden clubs and snowballs. “A soldier’s gun was knocked out of his hand by a wooden club, when he picked up his gun he fired into the crowd and encouraged his fellow soldiers to fire also.”20 As a result five Americans were killed and six more injured this would become know as the Boston Massacre. At the insistence of Samuel Adams, Royal Governor of Massachusetts, Thomas Hutchinson withdrew the British troops out of Boston to the islands in the harbor. Nine soldiers would stand trial, the captain and six of his men would be acquitted. Two other soldiers were found guilty of manslaughter, branded, and then were released. This would only deepen the Colonists distrust of the British military presence in the colonies.21 The Gaspee, a British customs schooner had run aground in June of 1772 off the coast of Rhode Island. The ship was captained by Lieutenant William Duddington, who was in charge with patrolling the waters around Narraganstett Bay. Duddington had a reputation of boarding and detaining vessels and confiscating cargoes often without cause. Many merchants could not get recourse for impounded goods, the losses were mounting and it was believed that he directly harassed members of the Sons of Liberty. When the ship ran aground a party of fifty-five men planned an attack on the ship. They surrounded the ship captured the entire crew and hauled them to shore where they watched at the Gaspee was looted and then burned. The local courts were hostile toward the Royal Navy, instead of prosecuting the attackers, charges were brought against Lt. Duddington for illegally seizing goods. When Parliament found out, they were outraged, they offered a 500 pound reward for the capture of the participants, who would then be taken to England to stand trial. This only further outrage the Colonists.22 On May 10, 1773 the Tea Act took effect. The Tea Act was not intended to raise new revenue; it maintained the same tax that had been in effect since the Townshend Act of 1767. It was designed to help the bankrupt East India Company by giving it a reduced tax on their tea. The East India Company was able to sell directly to colonial agents and undersell American merchants. In protest Colonists held a meeting in Philadelphia to oppose the Tea Tax and East India Company’s monopoly. Philadelphia was able to force British tea agents to resign and force ships to return to England with their tea. In Charleston the tea cargo was left to rot. Boston tried to follow the same actions as Philadelphia, but was unable to get tea agents to resign. In November three ships of tea sailed into Boston harbor. Bostonians held two meetings on the 29th and 30th over what they should do about the ships. The Royal Governor of Massachusetts would not let the ships go back to England and ordered the harbor officials to not let the ships sail until the tea taxes were paid and the tea unloaded. Colonists would not allow the ships to unload and the harbor was filled with cargoes of tea, and the “British ship's crews were stalled in Boston looking for work and often finding trouble. “23 On December 16th a meeting was held at a church in Boston for the purpose on what measures should be taken to ensure that the tea would not be brought to shore and taxes collected. The commander of the war ship had publicly declared that if the colonists did not withdrawal their opposition to the unloading of the tea before the 17th of December, they would force it on shore. That evening patriots disguised themselves as Indians and divided themselves into three parties and boarded the three ships at the same time. All the chests of tea were thrown overboard after the chests were split open to expose the tea to the water.24 All 342 containers of tea were thrown into the harbor. In response Parliament passed the first of the Coercive Acts or Intolerable Acts to punish Massachusetts in March of 1774. The Boston Port Bill banned loading and unloading of all ships in Boston harbor until the taxes owed on the tea dumped into the harbor was paid and the East India Company was reimbursed for the loss of the tea. In May Colonists in Boston called for a boycott of all British import goods, the next day General Thomas Gage, commander of all British military forces replaced the Royal governor; putting Massachusetts under military rule. In response Colonists in Providence, New York, and Philadelphia call for a intercolonial congress to discuss a common course of action against the British. On May 20th the next set of Coercive Acts were enacted. The Massachusetts Regulating Act and the Government Act eliminated all self-rule in Massachusetts. It eliminated their charter of government and placed them under the direct control of the Royal governor. The Administration of Justice Act protected Royal officials in Massachusetts and allowed them to transfer all cases against them to England courts. And finally the Quebec Act which established a central government in Canada and expanded the southern boarders into territories claimed by Massachusetts, Connecticut and Virginia, which further outraged American colonists. In June the Quartering Act was revised to require all American colonies to provide housing for troops in occupied houses, taverns and buildings.25 These acts prompted colonies to appoint delegates to a the First Continental Congress to meet to discuss the united resistance. The First Continental Congress met on September 5, 1774 in Philadelphia. Every colony except Georgia sent delegates with a total of 56 delegates. Each colony had their own objectives, but they were united in showing a combined authority to England. A core set of objectives were soon set. They all agreed that the King and Parliament must be made to understand the grievances of the colonies. Until this time each colony had always acted in their own best interests, now they had to set grievances and mistrust aside to work together. On the 14th of October the Declaration and Resolves was established as a statement of principles common to all of the colonies. On October 20th the Continental Association is adopted in which colonies agree to boycott British imports, embargo exports to Britain and discontinue the slave trade unless Parliament should retract the Intolerable Acts by the end of 1774.26 In the Declaration of Independence it states “When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”27 The founding fathers of our country wanted the rights and freedoms allowed all British subjects. After years of tyranny the colonies banded together for a greater cause to become an independent country, and a new nation rose from the struggles of a country. Notes 1. Prelude to Revolution 1763 to 1775 The History Place , www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/revolution (accessed October 23, 2009) 2. Prelude to Revolution 3. Prelude to Revolution 4. America During the Age of Revolution, 1764-1775, Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention, 1774-1789. The Library of Congress, American Memory. