Anselme US History Study Guide II

I. The Colonial Economies

A. The Southern Economy
1) In the Chesapeake region, tobacco was the major crop. Overproduction often
led to its value decreasing, and then it increased again after a while. These
were boom-and-bust patterns. Tobacco allowed many white landowners to
become wealthy.
2) In South Carolina and Georgia rice was the staple. Harvesting it was an
unattractive job for whites so these areas became more reliant on African
slaves. Blacks were also more resistant to disease like malaria than whites and
were generally better at the work
3) Because of their dependence on cash crops, the South developed a less
commercial or industrial economy and more agricultural with fewer cities and
no large local merchant communities.
B. The Northern Economy
1) Agriculture also dominated the economy, but since the conditions for it were
worse than they were in the South, it was hard to develop large-scale
commercial farming.
2) Home industries, craftsmen and artisans, mills for grinding grain, and large
scale shipbuilding operations were all industries that grew popular in the
North.
3) In the 1640s, iron ore deposits were found in Massachusetts. Metal works
then became an important part of the colonial economy. There were many
large ironmaking enterprises in other northern colonies, but the Iron Act of
1750 limited the colonies’ ability to surpass England in the industry.
4) Inadequate labor, transportation, and energy supplies proved to be the biggest
limitations to industrialization.
C. The Rise of Colonial Commerce
1) One problem for trade was that there was no specific currency they used. They
tried paper backed by tobacco or property but this was ineffective and could
not be used for goods from abroad.
2) A second problem was that imposing order on trades was difficult. The
production and markets of goods was not guaranteed, and small, competitive
companies made stabilization more difficult
3) Commerce eventually grew and took the form of “triangular trade” involving
the colonies, Britain, Africa, the Caribbean, and the Mediterranean.
4) A new merchant class rose in the colonies concentrated in the port cities of the
North. The Navigation Acts prevented competition but they ignored it and
traded with foreign markets anyway because it brought more income.
D. The Rise of Consumerism
1) Growing prosperity created a new appetite and ability to satisfy with material
goods. There was also an increased division of society by classes, and material
goods was a good way to establish one’s self as wealthy, especially in the
cities where you could not do that with land.
2) The Industrial Revolution allowed Europe to produce more affordable goods.
Merchants began advertising as an increasingly commercial society led people
to believe buying things was socially good.

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3) Things once seen as luxuries began to be seen as necessities when available,

such as tea. There was also an increase in interest for education. This interest
in consumption and refinement led cities to plan growth and ensure elegant
public areas.
II. Patterns of Society
A. The Plantation
1) Some plantations were enormous, but most 17th century plantations were
rough and small estates, their workforce seldom more than 30 people.
2) The plantation economy was very precarious. On good days the plantation
could earn great profit and expand, but the market couldn’t be controlled so
when prices fell, they faced ruin.
3) Most plantations were like self-controlled communities, but some approached
the size of a town.
4) BY the mid 18th century ¾ of slaves lived on plantations. Some tried to
escape, as in the Stone Rebellion in 1739, 100 Africans rose up and they were
destroyed quickly by the whites. Some learned skills and set up shops and
eventually bought their freedom.
B. The Puritan Community
1) The social unit of NE was the town. The town was arranged around a
“common” with outlying fields divided by family size. There was little
colonial interference and it was self-governed.
2) It was a tight knit community controlled by the power of the church and town
meetings. Population increases led to people farming new lands and building
new houses, then they applied for a new church and a new town was
established.
3) The patriarchic society was weakened by economic necessities.
4) Puritan society’s lack of tolerance for independent woman is showed through
the witchcraft phenomenon, which also reflects the highly religious nature of
Puritan society.
C. Cities
1) Cities emerged as commercial centers along the Atlantic, some examples
being Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Newport, and Charles Town.
2) Cities were trading centers for farmers and markets for international trade.
The leaders of cities were generally merchants who had large estates. They
were the center of industries and also had advanced schools and many cultural
activities.
3) In the cities, new ideas were often circulated through newspapers or books
from abroad.
III.The New Imperialism
A. Burdens of Empire
1) After 1763, empire management became more difficult. In the past the
colonies were viewed in terms of trade, but now people argued that the land
itself was of value because of the population it could support and taxes it
could produce.
2) The territorial annexations of 1763 doubled the size of the British Empire in
North America. There was an argument over whether the west should control

