● Chapter 4:
○ Salutary Neglect
■ Parliamentary rules/laws were loosely/not enforced in the colonies
■ PM Robert Walpole did not strictly enforce navigation acts
● Nav acts - restricting colonial trade to just England →
increasing dependency of colonies on GB
○ Many colonies saw each other as foreigners — lack of permanent colonial unity
○ Albany congress
■ Form a peace treaty with the Iroquois (the British + French had
issues, and wanted them to join the British/keep from joining the
French)
○ Albany Plan of Union-
■ Intercolonial government
■ Approved by delegates, rejected by colonial assemblies
● Feared tax powers - colonists
● Too much power to colonists - British
● “Join or die” - urged colonies to unite or face certain death
○ French and English compete for loyalties
■ French were more tolerant (intermarriage, traded, treated better)
■ England had more resources/goods to offer Natives
○ F&I war (7 years war)
■ Started by George Washington (Fort Necessity) near Fort Duquesne
— Pittsburgh
■ Both colonists and the British fought the French
● Colonists lacked respect – lack of promotions
○ Example: George Washington — could only be
promoted so far due to him being a colonist
○ Peace of Paris (1763)
■ France is removed from North America
○ Effects:
■ Britain is in a lot of debt
● Needs $$$
■ Solution — tax the colonists!
○ 1763: Salutory Neglect ends
■ Britain begins to tax the colonists
■ George Grenville —the new PM, felt colonists should help pay for
war costs
○ Pontiac’s Revolution:
■ Conflict in North Western Ohio Territory
○ Proclamation line of 1763
● Forbade colonial expansion beyond appellations
○ Sugar Act (1764)
■ Tax on sugar to reduce illegal trade
■ Vice admiralty courts - courts set up to try smugglers (no jury, guilty until
proven innocent)
○ Currency Act (1764)
■ Colonists no longer could use paper money, which upset colonists
due to the lack of gold and silver
○ Stamp Act (1765)
■ Tax on 50 paper documents (newspapers, playing cards, marriage
licenses/documents ~ any legal document)
■ Basically, every colonist purchased these goods — that would be
affected by the Stamp Act
■ The act was passed without the approval of colonial assemblies
■ Led to…
○ The Stamp Act Congress
■ FIRST attempt at colonial unification against the British
■ The Stamp Act Congress of 1765 was a meeting of delegates from
nine American colonies who met to discuss the rights of the
colonists regarding British taxation such as the Stamp Act. The
colonists desired 'no taxation without representation' and
responded to the Stamp Act with the Declaration of Rights and
Grievances.
○ Patrick Henry and the Virginia Resolves
■ The belief that Americans had the same rights as the English
■ Virginians should only pay taxes passed by the Virginia assembly — not
parliament
○ James Otis
■ Called for intercolonial congress to take action against Stamp Act
○ Sons of Liberty
■ Terrorized stamp tax collectors (tar + feather) and anybody who bought
British goods
○ Declaratory Act
■ Passed after the repeal of the Stamp Act
■ Stated Parliament could pass any laws whatsoever
○ Charles Townsend — British secretary of the treasury
○ Quartering Act
■ Colonists must provide shelter and supplies for British soldiers
● Colonists wrote the Constitution, and the third amendment
was to refuse quartering
■ NY Assembly disbanded for not complying
○ Townshend duties
■ Tax on imports (lead, paint, paper, tea)
○ Nonimportation Agreements
■ Boycotts on British Goods
■ Growth of American homespun movement (making own clothing) →
industries began to develop in the USA as a result
○ 1770: All Townshend taxes repealed except for taxes on Tea
○ Boston Massacre
■ Conflicts between colonists and redcoats
■ 5 Colonists killed
■ Paul Reveres Engraving
● Propaganda — Hostile crowd depicted as peaceful protesting
against the British firing
○ Samuel Adams
■ Lead revolutionary, proposed committees of correspondence in
1772 — colonies get together and share stories + grievances
○ The Tax Issue
■ Americans believe they should only be taxed with their consent
● No Taxation without Representation
■ England — “Virtual Representation”
