Towards Independence - Protest and Unrest in the Colonies

« The seven year war and its aftermath (1756-1736) This is when the hostility between the colonies and Britain became more important.

The French and British fought for the land that was east the Mississippi river.

At first, the British settled for business, but then the French arrived and built Forts along the line to stave off the British. Of course the French lost because their territory to defend was too large.

→ The French was kicked out of there.

HUMILIATION.

They signed the Treaty of Paris, which took them of some lands.

Because they fought the French, the colonies proved their strength.

The British crowned was in debt because of it.

2.

KING GEORGE 3RD’S INTRANSIGEANCE AND THE ECONOMIC STIFLING OF THE COLONIES The monarch completely alienated colonies.

His accession to the throne entirely changed the relation between the country and the colonies.

He wanted to bring the colonies under complete submission/subordination.

He made a series of high taxes.

A fiscal burden and economic limitations The Grenville Program (1764-1765): out of money, the king thought it would be great to tax the colonies.

It included The Sugar Act (1764), a tax on sugar, The Currency Act (1764) that forbid the colonies to press their own money, The Stamp Act (1765) that involved that every time somebody wanted to print papers (books, article in newspaper) he had to pay a tax, and The Quartering Act (1765) that implied that the colonists had to provide housing to the 10000 British soldiers that lived in the colony.

Restriction of freedom of speech, publication of the Stamp Act The colonist tried to resist this burden, and created a resistance, which ended in the emergence of a colonial cohesion.

They realised that all colonies had a common interest, they all were affected by the laws.

They decided to gather to New York City –9/13 colonies sent representatives– and said they could not accept The Stamp Act, a fiscal law voted in an assembly in which they were not represented.

It lent to the watch word: “No taxation without representation” (An introduction to contemporary US society, Testimony against the Stamp Act , p18) The Tea Act (1773): the last straw that broke the camel's back.

The Crown gave the monopoly of the tea trade of the colonies of the company.

The local tea merchants were forbidden to trade the tea. They destroyed all the tea by throwing it up to the sea.

In 1774, the colonists were suffering from a heavy tax burden and very strict restrictions.

The resentments to the Queen was high but they were still loyal, still attached to the crown and considered themselves being subjects of the Queen.. »