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themselves or be controlled by the British. Some colonies made their own

claims of jurisdiction and others wanted England to control.
3) England had a giant war debt and landlords and merchants in England didn’t
want higher taxes. Also troops were needed in the Indian border. England also
couldn’t rely on cooperation from the colonial governments. The only solution
was a system of taxation administered by London.
4) In 1760 George III became king and he had a mental illness and was
immature. He appointed George Grenville prime minister in 1763, who didn’t
sympathize with Americans.
B. The British and the Tribes
1) The British issued the proclamation of 1763 to forbid settlers from advancing
beyond the Appalachian line in order to avoid clashes with Indians. This
allowed England to control the westward movement of the white population.
2) Though there was more land taken from the tribes, many supported it.
3) The Proclamation was a failure because no one listened to it and went over the
line.
C. The Colonial Response
1) Grenville stationed troops in America and under the Mutiny Act of 1765, the
colonists were required to assist in provisioning and maintaining the army.
2) More acts: the sugar act (1764) tried to eliminate illegal trading between the
colonies and foreigners. The currency act (1764) disallowed the use of paper
currency by assemblies. The stamp act (1765) imposed tax on all printed
documents.
3) After 1763 common grievances began to counterbalance internal divisions. N.
merchants opposed commercial + manufacturing restraint, backcountry
resented closing land speculation and fur trading, debted planters feared new
taxes, professionals depended on other colonists, small farmers feared taxes ad
abolition of paper money. Restriction came at beginning of economic
depression, policies affected cities greatest where resistance first arose.
Boston suffering worst economic problems
IV. Stirrings of Revolt
A. The Stamp Act Crisis
1) Stamp Act of 1765 affected all Americans. Economic burdens were light but
colonists disturbed by precedent set- past taxes to regulate commerce and not
raise money, stamps obvious attempt to tax w/o assemblies approval
2) Few colonists did more than grumble- until Patrick Henry 1765 in VA House
of Burgesses spoke against British authority. Introduced resolutions known as
“Virginia Resolves” declaring Americans possessed same rights as English,
right to be taxed only by their own reps
3) In MA James Otis called for intercolonial congress against tax, October 1765
Stamp Act Congress met in NY to petition king. Summer 1765 riots broke out
along coast led by new Sons of Liberty. Boston crowd attacked Lt. Gov.
4) Some opposition b/c of wealth/power disparity, mostly political + ideological
5) Stamp Act repealed b/c boycott of 1764 Sugar Act expanded to other colonies,
aided by Sons of Liberty. Centered in Boston b/c that is where customs
commissioners headquartered. English merchants begged for repeal b/c of lost

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markets, Marquis of Rockingham succeeded Grenville + convinced king to

repeal it 1766. (Also, Declaratory Act asserted Parl. control over all colonies)

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I. Stirrings of Revolt (ctd)

A.The Tea Excitement

1. Apperant calm disguised sense of resentment at enforcement of

Navigation Acts 1770s. Dissent leaflets and literature, tavern conversation, not
only iltellectuals but ordinary ppl haerd, discussed, absorbed new ideas

2. 1773 East India Company had large stock of tea could not sell in England,
Tea Act of 1773 passed by Parl allowed company to export tea to America w/o
paying navigation taxes paid by colonial merchants, allowed company to sell tea
for less than colonists + monopolize colonial tea trade. Enraged merchants

3. Enraged merchants, revived taxation without rep. issue. Lord North

colonists would be happy with reduced tea prices but resistance leaders argued it
was another example of unconstitutional tax. Massive boycott of tea followed

4. Women role in resistance- plays of Mercy Otis Warren, Daughters of

Liberty

5. Late 1773 w/ popular support leaders planned to prevent E. India

Company from landing its cargoes in colonial ports, NY, Philadelphia, Charleston
stopped shipment. December 16, 1773 Bostonians dressed as Mohawks boarded
ships, poured tea chests into harbor—“Boston tea party”

6. When Bostonians refused to pay for destroyed property George III and
Lord North passed four Coercion Acts (Intolerable Acts to Americans) in 1774-
closed port of Boston, reduced self-govt power, royal officers could be tried in
England or other colonies, quartering of troops in empty houses

7. Quebec Act provided civil govt for French Roman-Caths of Canada,

recognized legality of Rom Cath church. Americans inflamed b/c feared was a
plot to subject Americans to tyranny of pope, would hinder western expansion

8. Coercive Acts didn’t isolate MA, made it a martyr, sparked new resistance

II. Cooperation and War

a. New Sources of Authority

i. Passage of authority from royal govt to colonists began on local level

where history of autonomy strong. Example- 1768 Samuel Adams called
convention of delegates from towns to sit in place of dissolved General
Court. Sons of Liberty became source of power, enforced boycotts

