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The American Revolution was the seminal moment of the 18th century. It was the culmination of the Enlightenment and would usher in an era of change and revolution. However, it was never intended to become so. That a dispute over taxes would escalate into an era defining war shocked everyone involved, and forever changed the fate of both the New and Old Worlds. Welcome to the beginning of our series on the American Revolution, where we will tell the tale of
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miscommunication, misunderstanding, and missed opportunities and led to the birth of a nation. Technically as this began when someone in Europe figured you could get to Asia by going around the back of the world. The world is round after all, and at least they got that part right - and there’s no better way to see it than with our sponsor, Mova Globes. These globes come in loads of different styles, including the antique map styles of the sorts
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The Core Problem The fundamental underlying problem that led to war between Britain and her colonial subjects was communication. A message sent from North American to Europe on a typical sailing ship of the 17th and 18th century would arrive in about a month assuming calm seas, favorable winds, and correct navigation. Anything less added weeks if not months to a voyage. Additionally, the north Atlantic trade winds are westerly meaning the
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return trip would take at least twice as long, as ships either had to tack into the wind for a direct return, or sail down to Africa to catch the easterly equatorial winds. Therefore, in a crisis, local authorities in the Americas would be on their own for no less than three months before British authorities arrived on the scene. Great Britain solved this problem by barely trying to govern its colonies at all. Instead, it handed charters to establish
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colonies along with government powers, the rights of Englishmen, and land grants to private individuals and/or joint stock companies. Except for a failed attempt to centralize control and administration in New England, London barely interfered in colonial affairs. It didn’t have the resources to pay appointed governors or station troops in every colony, nor any desire to. This suited the colonists, who were left to manage their own affairs via elected legislatures.
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London didn’t even attempt to enforce he mercantilist Navigation Acts. This period, known as salutary neglect, lasted 70 years . London’s neglect wasn’t simply sloth. The Thirteen Colonies just weren’t valuable enough as colonies to bother closely governing. The revenue generated by the Thirteen Colonies paled in comparison to the fur trade, centered on Canada’s Great Lakes and Hudson’s Bay. Canada in turn paled next to the Caribbean sugar colonies, which
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accounted for 4% of Britain's total gross national product. Therefore London prioritized protecting the Caribbean and Canadian colonies over the American ones. It was rare for the total number of army regulars in North America to exceed four thousand during peacetime. Most were stationed to protect trading posts and deter the French in Canada. The rest were scattered in frontier forts
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and small coastal garrisons, with New York as the army’s headquarters. Local forces were the primary protection for the American colonies against raids by the French and their indigenous allies. Everything Changes The 1754 French and Indian War changed everything. Facing a reinforced and aggressive New France and its allied tribes, representatives from the seven northern colonies met in Albany on June 19th to plan their war strategy. Also in attendance
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were representatives of the Iroquois Confederacy, whose continued alliance against the French the colonists were desperate to secure. Despite the delegate's efforts, the Iroquois didn’t actually commit to fighting the French, instead opting for a policy of neutral non-hostility towards the colonies. Next, the delegates’ attention turned towards a unified war strategy, which culminated in Benjamin Franklin’s Albany Plan of Union. While the Plan of Union was approved by all the
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Colonial delegates, it was unanimously rejected by both the colonial legislatures and the Crown, much to Franklin’s frustration. The former wanted more independence and the latter felt it gave too much. Despite these setbacks, the Congress proved that cooperation between the 13 colonies was possible, even desirable. On September 8, 1760, New France surrendered to British Field Marshal Jeffery Amherst, ending the war in North America. The American colonists
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celebrated their rival’s fall, especially since it meant expansion. Many colonies already had settlements west of the Appalachian Mountains, but they had been constantly raided by the French and their indigenous allies. However, with that threat gone, the formerly disputed territory, especially the Ohio River valley, was now theirs for the taking. However, London felt differently. The earlier conquest of French Arcadia had resulted in extensive and costly guerrilla fighting,
