DC US History 1
Cornell Notes
Chapter 5: Imperial Reforms and Colonial Protests
Section 5.1 What treaty gave Britain the colonies of new france?
● Britain’s control beyond the eastern seaboard was
tenuous at best, as native confederacies controlled most
beyond there
● Britain kept 10,000 troops stationed there
● Westward expansion to the new territories caused
conflict with locals, eventually pontiacs war occured, and
cuased much violence and recail tension in 1763
What hapened the the British Debt after the french and indian
war?
● The british debt skyrocketed from 75million pounds to
133 millin by 1763
● Interest caused by that debt ate out a large chunk of
revenue, so their financeswere strained.
● Parliament members were hesitant to tax themselves,
and therefore the burden fell on colonists, with the
argument that they were there to benefit the empire
anyways
What were these reforms meant to do?
● The proclamations of 1763 prohibited settlement west of
the appalachians, in order to reduce the necessary troops
needed to protectteh territory
● Sugar Revenue act of 1764 increased enforcement on the
taxes on molasses, which was previously avoided via
smuggling
● Currency act of 1764 prevented the colonies from issuing
paper money, and were forced to use silver and gold. This
hampered the colonies by making it much harder for the
wealthy to liquidate money
Section 5.2 What was the stamp act?
● March 22, 1765 is when parliament made the stamp act,
which required many printed documents to bear revenue
stamps
● This directly profited from the colonies, rather thanjust
taxing trade. This caused this to be viewed as very
intrusive by the colonists.
Which groups protested and how?
● The wealthy created the stamp act congress and drafted
the Declaration of Rights and grievances, demanding that
oly colonies could directly tax themselves
● The sons and daughters of liberty were formed, and they
boycotetd goods, and led small scale rotests, adn tar and
feathering
● Many stamp distributors resigned due to this, and the
stamp act became infeasable
When did the repeal act occur?
● In 1766 the british repealed the stamp act under heavy
pressure
● However, at the saem time, it also passed the declaratory
act, which stated that parliament had the authority to
legislate the colonies in all cases.
Section 5.3 Who proposed the townshend acts?
● In 1767, Charles Townshend proposed that parliament tax
goods heading into the colonies, such as lead paper glass
adn tea.
● It also suspended new yorks colonial assembly via the
restraining act, due to its failure to see through the
quatering act.
● The goal was to pay the governors from these taxes,
making the assemblies previously paying them have less
leverage.
Colonial Reaction
● Colonialsits thought thi was just another act to gain more
control by the govt
● Boycotts and nonimportaion groups popped up
everywhere
● Colonialists feared loss of control of their governments
What happened in Boson in 1770?
● The Boston Massacre happened when british soldiers shot
5 civilians during a protest
● Trade was stuff;ing due to boycotts
● In 1770, most of the townshend duties, excluding those
on tea were reppealed
Section 5.4 Tea Act
● The tea act was passed in May 1773 made it so the east
india tea company could directly export tea to the
colonies, which undercut smugglers, allowing for stricter
tax enforcement.
● Protests occurred, as the colonists viewed this as more
governmental overreach
How many chests of tea were dumped into the boston harbpr?
● On Dec 16 1773, Boston residents, some of whom were
dressed up as mohawk indians, ransacked 3 east india
company ships, and dumped 342 chests of tea into the
harbor.
● This further polarizeed the colonists either for or against
the government
What were the intolerable acts in response to?
● Thesewere made in response to the boston tea party, and
were meant to isolate massachusetts, but still harmed all
the colonies
● Boston port act closed the boston harbor until the chests
of tea were repaid
● Administration of governance act made it so british
officials could have their trials moved to britain or other
colonies
● Quebec act denied quebec assembly, recognized
catholicism in the colony, and extended its territory
southward.
Section 5.5 Whatwas the political climate like by 1774?
● Many colonists felt very disillusioned form Britain,
especially after the intolerable acts.
● May stillmconsdered themselves royal to britain
It was a deeply polarized time.