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ii. Committees of correspondence began 1772 in MA, VA made first

intercolonial committee which enabled cooperation btwn colonies. VA
1774 governor dissolved assembly, rump session issued call for
Continental Congress

iii. First Continental Congress met Sept 1774 in Philadelphia (no delegates
from Georgia), made 5 major decisions

1. Rejected plan for colonial union under British authority

2. Endorsed statement of grievances, called 4 repeal of oppressive

legislation

3. Recommended colonists make military preparations for defense of

British attack against Boston

4. Nonimporation, nonexportation, nonconsumption agreement to

stop all trade with Britain, formed “Colonial Association” to
enforce agreements

5. Agreed to meet in spring, indicating making CC a continuing

organization

iv. CC reaffirmed autonomous status within empire, declared economic war.

In Eland Lord Chatham (William Pitt) urged withdrawal of American
troops, Edmund Burke for repeal of Coercive Acts. 1775 Lord North
passed Conciliatory Propositions- no direct Parl tax, but colonists would
tax themselves at Parls demand. Didn’t reach America until after first shot
fired

b. Lexington and Concord

i. Farmers and townspeople of MA had been gathering arms and training

“minutemen”. IN Boston General Thomas Gage knoew of preparations,
received orders from England to arrest rebel leaders Sam Adams and John
Hancock in Lexington vicinity. Heard of minutemen stock in nearby
Concord and decided to act on April 18, 1775

ii. William Dawes and Paul revere road from Boston to warn of impending
British attack. At Lexington town common shots fired and minutemen fell.
On march back from hidden farmers harassed British army

iii. Rebels circulated their account of events, rallied thousands of colonists in

north + south to rebel cause. Some saw just another example of tension

III. The States United

a. Defining American War Aims

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i. 2nd Continental Congress (CC) agreed to support war, disagreed on

purpose. One group led by John and Sam Adams favored full
independence, others wanted modest reforms in imperial relationship.
Most sought middle ground

ii. “Olive Branch Petition” conciliatory appeal to king, then July 1775
“Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms”

iii. Public @ first fought not for independence but redress of grievances,
later began to change reasons b/c cost of war too large for such
modest aims, anger over British recruitment of Indians, slaves,
mercenaries, and b/c GB rejected Olive Branch Petition and enacted
“Prohibitory Act” w/ naval blockade

iv. January 1776 Common Sense by Thomas Paine was revolutionary

propaganda, argued that problem was not parliamentary acts but
English constitution, king, and ruling system. GB no longer fit to rule
b/c of brutality, corruption

b. The Decision for Independence

i. After Common Sense support grew, CC recommended colonies
establish independent govt’s from British, July 4 1776 Declaration of
Independence

ii. Dec of Indep. written mostly by Thomas Jefferson, restated contract

theory of John Locke that govts formed to protect rights of “life,
liberty, pursuit of happiness”, then listed alleged crimes of king and
Parliament

iii. Dec. inspired French Revolution’s Dec. of the rights of Men, claimed
sovereign “United States of America”, led to increased foreign aid

c. Responses to Independence
i. At news of Dec many rejoiced others disapproved b/c still had great
loyalty to king, called themselves Loyalists but independents called
them Tories

ii. States drafted constitutions to replace loyal govts by 1781, states

considered centers of authority but war required central direction

iii. 1777 Articles of Confederation passed to confirm weak, decentralized

system in place. Continental Congress was main coordinator of war
effort
I. The States United