● Nobody represents them that is elected — under British
control → Laws represent all people + best for everybody so
they are “virtually represented”
○ The Tea Issue:
■ British East India Company was on the verge of Bankruptcy
■ Tea Act of 1773:
● Lowered tea costs, designed to bail out British East India
Company
○ Cheaper than smuggled tea
● Angered colonists — against ALL British taxes
○ Boston Tea Party
■ Dumped tea in the Boston Port
■ Britain passes intolerable/coercive acts
■ Intolerable acts:
● Closes port of Boston until all damages are paid
● Extraterritoriality for British Officers accused of crimes
○ British officer killing American colonist → shipped
back to Britain for trial — unfair trials, no American
witnesses
● Reduces colonial government power
○ Quebec Act
■ Extends Quebec colonists
■ Quebec people were Roman Catholic — religious tension
■ Concerned Americans as they felt it was an encroachment on
American-fought land from the F&I War
○ First Continental Congress — response to intolerable acts
■ 12 colonies met in Philly, besides GA
■ Created a list of grievances
■ Wanted repeal of most acts since 1763 (going back to salutary
neglect)
■ Called for military preparations against British in case of more
conflict
■ Strict nonimportation + non-consumption of British goods
● Wanted to continue boycotting goods
■ Would meet again in one year
■ DID NOT WANT INDEPENDENCE— Wanted to go back to salutary
neglect
○ Lexington
■ British sought to arrest Samuel Adams + John Hancock
■ William Dawes and Paul Revere (minutemen) warned people of the
British
■ 8 minutemen killed in fighting
○ Concord
■ British move to Concord to find ammunition
■ Americans moved most— the British burned some
■ Americans fought the British back to Boston using Guerilla warfare
● Sign of the start of the American Revolution
● Chapter 5
○ Olive Branch Petition
■ Conflict between Colonists and British
● Lexington + Concord
● Bunker Hill
■ Appeal to King George III → Stop conflict
● Go back to the olden days of salutary neglect
● Rejected by KG3, Needs punishment, state of rebellion — will
be crushed
■ Most Americans in 1775 did NOT want independence → wanted
salutary neglect
○ British Recruitments to fight colonists
■ Native Americans
■ Southern Slaves — enraged Southerners as freedom was promised
made slaves want to join the British
■ Hessians — a group of German mercenary soldiers known for brutality +
violence
○ Common Sense - Thomas Paine
■ January 1776 — aimed for Americans on the fence ~ Didn’t know if
they wanted independence or not
■ Urged Americans to break away from the British
● King was a ruthless awful dictator
● No way should this tiny little island of GB control the large
America
○ 2nd Continental Congress
■ Urged trading with all countries but England
■ Went back to a very successful economic tactic ~ boycotting
■ In July 1776, the Declaration of Independence was written
○ Loyalist
■ Those loyal to England
○ Patriot
■ Those who wanted to break away/favored independence
○ Articles of Confederation (1777)
■ First governing document/very very weak central government
■ No executive branch ~ hated the king’s power (didn’t make it due to
the pitfall of the king)
■ Could not tax
○ French Role
■ French provided aid (military + financial)
■ Battle of Saratoga ~ turning point (French become involved)
○ Republicanism
■ All power is from the people
○ Equality for all?
■ No
■ Slavery still exists
■ Women had few rights, especially married women
○ State constitutions (each state had)
■ Governers could not hold seats in legislatures ~ separation of powers
■ Property requirements for voting ~ only rich/wealthy ppl can vote
● The limits on people who could vote ~ go away in the next
decades
○ Religious Toleration
■ Statute of Religious Freedom
● Statute of Religious Freedom ~ Virginia (Thomas Jefferson)
○ “Almighty God hath created the mind free,” and that
“all attempts to influence it” by civil authorities,
through financial burdens or legal punishments, only
“beget habits of hypocrisy and meanness, and are a
departure from the plan of the holy author of our
religion.”
