1. Chapter Four
The Empire Under Strain
King George III
Mid 1750’s no sign of major strain
between England and her
colonies. Colonies enjoyed many
benefits

2. Benefits
• Trade and commerce
• Military protection
• Political stability
• The tradition of Salutary Neglect

3. What was revolutionary about this
revolution?
• What caused American colonists to become so
discontent with England?
• How radical was this American Revolution?
• Was it a revolution or an inevitable evolution?
• Was the Revolution a political and intellectual
event?
• Or was it a social and economic phenomenon?

4. The Albany Plan of Union
• 1754-illustrate the importance for colonial
unity

5. The French and Indian War
7 Year War-

6. Effects of the War
• --Gave unchallenged supremacy in North
America
• --dominant naval power in the world
• --American colonies no longer face the threat
of attacks from the French, the Spanish or
Indian allies

7. The British View
• Low opinion of colonial military effort—poorly
trained, disorderly rabble—refusing to
contribute money or troops to the war effort.

8. The Colonial View
• Proud of their military performance
• Confident of their own defense
• Not impressed with the British effort—badly
suited for American terrain
• Still very proud to be British

9. 2 Big Problems for the King
• A huge area to maintain
• A huge war debt
• The End of Salutary Neglect
• George Glenville was Prime Minister of
England

10. Pontiac’s Rebellion
• First major test of the new British imperial
policy
• Chief Pontiac led a major attack against
colonial settlements on the western frontier.
• British sent in the troops

11. Proclamation of 1763
• To deal with the problem of maintaining a
large empire and stabilizing the western
frontier and prevent hostilities between
colonists and Native American.
• Colonists reaction: anger and defiance

12. Proclamation of 1763
• Control westward movement of the white
population—orderly fashion
• Protect their trade and costly for defense

13. • The Proclamation was a first in a series of
actions and reactions—
• British: each act justified as proper method of
protection and sharing the cost of burden
• Colonists: each act threatened their liberties
and long established practice of
representative government

14. New Revenues and Regulations—to
deal with the problem of $$$$
• Sugar Act: placed duties on foreign sugar,
lower price of molasses, stricter enforcement
of the Navigation act and established vice
admiralty courts.
• Quartering Act: required the colonists to
provide food and living quarters for British
soldiers

15. The Currency Act
• Required the colonial assemblies to stop
issuing paper money

16. • The Stamp Act—required revenue stamps on
most printed paper—legal
documents, newspapers, pamphlets etc--
antagonized and unified the colonist the most.
• Why? Not a tax on trade for commerce sake—
it was a tax to raise money without the
consent of the colonial assemblies. First direct
tax.

18. Colonial Reaction
• Patrick Henry
• James Otis-The Stamp Act Congress
• “Terrorist Groups” Sons and Daughters of Liberty
• Boycotts
• Repealed having never collected one cent
• Declaratory Act-Parliament’s right to tax and
make law for the colonies “in all cases
whatsoever”

20. To what extent did changes in
British policies toward the
American colonies after 1763
cause the American Revolution?

21. The Townshend Acts
• Tax on tea, glass, and paper—provided the
authority to search private homes for
smuggled goods.
• Reaction –boycott—repeal of the acts

22. “No Taxation without Representation”
• John Dickinson: Letters of a Pennsylvania
Farmer– stated that taxes were legal to
regulate trade only, not to raise $$
• First to articulate “No taxation without
representation”
• “virtual representation vs actual
representation”

23. The Boston Massacre
1770

24. Boston Massacre
• http://youtu.be/Pwvvv0EcWIE?t=13m38s

25. The Tea Excitement
• The Tea Act—to save the East India Tea
company from going bankrupt—actually
lowered the price of tea—so what was the
problem??

26. The Boston Tea Party
1773

27. Reaction From England
• The Intolerable Acts (Coercive Acts)
• --closed the Boston Harbor
• --Put in a royal governor
• --trials in England
• --expanded the Quartering act to all colonies

28. Cooperation and War
• New Sources of Authority emerged as royal
authority in the colonies crumbled.
• --Sons of Liberty—vigilante action and
boycotts
• --Committees of Correspondence-
• First Continental congress 1774—endorsed
grievances, recommended colonies prepare
militarily and agreed to meet again next year

29. Lexington and Concord
April 18, 1775

30. Lexington and Concord
• http://youtu.be/obP5TSKXn-A?t=4m
• http://youtu.be/bRnJxTyohsk
• AG