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/continental/timeline.html (accessed November 18, 2009) 5. Otis, James The Rights of the British Colonies Asserted and Proved, 1764. Teaching American History http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/index.asp'documentprint=267 (accessed November 18, 2009) 6. Prelude to Revolution 7. America During the Age of Revolution 8. America During the Age of Revolution 9. Prelude to Revolution 10. America During the Age of Revolution 11. Prelude to Revolution 12. Declaratory Act March 18, 1766. Teaching American History http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/index.asp'document=2432 (accessed November 20, 2009) 13. America During the Age of Revolution 14. America During the Age of Revolution 15. Adams, Samuel Massachusetts Circular Letter to the Colonial Legislatures; February 11, 1768, The Avalon Project, Yale Law School. http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/mass_circ_let_1768.asp (accessed November 20, 2009) 16. Prelude to Revolution 17. The Virginia Resolves of 1769, 1769. Teaching American History http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/index.asp'document=2443 (accessed November 20, 2009) 18. Prelude to Revolution 19. America During the Age of Revolution 20. The American Revolution, Lighting Freedom’s Flame, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior http://www.nps.gov/revwar/educational_resources/teachers.html (accessed November 20, 2009) 21. The American Revolutionary War: Keeping Independence, Social Studies for Kids, http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/revolutionarywar1.htm (accessed October 23, 2009) 22. The Gaspee Affair, Resources to better understand the context of the Declaration of Independence. ushistory.org. http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/index.htm (accessed November 20, 2009) 23. The Tea Act, Resources to better understand the context of the Declaration of Independence. ushistory.org http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/related/teaact.htm (accessed November 20, 2009) 24. Hewes, George, Boston Tea Party Eyewitness Account by a Participant, The History Place http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/revolution/teaparty.htm (accessed November 20, 2009) 25. Prelude to Revolution 26. First Continental Congress Resources to better understand the context of the Declaration of Independence. ushistory.org http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/related/congress.htm (accessed November 20, 2009) 27. Jefferson, Thomas, Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776, Teaching American History http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/index.asp'document=2443 (accessed November 22, 2009) Bibliography America During the Age of Revolution, 1764-1775, Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention, 1774-1789 The Library of Congress, American Memory http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/continental/timeline.html (accessed November 18, 2009) Adams, Samuel Massachusetts Circular Letter to the Colonial Legislatures; February 11, 1768, The Avalon Project, Yale Law School. http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/mass_circ_let_1768.asp (accessed November 20, 2009) Declaratory Act March 18, 1766. Teaching American History http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/index.asp'document=2432 (accessed November 20, 2009) First Continental Congress Resources to better understand the context of the Declaration of Independence. ushistory.org http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/related/congress.htm (accessed November 20, 2009) Hewes, George, Boston Tea Party Eyewitness Account by a Participant, The History Place http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/revolution/teaparty.htm (accessed November 20, 2009) Jefferson, Thomas, Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776, Teaching American History http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/index.asp'document=2443 (accessed November 22, 2009) Otis, James The Rights of the British Colonies Asserted and Proved, 1764. Teaching American History http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/index.asp'documentprint=267 (accessed November 18, 2009) Prelude to Revolution 1763 to 1775 The History Place , www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/revolution (accessed October 23, 2009) The American Revolution, Lighting Freedom’s Flame, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior http://www.nps.gov/revwar/educational_resources/teachers.html (accessed November 20, 2009) The American Revolutionary War: Keeping Independence, Social Studies for Kids, http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/revolutionarywar1.htm (accessed October 23, 2009) The Gaspee Affair, Resources to better understand the context of the Declaration of Independence. ushistory.org. http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/index.htm (accessed November 20, 2009) The Tea Act, Resources to better understand the context of the Declaration of Independence. ushistory.org http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/related/teaact.htm (accessed November 20, 2009) The Virginia Resolves of 1769, 1769, Teaching American History http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/index.asp'document=2443 (accessed November 20, 2009)