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History of the Americas
Explore questions in the History of the Americas category that you can ask Sparky!
- - helped write the Massachusetts Circular Letter (with James Otis) urging colonies to petition Parliament to repeal the Townshend Acts.- initiated the Committees of Correspondence to share information about suspicious or threatening activities of the British government- John Adam's radical cousin- called the shootings a "massacre"- Radical who attended the First Continental Congress- not chosen as a delegate to attend the convention to write the constitution.
- - Wrote the Declaration of Independence- George Washington's secretary of state- Anti-Federalist that disagreed with Alexander Hamilton's financial plans, said it benefitted the rich and hurt indebt farmers- agreed to support Hamilton's plan to pay off debt if they moved the nation's capital along the Potomac River in the south- argued the constitution did not give the federal govt the power to create a national bank- sympathized with the revolutionaries and wanted to support them in the French revolution.- so upset with Washington's Proclamation on Neutrality that he resigned as secretary of state- ran as the Democratic-Republican candidate for president when Washington resigned, he lost to John Adams and became the vice-president- Third president of the united states
- The British parliament voted to repeal the Stamp Act, but at the same time they passed this act that asserted that Parliament had the right to tax and make laws for the colonies in all cases. This declaration would lead to renewed conflict between the colonies and Britain.
- The first bloodshed of the American Revolution (1770). British guards protecting customs officials were being harassed by colonists so they opened fire on a crowd killing five colonists, one f them was Crispus Attucks. John Adams defended the 6 soldiers, all were found acquitted of murder but 2 were found guilty of manslaughter.
- On September 1774, in response to the Intolerable Acts, delegates from 12 colonies gathered in Philadelphia (Georgia didn't attend). They wanted to respond to Britain's threats to their liberties. Most Americans did not want independence, just to go back to the way it was before the Seven Years War. They called for the colonies to boycott British goods and make military preparations. They sent a petition to the king asking for him to recognize colonial rights and to immediately repeal the Intolerable Acts. They did recognize Britain's right to regulate commerce. The king was angry when he received the petition and declared that Massachusetts was in rebellion and sent more troops which led to the first battle of the revolution. (pg 104-105)
- 1773 act passed by Britain that lowered the price of imported tea below the cost of the smuggled tea. It was an effort to help the British East India Company. The colonists would not buy the tea as a protest to the tax, even when the cost was lowered below the cost of the smuggled Dutch tea they still refused to buy it. This led to the Boston Tea Party.
- A 1773 protest against the tax on tea. A shipment of tea arrived from East India Company arrived in Boston Harbor and there were no buyers. A group of colonists disguised as American Indians boarded the ship and dumped 342 chests of tea in the harbor. While some colonists agreed with this others thought it was destruction of property. This led to the passing of the Intolerable Acts as punishment.
- -1754 to 1763-British believed the French provoked this by building forts in the Ohio River Valley- trying to gain control of the lucrative fur trade and raw materials in North America-most Natives sided with the French- last of a series of 4 wars between Britain and France in North America- British victory in 1763 consolidated their control of North America and freed the colonists from fear of French attacks- first 3 wars were named for William, Anne, and George- sent George Washington with the colonial militia to stop the completion of Fort Duquesne but Britain was defeated here- another British defeat was suffered by General Braddock near Fort Duquesne as a much smaller French force routed them- Albany Plan of Union was called as the British realized they needed the colonies to coordinate their defense- British retook Canada under General Wolfe and were victorious leading to the Peace of Paris peace treaty- Britain got Canada and Florida, Spain got Louisiana- Britain extended their control of North America, pretty much ending any power the French had in North America
- These acts were laws that punished the colonists for the Boston Tea Party. They did the following:- closed the port of Boston until the tea was paid for- reduced the power of the Massachusetts legislature and increased the power of the royal governor- royal officials accused of crimes could be tried in Britain instead of the colonies- Expanded the quartering act to apply to all homes in all colonies
- This was a group of women who organized to oppose British actions both before and during the war. They boycotted British goods, provided supplies for the forces and some even fought in the war.
- A maritime tribunal presided over by a royally appointed judge, with no jury. In these courts, British judges tried colonials in trials with no juries.
- British prime minister Lord Grenville pushed through this act was already used in Britain. It was used to raise funds to support the British military forces that were in the colonies. It required that revenue stamps be placed on most printed paper in the colonies (ex. legal documents, newspapers, ads, pamphlets). This was the first DIRECT tax meaning it was collected from those that used the goods, not like taxes on imported goods which were paid by merchants. Patrick Henry spoke out against this as did the Sons and Daughters of Liberty.
- British governmental theory that colonists, like all British citizens including Americans, had this. Britain said that that members of Parliament represented the interests of the entire empire, not just the district that chose them.
- James Otis initiated a call to form a cooperative action among the colonies to protest the Stamp Act. Representatives from 9 collines met in New York in 1765 to form this group. They resolved that only their own elected representatives had the legal authority to approve taxes. Patrick Henry also opposed the Stamp Act. They called it taxation without representation.
- This was the first major test of the new British imperial policy. In 1763 an Indian chief led an attack against the colonial settlements on the western frontier, they were angry that the European settler were pushing westward onto their land and not even offering them gifts like the French did. The Indians created an alliance in the Ohio River Valley and destroyed forts from NY to Virginia. The British used regular troops to put down the uprising because they did not feel that they could rely on colonial forces to handle it.
- In response to the Townshend Acts, he argued that Parliament could regulate colonial commerce, but if it wanted to tax colonists it had to have the approval of assemblies that included colonial representatives. He said taxation without representation was a violation of English law. What is his name and what were his writings called?
- The British government called for colonial representatives to meet in a congress in 1754. Delegates from 7 colonies adopted this agreement which was drafted by Benjamin Franklin that provided for an intercolonial government, a system to recruit troops, to collect taxes and to provide for common defense. The plan was NOT accepted because the colonies wanted to keep their taxation powers, but it was still significant because it sent a prevented for future congresses.
- A radical group of colonists who formed a secret society to oppose British policies at the time of the American Revolution, they specifically opposed the Stamp Act. They intimidated tax agents and sometimes destroyed revenue stamps and tarred and feathered revenue officials.
- After Pontiac's Rebellion, the British government issued this to stabilize the western frontier. If prohibited colonists form settling west of the Appalachian Mountains, they hoped this would prevent future hostilities with the Native Americans. This greatly upset the colonists who felt that after the victory in the Seven Years' War they should be able to benefit by moving westward. The colonists defied the proclamation and streamed westward across the imaginary boundary.
- An act that placed duties on foreign sugar and certain luxuries in order to regulate the sugar trade and raise revenues. A companion law also provided for stricter enforcement of the Navigation Acts to stop smuggling. If you were accused of smuggling you were tried in admiralty courts by crown-appointed judges without juries. It was also known as the Revenue Act. British prime minister Lord Grenville pushed through this act.