UNIT 9: THE EVENTS LEADING TO INDEPENDENCE

In 1763, the colonies were relatively prosperous. No groups of American citizens were
clamoring for freedom from England based on national identity and KING GEORGE III was
not particularly despotic. Furthermore, the colonies were not unified. BENJAMIN
FRANKLIN discovered this quite clearly when he devised the ALBANY PLAN OF UNION in
1754. This plan, under the slogan "Join, or Die," would have brought the colonial rivals
together to meet the common threat of the French and Indians. This plan was a defeat.

Much happened between the years of 1763 and 1776. The colonists felt unfairly taxed,
watched over and ignored. Religious issues, political ideals and economics were the
essence of many debates. The British found the colonists unwilling to pay their fair share
for the administration of the Empire. After all, citizens residing in England paid more in
taxes than was asked of any American. It took England time to respond to colonial
provocations and to administer the settled areas of America. Further, some now
questioned how it could be that a tiny island nation could rule the American continent.

1. THE ROYAL PROCLAMATION OF 1763

The TREATY OF PARIS, which marked the end of the FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR, granted
Britain a great deal of valuable North American land. The ceded territory, known as the
Ohio Valley, was marked by the APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS in the east and the
Mississippi River in the west.

Despite the acquisition of this land, the British tried to discourage American colonists
from settling. Americans moving west would make British administration more difficult.
Further, French inhabitants would not readily give up their claims to land or trade routes.
This made the British fearful of another prolonged conflict.

Moreover, the Native Americans, who had allied themselves with the French during the
Seven Years' War, continued to fight after the peace had been reached. Pontiac's
Rebellion continued after the imperial powers achieved a ceasefire. The ROYAL
PROCLAMATION OF 1763 was issued, which declared the boundaries of settlement for
inhabitants of the 13 colonies to be Appalachia.

This remedy did not address some concerns vitally important to the colonies. Colonial
blood had been shed to fight the French and Indians, not to cede land to them. In addition,
the colonies themselves had already begun to set their sights on expanding their western
boundaries. Surely the restriction to expand must be a plot to keep the American colonists
under the imperial thumb and east of the mountains, where they could be watched.

2. THE STAMP ACT CONTROVERSY

After over a century and a half of permitting relative self-rule, Britain was exercising
direct influence over colonial life. In addition to restricting westward movement, the
parent country was actually enforcing its trade laws.

WRITS OF ASSISTANCE or general search warrants were granted to British customs

inspectors to search colonial ships. Violators were tried in juryless admiralty courts. There
was a high change of conviction.

1
The British now began levying taxes against American colonists. The Seven Years' War
had been terribly costly. The TAXES asked of the American colonists were lower than
those asked of mainland English citizens. The revenue raised from taxing the colonies
was used to pay for their own defense. The funds received from American colonists barely
covered one-third of the cost of maintaining British troops in the 13 colonies.

Those in England paid more in taxes, but Americans paid much more in the fight. In
addition, the colonists had no representation in the British Parliament. To tax them
without offering representation was to deny their traditional rights as English subjects.
The Stamp Act of 1765 was not the first attempt to tax the American colonies. Parliament
had passed the SUGAR ACT and CURRENCY ACT the previous year.

THE CURRENCY ACT: the colonies were plagued by a shortage of legal British
currency. To offset the problem, the colonies began printing their own Bills of Credit.
Essentially, the CURRENCY ACT gave Parliament control of the colonial currency system.
It abolished the BILLS OF CREDIT altogether and put the colonists at a further economic
disadvantage in their trade relations with British merchants.

The Stamp Act

When Parliament passed the STAMP ACT in March 1765, things changed. It was the first
direct tax on the American colonies. Every legal document had to be written on specially
stamped paper, showing proof of payment. Contracts of any sort were not recognized as
legal in a court of law unless they were prepared on this paper.

Taxation and the QUARTERING ACT (which required the American colonies to provide
food and shelter for British troops) were soundly thrashed in colonial assemblies. From
Patrick Henry in Virginia to James Otis in Massachusetts, Americans voiced their protest.
A Stamp Act Congress was convened in the colonies to decide what to do.

The colonists put their words into action and enacted widespread boycotts of British
goods (radical groups such as the Sons and Daughters of Liberty). Soon, the pressure on
Parliament by business-starved British merchants was too great to bear. The Stamp Act
was repealed the following year.

3. THE BOSTON PATRIOTS

Although patriots could be found in any of the 13 colonies, in the city of Boston, they
were more numerous. The city of Boston was the leading voice against British authority.
It was, after all, the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party.