○ Slavery
■ Quickly outlawed in many Northern states
■ Persisted in border + Southern states
○ The Articles
■ Very strong legislative branch
○ Powers under articles
■ Conduct foreign relations
● Sign treaties
■ Borrow $$$
○ Powers denied by articles
■ Could not regulate interstate trade
■ Could not collect taxes
■ Did not have one single uniform currency
○ Problem with articles
■ Takes all 13 states approval to amend the articles (unanimous vote)
■ Representation was equal in states regardless of size
○ Foreign policy problems
■ Britain did not follow the Paris Peace Treaty of 1783 — Which promised
to leave forts/posts in different areas
○ Land Ordinance of 1785
■ Congress could survey and sell Western Lands (North West
Territories)
■ Each township was divided into 36 sections/36 square miles
○ Northwest Land Ordinance of 1787
■
■ Deals with sold land
■ Once a territory reaches 60,000 people, it could apply for statehood
● The way for states to be admitted into the country
● Allowed country to expand/omit new states into the union
● No slavery allowed in NW Territories
○ Treaty of Greenville
■ Treaty with Natives — Forced many natives to move out of Ohio/Indiana
territories for Americans to move in
● We're told that the Natives wouldn’t have to move again after
moving from these territories — This does NOT hold true
○ 1784 - 1787 (Post War Depression)
■ The country was in debt — Articles couldn’t enforce taxes
● No source of $$$ from taxation
● Could ask, states said no, and most didn’t
○ Farmers:
■ Were in debt
■ Favored increasing money supply
● Increase money in circulation → devalues
■ Farmers VS Wealthy
○ Shays’ Rebellion
■ Form Rev. War Vet
■ Called for:
● Paper $$$ circulation
● Tax relief from states
● Elimination of imprisonment from debt
○ Debt → imprisonment
● End foreclosure
○ Takes farm, house, and land due to debt
■ Significance
● Articles were VERY WEAK
● No national military
● Shays was able to do damage
● Articles were NOT WORKING
■ Many people called for a STRONG CENTRAL GOVERNMENT
■ Constitutional convention → Consitution
1. Why is the Seven Years’ War described as one of the “most important wars in modern
history”?
a. Boundaries of colonies ~ French explusion
b. Set stage for colonial life and unity
c. Start of colonies hating Britain for reimbursement
d. Limited promotions for colonist soldiers (due to being colonists)
i. Example: George Washington
2. What policies did Parliament implement with regard to the colonies in the 1760s and
1770s, and why did Britain adopt these policies?
a. Reinstatement of Salutory Neglect
b. Stamp Act
c. Quartering Act
d. Tea Act
e. Townshend Act
f. Quebec Act
g. Intolerable Acts
h. Currency Act
i. Sugar Act
j. Declaratory Act
i. British general goal — keep the colonies in check and maintain power
over the colonies
3. How did port cities and public institutions (like taverns) help shape some of the earliest
resistance to London that culminated in the Revolution?
a. They were like the convening centers for the patriots and good places to get
publicity if you are politician
b. Smuggling goods (tea during taxation)
c. Boston Tea Party
i. They dumped tea to rebel
d. Boston Massacre
i. First form of propaganda by Paul Revere to unify colonies by depicting
colonists as peaceful protestors when in reality they were hostile
4. What were the philosophical underpinnings of the colonists’ revolt against Britain?
a. Thomas Paine— Common Sense
b. Religious tolerance (Thomas Jefferson wrote it for Virginia + on his grave)
c. Articles of Confederation provided a weak central government — no executive
branch + no revenue from taxation
5. Was the Revolution a fundamentally liberating or constricting event for the nation’s
people?
a. Constricting — native americans, enslaved people, and women who fought for
the colonists freedom/against their side could not gain their
freedom/independence even with their contributions to the war.
However, people are starting to realize that they deserve freedom.