What started to occur more asa response to government
overreach?
● Colonial networks such as committees of correspondence
started to pop up, and they gave coherence to teh
movements
● An extralegal assembly was formed in massachusetts
● These created alternative governing bodies
First continental congress resulted in what?
● From Sept 5 to Oct 26 1774 representatives from all
colonies, with the exception of georgia met
● They made the declaration and resolves, whichw ere their
demands to the government.
● The continetntla association was used to enforce boycotts
on imports
● It created a colonial authority entirely separate from
britain, and solidified colonial identity as more unified.
Summary: British debt spiraled out of control, leading parliament to pass laws to taxx the
americas without taxing the british homeland. This resulted in pushback and discontent
from the colonists, resulting in protests and boycotts. These made the british temporarily
relent, however they doubled down in 1774 with the intolerable acts, ad galvaized the
colonies against themselves.
Chapter 6: The American Revolution
Section 6.1 What were some of the causes of the revolution?
● The first continental congress formed in 1774 to discuss
the intolerable acts
● The organized a boycott fo british goods and the
formation of militias
● George III denied their petitions and announces that the
colonies were in rebellion
When did the war start?
● On April 19, 1775, the British marched from boston to
gain control of militia amrs in Concord, and teh battles of
lexington and concord occurred
● Boston was surrounded and british troopes were trapped
inside.
Where did the second congress meet?
● In 1775 in philadelphia, the colonial congress assumed
command of the war effort
● George washington was appointed commander in chief
● Many hoped for peace with Britain, resulting in the olive
branch petition, but King george did not even read it.
A shift towards independence
● Colonists wer galvanized as Hessian mercenaries were
hireed
● Thomas Paine’s pamphlet common sense argued for
independence and sold 100,000 copies
Section 6.2 Who inspired the formation of local governments?
● Paine’s common sense inspired the colonies to create
their own governments
● On june 7 1776 Richard Henry Lee proposed that the
states ought ot be free
● Congress appointed a committee of five men to write a
drraft of the declaration
Who wrote the first draft of the declaration of independence?
● Jefferson wrote the first editionof the declaration,
influenced by the work of John Locke
● The declaration was adopted o July 4th 1776
● This document justified the rebellion in the people’s eyes
Why wsa the document significant?
● It established universal rights for all humans, and it mad
eht war one of self governance
Section 6.3 What battle proved the effectiveness of the militias
● The battle for bunker hill was the proving ground fr the
militias on June 17 1775
● Washingotn forced the brits to evacuate boston in march
of 1776
● Later in 1776 the british captured long island and new
york
What battle was the turning point for the americans?
● On christmas day 1776, Washington launched an ambush
across the delaware, and won at trenton the next day,
and later winning at princeton in january
● General Horatio gates defeated Bugoyune who was en
route from canada, and won the battle of saratoga
● This was a turning point, as it convinced france to rally
with the americans
At valley forge, many got sick and died due to poor conditions,
but a prussian military general trained the troops in tactics, which
helped them late ron.
Section 6.4 When did the brits look southward
● In 1778 the British started fighting more southward
hoping for more sympathetic responses there
● Charleston and savannah were captured in 1780 and 1778
respectively
● The tactics of the brits put off the locals, and guerilla
fighting ensued.
When did things start going poorly for the british?
● The army of Cornwallis was weakened by prolonged
skirmishes
● Battle of kings mountain by daniel corban dealt massiv
elbows to the royal army
Yorktown
● Cornwallis moved to yorktown, expecting the navy
● However, he was encircled by the french navy and
washington
● He surrendered in October 1781
What was the cutoff for american territory?
● The treaty of paris was signed in 1783
● American independence was recognized
● Borders were form Florida tocanada, and atlantic to
mississippi.
Summary: It all builds up, and the ignoring of petition from king george cause the colonists
to rebel and declare independence. Fighting starters in 1775, independence is declared in
1776, the Frenh join in 1778, the war is won in 1781, and it ends in 1783.