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A. Mobilizing for War

1. America had to raise, organize, equip, and pay for an army. Without the
British markets there was a shortage of materials and gunsmiths couldn’t meet
demands for furs and ammunition. They had to capture British material or get
it from other European nations.
2. Financing was problematic, as congress had no authority to tax people and
they had to ask the states for funds. They eventually printed paper money,
which led to inflation, and the value of money plummeted. Many merchants
preferred to do business with the British because they could pay in gold and
silver. The government was forced to borrow money from other nations.
3. After the patriotic surge of 1775 there were few army volunteers. States used
persuasion and drafts. To correct the problem of a de-unified army congress
created the Continental Army in 1775 with a single commander, George
Washington. He provided the army and people a symbol of stability which
people could rally around.
II. The War For Independence
A. The First Phase: New England
1. After the battles of Concord and Lexington, American forces besieged the
army of Gen. Thomas Gage in Boston in the Battle of Bunker Hill on June
1775. This is where the heaviest British casualties were inflicted
2. By 1776 the British concluded that Boston was not the best place to wage war
because of geography mainly. They fled to Halifax, Nova Scotia.
3. In the south, Patriots crushed loyalist uprisings at Moore’s Creek Bridge, NC
in February 1776. The Americans then invaded Canada, Gen. Benedict Arnold
and Richard Montgomery threatened Quebec to recruit Canadians and remove
the British threat. The siege failed and Canada did not become a part of the
US.
4. The British evacuation was not so much an American victory as a change in
English assumptions about the war. It suggested that England must be
prepared to fight a much larger conflict.
B. The Second Phase: The Mid-Atlantic Region
1. During the summer of 1776 Britain sent a huge navy and 32000 soldiers to
NYC under Gen William Howe. Americans rejected his offer of royal pardon
and Washington’s army of 19,000 was pushed all the way back to PA.
2. As European warfare was seasonal, they rested in the winter. British settled in
NJ after leaving outpost of Hessians. Washington attacked across the
Delaware, surprising them and occupying their town.
3. In 1777 the British sought an attack on the capital, Philadelphia, to discourage
the Patriots and rally the Loyalists. They captured the city in September and
Washington, after an unsuccessful attack at Germantown, went into quarters at
Valley Forge. The Continental Congress was dislodged from the capitol and
had to relocate to York, Pennsylvania.
4. John Burgoyne led the British attack in the north alone, at first he was
successful, capturing supplies of Fort Ticonderoga. American defeats led the
Congress to remove Gen Philip Schuyler and replace him with Horatio Gates.

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A series of Patriot victories followed and Burgoyne was forced to retreat to

Saratoga where Gates forced him and his 5,000 man army to surrender.
5. British failure was due to William Howe abandoning the north campaign
allowing Burgoyne to fight alone. He allowed Washington to retreat and
regroup rather than finishing him and left the Continental army unmolested at
Valley Forge.
C. The Iroquois and the British
1. The Iroquois Confederacy declared neutrality in 1776 but Joseph and Mary
Brant persuaded some tribes to support the British. They believed a British
victory would stem white movement onto tribal lands.
2. The Confederacy was divided as only 3 of 6 nations supported the British.
D. Securing Aid from Abroad
1. The failure of the British to crush the Americans at the Mid-Atlantic States
and the rebel victory at Saratoga was a major turning point.
2. After the Dec. of Indep., the US sent reps to Europe to negotiate commercial
treaties. The most promising ally was France because they were happy to see
Britain lose part of its empire.
3. The French supplied the Americans but would not recognize their diplomatic
independence. Benjamin Franklin was sent as a representative, and after the
news of the victory at Saratoga, US was recognized. This allowed for
expanded assistance—money, munitions, navy.
E. The Final Phase: The South
1. After the battle at Saratoga and French intervention, the British put limits on
their commitment to the conflict. They tried to loyalists they believed to be
centered in the south to fight from within.
2. The British force went through the south from 1778-1781 fighting many
battles and realized they had overestimated the extent of Loyalist sentiment.
Some refused to rise up because of fear of patriot reprisal. Also the British
attempted to free the slaves in order to fight, and with the Patriots, there was
no threat to slavery.
3. The British had the disadvantage of fighting their enemy in a hostile territory.
This introduced a new form of combat. Also, people previously apathetic
towards war were now forced to involve theirselves.
4. In the north, after the British moved their forces to NY, there was a fighting
stalemate. Benedict Arnold became a traitor, but his scheme to betray the
Patriot fort at West Point was foiled.
5. In the south the British captured Savannah in 1778 and Charleston in 1780.
They won some conventional battles but were harassed as they moved through
the countryside by Patriot guerillas. Lord Cornwallis (british gen in south)
defeated patriot Horatio Gates, leading Washington to replace him with
Nathanial Greene.
6. In 1780 the Patriots won at the battle of King’s Mountain. Greene split into
small, fast moving contingents and refrained from open battles. British had to
abandon Southern campaign after the battle at Guilford Courth House, NC in
1781

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7. Cornwallis was ordered by Clinton to wait for ships at Yorktown.