James Otis

JAMES OTIS was one of the first vociferous opponents of British taxation policies. As
early as 1761, Boston merchants hired him to provide legal defense against British search
warrants. His pamphlet, THE RIGHTS OF THE BRITISH COLONISTS ASSERTED AND
PROVED, was one of the first legal criticisms of Parliament's taxation policies.

But Otis also saw himself as fiercely loyal to the English Constitution. Once he stormed
into BOSTON'S ROYAL COFFEE HOUSE to face drawn swords because his loyalty had been

2
called into question. The wounds he received from British made him somewhat of a
martyr around Boston.

Samuel Adams

SAMUEL ADAMS was perhaps the fieriest supporter of American liberty in the 13 colonies.
His skills as a political organizer drove the colonies toward declaring independence.
Adams chaired the Boston town meeting that preceded the infamous tea party. He served
as an active member of the Sons of Liberty and the creator of the first significant
committee of correspondence.

John Adams

JOHN ADAMS was a patriot. He was a defense attorney for the British soldiers in the trial
that followed the Boston Massacre. He provided the wording of the resistance message
sent to George III that was adopted by the First Continental Congress. John and Samuel
Adams represented the radical wing of the Second Continental Congress that demanded
a taking up of arms against Britain. John Adams was also a member of the committee of
five who drafted the Declaration of Independence.

John Hancock

JOHN HANCOCK was also a Bostonian. The seizure of one of his ships brought a response
from Bostonians that led directly to British occupation in 1768. Later, Hancock and
Samuel Adams were the two agitators whose arrest was ordered by GENERAL GAGE after
the battles at Lexington and Concord.

Paul Revere

His famous midnight ride that warned of the advancing British troops was only one of his
revolutionary actions. He was an illustrator of the IMAGE OF THE BOSTON MASSACRE.

When the British suspended the Massachusetts legislature for refusing to retract its
circular letter, Revere engraved the names of the 92 assemblymen who stood up to
Parliament. His engravings were used by patriots as anti-British propaganda, particularly
his famous engraving of the Boston Massacre.

4. THE TOWNSHEND ACTS

Parliament had absolutely no wish to send a message that ultimate authority lay in the
colonial legislatures. Immediately after repealing the Stamp Act, Parliament issued the
DECLARATORY ACT. This act proclaimed Parliament's ability "to bind the colonies in all
cases whatsoever." The message was clear: under no circumstances did Parliament
abandon in principle its right to legislate for the 13 colonies.

In 1766, the notion of Parliamentary supremacy over the law was questioned only by a
radical few, but the ability to tax without representation was another matter. The
DECLARATORY ACT made no such distinction. The "truce" did not last long. Back in
London, CHARLES TOWNSHEND persuaded the HOUSE OF COMMONS to once again tax the
Americans, this time through an import tax on such items as glass, paper, lead, and tea.

3
Townshend had ulterior motives, however. The revenue from these duties would now be
used to pay the salaries of colonial governors. Traditionally, the legislatures of the
colonies held the authority to pay the governors. It was not uncommon for a governor's
salary to be withheld if the legislature became dissatisfied with any decision. Once this
important leverage was removed, the governors could be freer to oppose the assemblies.

Townshend appointed an AMERICAN BOARD OF CUSTOMS COMMISSIONERS. This body

would be stationed in the colonies to enforce compliance with tax policy. Customs
officials received bonuses for every convicted smuggler. Townshend also pressed the
Americans by suspending the New York legislature for failing to provide adequate
supplies for the British troops stationed there.

Once again nonimportation was implemented. Extralegal activities such as harassing tax
collectors and merchants who violated the boycotts were common. The colonial
assemblies sprang into action.

THE MASSACHUSETTS CIRCULAR LETTER was penned by Samuel Adams in

1768. It voiced Massachusetts opposition to taxation without representation and was sent
to several colonial legislatures inviting them to unite in their actions against British
government. In response, LORD HILLSBOROUGH warned colonial legislatures to treat the
Circular Letter with contempt and threatened dissolution to any legislative body that
adhered to Massachusetts' plea. His words fell on deaf ears as legislative assemblies
throughout the colonies, including New York, Rhode Island, and New Jersey accepted
the petition set forth by Samuel Adams and Massachusetts.

The tighter the British grip grew, the more widespread was the resistance. By 1769,
British merchants began to feel the sting of nonimportation. In April 1770, news of a
partial repeal of the taxes (the tax on tea was maintained). The second compromise was
reached only after a military occupation of Boston and the ensuing Boston Massacre.

5. THE BOSTON MASSACRE

The showdown between the British and the Americans was not simply a war of words.
Blood was shed over this clash of ideals. No colony was thrilled with the Townshend
duties, but Bostonians were the most resentful. When attempts were made to seize two of
John Hancock's trading vessels, Boston was ready to riot. LORD HILLSBOROUGH,
Parliament's minister on American affairs, ordered four regiments to be moved to Boston.

