British Colonism and its discontents Empire under benign neglect Navigation acts 1650 s 1660 s aimed mostly at Dutch Colonial ship building flourishing Trade with continent only Via Britain Mixed Bag Minor Restraints on Col Mfg Wool 1699 Hat 1732 Iron 1760 S Most compatible NE most competitive W British Legislative assertion vs Gov s power of purse With leverage Bribery Smuggling low impact Customs revenues 2 000 euro year pre 1760 Great war for empire and its impact Intermittent inconclusive col Wars 1689 1748 Global war Continent 7 years war India NA But began in NA French and Indian War Bad Start in Ohio Washington 1754 Braddock 1755 Also Elsewhere Calcutta lost ally Frederich II hard pressed Wm Pitt Elder begins turnaround Canada Montcalm vs Wolfe died victor took quebec Montreol Brittish empire at zenith in 1759 French out of India NA Trans MS to 2nd rate power spain But big mistake expensive think Colonists should pay share The Roots of Revolution Proclamation of 1763 Antagonized land speculators Ignored by frontiersman Sugar act 1764 Lower molasses tax but more serious enforcement Vice Admirately courts in charfe immune to pressure Stamp act 1765 Revenue tax on all official papers Antagonized various col Elites Reactions Violence intimidation Oct 1765 at Stamp Act congress Non Importation agreement Repeal and Declarotory Act 1766 British Authority Reasserted not exercized Townshend Acts 1767 Import duties on paint lead paper tea Respect anti stamp actarguments not internal taxes but external Revenues earmarked for official pay enforcement in Vice Admirality courts J Dickenson Letters of a PA farmer 1768 regulate trade OK Revenues Not protests boycotts intimidation MA NY VA assemblies dissolved 1768 Redcoats to boston Boston massacre 1770 then troops withdrawn to island 1770 duties repealed exept tea 3 years of quiet Tea Act 1773 revives controversy Attempt to bail out east india Co Co given monopoly allowed to import directly to colonies Undercut smugglers cut out merchants Resistance Boston tea party Increasing Escalation Coercive acts Intolerable acts 1774 1st Cont Congress Sept 1774 all but GA First armed conflict Lexington Concord 2nd Cont Congress met in Phila May 1775 British Proclimation of rebellion Aug 75 30 000 troops Declaration of Independence 1776 American Revolution Vietnam Parallels Both essentially anti colonial Former alliances fighting Reliance on Loyalists who proved to be undependable Winning Hearts and Minds of People Important Intimidation of opponents of revolution Difficult terrain hard to hold territory unless physically occupied Long supply line costly to fight Intervention from national rivals Problems of troop morale in field division at home Didn t need to win war just keep from losing Revolutionary leader Father of His Country Capital city named for him Winning American Independence Escalating Conflict in MA 1775 76 Washington Commander in Chief May 1775 Cements N S Alliance War in North o British Withdrawl from MA Occupy NY o Washington Pushed out retreating S fall 76 o Recrossed Delaware Xmas 76 Trenton Princeton o British take Phila 77 Warm quarters vs Valley Forge o But British offensive Drive South from Canada stalls o British surrender at Saratoga turning point of war Increasing dissent in britain Leads to french alliance British try Southern strategy 1778 1781 o Hoping for Loyalist slave support o Initial success GA SC 1778 1780 o War of attrition Cornwallis withdrawls to VA o US French operation surrender at Yorktown Excellent diplomacy as usual generous place