Washington, French Count Jean Baptiste de Rochambeau, and Admiral
Francois Joseph Paul de Grasse all coordinated army and navy to surround
British on the peninsula
8. Cornwallis surrendered October 17, 1781. The fighting was over, but Brits
continued to hold seaports of Savannah, Charleston, Wilmington, & New
York
I. War and Society
A. Loyalists and Minorities
1. Up to 1/5 of the American population were loyalists—some people were
officeholders in the imperial government, others were merchants tied to the
imperial system in trade, others lived in isolation from the revolutionary ideas,
and others just didn’t expect the Americans to win.
2. Most Loyalists were hounded by the Patriots and harassed by legislative and
judicial actions, so many fled to Canada or England.
3. Anglicans were mostly Loyalists in states where it was their official religion
(like VA). Taxes to the church halted, English support ceased, and few
ministers remained. Quakers were also negatively affected because their
pacifism was unpopular.
4. The Catholic Church gained respect because the church supported the war.
The French alliance brought catholic troops and ministers. After the war the
Vatican gave America its own Catholic hierarchy.
B. The War and Slavery
1. The war led to some slaves escaping because of the British trying to disrupt
the American war effort.
2. Revolutionary ideas introduced the slaves to the idea of liberty. This situation
put slave dominated states like SC and GA to be ambivalent towards the
Revolution because they feared that the revolution would foment slave
rebellions.
C. Native Americans and the Revolution
1. Both the Patriots and the British wanted the Native Americans to remain
neutral, and they pretty much did. Some supported the British because they
feared replacing the ruling class of those whom they had developed limited
trust with and fought against white expansion.
2. The Patriot victory weakened the Native Americans because it increased white
demands for western lands. Also many Americans resented the Mohawks and
other Native Americans that helped the British and treated them like
conquered people.
3. The Revolution increased deep divisions between Native Americans and made
it difficult for tribes to form a common resistance because of neutral and pro-
British alliances.
4. After the war, Indian and American fighting continued with Indian raids
against frontier whites, and white attacks into Indian territories.
D. Women’s Rights and Women’s Roles

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1. Patriot men going off to fight left wives, mothers, and sisters in charge of
farms and businesses. Some were successful and others were not. In many
towns and cities an impoverish woman class emerged.
2. Some woman joined camps of Patriot armies and others were forced to. They
raised the morale and performed necessary tasks such as nursing, cooking, and
cleaning. Some woman even ended up in combat (legendary Molly Pitcher).
3. After the revolution certain assumptions about woman were called into
question—some like Abigail Adams called for a modest expansion of
women’s rights and protections, others wanted equal education and rights.
4. A new era for women’s rights did not arrive. Legal doctrines of English
common law gave women barely any rights and the revolution did not change
these customs.
5. The revolution encouraged people to reevaluate the contributions of women
because of women’s participation in the revolution and part general
reevaluation of American life after the struggle—search for cultural identity.
E. The War Economy
1. There was no longer protection of trade by the British navy and no more
access to markets of the Empire including Britain itself. Americans used light,
fast privateer ships to prey on British commerce.
2. The end of imperial relations in the long run opened up enormous more
options for trade because there were no more British regulations. There was
trade with Asia, South America, and the Caribbean.
3. The end of English imports through prewar boycotts and the war itself led to
an increased need for domestic manufacturing of necessities, so a desire for
self-sufficiency grew.
II. The Creation of State Governments
A. The Assumptions of Republicanism
1) Republicanism meant all power came from ppl, active citizenry important and
could not be just a few powerful aristocrats and mass of dependent workers-
idea of independent landowner was basic political ideology
2) Opposed Eur ideas of inherited aristocracy- talents and energies of individuals
and not birth would determine role in society- equality of opportunity

B. The First State Constitutions

1) States decided that constitutions had to be written b/c believed vagueness of

England’s unwritten constitution produced corruption, believed power of
executive had to be limited, separation of executive from legislature
2) Except GA and PA upper and lower chambers, property requirements for
voters

C. Revising State Governments

1) By late 1770s state govts divided and unstable, believed to be so b/c they were
too democratic—steps taken to limit popular power

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2) To protect constitutions from ordinary politics created the constitutional

convention- special assembly to draft constitution that would never meet again
3) Executive strengthened as rxn to weak governors, fixed salary + elected by
ppl

D. Toleration and Slavery

1) New states allowed complete religious freedom, 1786 VA enacted Statue of

Religious Liberty by Thomas Jefferson which called for separation of church
and state
2) Slavery abolished in New England and PA b/c of Quakers, every southern
state but SC and GA prohibited further importation of slaves from abroad-
slavery continued though b/c of racist assumptions about black inferiority,
enormous economic investments in slaves, and lack of alternatives

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