Samuel Adams and James Otis, prior to the arrival of British troops, assembled
in FANEUIL HALL. But when the redcoats marched boldly through the town streets on
October 1, the people of Boston had decided to show restraint. Moderates found it
difficult to argue that the Crown was not interested in stripping away American civil
liberties by having a standing army stationed in Boston.

The Massacre

On March 5, 1770, a mob of about 60 angry townspeople descended upon the guard at
the CUSTOMS HOUSE. When reinforcements were called, the crowd became more unruly.
In the heat of the confusing melee, the British fired without CAPTAIN THOMAS PRESTON's
command. Imperial bullets took the lives of five men, including Crispus Attucks, a former
slave. Others were injured.

4
 Trial and Error

Captain Preston and four of his men were cleared of all charges in the trial. Two others
were convicted of manslaughter but were sentenced to a mere branding of the thumb. The
lawyer who represented the British soldiers was patriot John Adams. At the same time
Preston's men drew blood in Boston, the Parliament in London decided once again to
concede on the issue of taxation. All the Townshend duties were repealed save one, the
tax on tea. The Massachusetts legislature was reconvened. Despite calls by some to
continue the tea boycott until all taxes were repealed, most American colonists resumed
importation.

6. THE TEA ACT AND TEA PARTIES

The partial repeal of the Townshend Acts was pointless. Not only had the Crown
attempted to tax the colonies on several occasions, but two taxes were still being collected
— one on sugar and one on tea. Although importation had largely been resumed, the
problems of customs officers continued. One customs ship, the Gaspee, was burnt to
ashes by angry Rhode Islanders when the vessel ran aground.

Playing Monopoly (no competition)

The BRITISH EAST INDIA COMPANY was on the brink of financial collapse. LORD NORTH
decided to grant the British East India Company a trading monopoly with the American
colonies. A tax on tea would be maintained, but the company would actually be able to
sell its tea for a price that was lower than before.

The colonists, Lord North hoped, would be happy to receive cheaper tea and willing to
pay the tax. This would have the dual result of saving the tea company and securing
compliance from Americans on the tax issue. However, the colonists saw this as a plot to
encourage tax payment. Furthermore, they wondered how long the monopoly would keep
prices low.

Activists were busy again, advocating boycott. British ships carrying the controversial
cargo were met with threats of violence in virtually all colonial ports. In Annapolis,
citizens burned a ship and the tea it carried. Boston reacted in a similarly extreme fashion.

The Boston Tea Party

Governor THOMAS HUTCHINSON allowed three ships carrying tea to enter Boston Harbor.
Before the tax could be collected, Bostonians took action. On a COLD DECEMBER NIGHT,
radical townspeople stormed the ships and tossed 342 chests of tea into the water.
Disguised as Native Americans, the offenders could not be identified.

7. THE INTOLERABLE ACTS

The British saw the destruction of 342 chests of tea belonging to the British East India
Company as wanton destruction of property by Boston thugs who did not even have the
courage to admit responsibility.
The British called their responsive measures to the Boston Tea Party the COERCIVE ACTS.
Boston Harbor was closed to trade until the owners of the tea were compensated. Only

5
food and firewood were permitted into the port. Town meetings were banned, and the
authority of the royal governor was increased.
General Gage, the British commander of North American forces, was appointed governor
of Massachusetts. British troops and officials would now be tried outside Massachusetts
for crimes of murder. Greater freedom was granted to British officers who wished to
house their soldiers in private dwellings.
The Quebec Act
Right after passing the Coercive Acts, it passed the QUEBEC ACT, a law that recognized
the Roman Catholic Church as the established church in Quebec (the Americans were
predominantly protestant). An appointed council would make the major decisions for the
colony. Rage spread through the 13 colonies. With this one act, the British Crown granted
land to the French in Quebec that was clearly desired by the American colonists.
Democracy took another blow with the establishment of direct rule in Quebec. The
Coercive Acts and the Quebec Act were called the INTOLERABLE ACTS.
Intolerable Acts
 Boston Port Act: An act to discontinue the landing and discharging, lading or
shipping, of goods, wares, and merchandise, at the town, and within the harbor,
of Boston.
 Massachusetts Government Act: An Act for the better regulating the
government of the province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England.
 Administration of Justice Act: An act for the impartial administration of justice,
or for the suppression of riots and tumults, in the province of the Massachusetts
Bay, in New England.
Supplies were sent to the beleaguered colony from the other twelve. It was under these
tense circumstances that the FIRST CONTINENTAL CONGRESS convened in Philadelphia
on September 5, 1774.