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and the ongoing Seven Years War was draining the Exchequer. The last thing London wanted was another war. Thus, it needed to very quickly pacify the French Canadiens and Native Peoples. Secondly, the conquest had brought all of the fur trade under British control. While this was a great victory, the fur trade relied on indigenous tribes bringing furs to traders. Without good relations, trade was impossible. Britain had always been able to cultivate partnerships
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with various native tribes by allying with the rivals of French-aligned tribes. That tool was now gone and it was now entirely on the British to keep their Indian suppliers happy and protect the fur trade. Unfortunately for London, these goals were thoroughly undermined by Amherst, now the military governor of Canada. Amherst insulted everyone, treating both the French Canadiens and French allied tribes poorly . This, coupled with fears of further colonial expansion,
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ignited Pontiac’s War in April 1763, led by the Odawa Chieftain Pontiac against the British. London finally realized that, 156 years after Jamestown was founded, it would have to actually take the policy lead in North America. The Proclamation of 1763 and the Stamp Act Preventing conflict was the first step. To this end, Parliament and King George III crafted a royal proclamation to allay the Indian’s fears. Unfortunately, it wasn’t ready until October 1763,
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too late to prevent Pontiac’s War. However, it did allow Amherst’s more conciliatory replacement Thomas Gage an opening offer in peace negotiations. The Proclamation of 1763 first established governments for newly acquired territory in the Americas. Then, it divided British North America into three pieces: the Thirteen Colonies, French-Speaking Quebec, and Indian Territory. British settlers were forbidden within Indian Territory and the
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tribe's rights to their land was acknowledged. The official reason was to meet Pontiac’s demand to respect Indian land. This wasn’t actually true: London fully intended to expand British settlements in North America. However, it would be at London’s direction and only after securing the rights to do so through purchase from the tribes. Parliament just couldn’t say that openly without angering the Indians, who they were trying to placate . The Proclamation of 1763
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caused outrage in the colonies. It ignored their chartered land grants and effectively abandoned the colonial settlements that already existed beyond the Allegheny Mountains. Pontiac’s War and fears of a French reconquest of Quebec necessitated the stationing of more troops in North America. Paying for this required new taxes, and since America would be the beneficiary, the Whig government of George Grenville decided to make the colonies pay. Its first attempt to
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do this was the Sugar Act of 1764, which was technically an update to an existing Navigation Act. This drew some protests from New England rum distillers, but like the act it replaced, most colonists simply ignored or dodged the tax. It would be the Stamp Act of 1765 that provoked actual anger. The Act required that all legal paper be purchased from London with a revenue stamp certifying its legality. Though a longstanding tax in Britain,
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this was the first direct tax placed on any American colonies. It was first announced in April 1764 but not enacted until March 1765. This proved disastrous for Granville’s plan, as the delay in the act’s implementation allowed the colonies time to prepare to resist it. The colonies learned of the Act’s passing in early May 1764. By late May, every English-speaking colony from Nova Scotia to Jamaica made clear their intent to resist the tax. In the Caribbean,
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the strong Royal Navy garrison kept protests muted, though most ports refused to enforce the tax. However, the continental colonies all saw street protests, including the burning in effigy of both tax collectors and the prime minister. Boston saw the loudest protests. Beginning with peaceful street demonstrations organized by the nascent Sons of Liberty under James Otis and Samuel Adams, it quickly escalated to violence. Tax collectors were assaulted in the streets,
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their houses and offices attacked, and even the lieutenant governor was attacked and expelled from his official residence. However, it was New York that planned the most effective resistance to the Stamp Act. In addition to refusing to quarter British troops, the merchants organized a boycott of British goods, the coordination of which was the focus of the Stamp Act Congress in October held in New York City. Declaration of Rights and Grievances
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It also sent a Declaration of Rights and Grievances that would form the basis of colonial protests over the next ten years. The Declaration laid out the colonial position: since they were English and guaranteed the rights and privileges thereof, they were only subject to taxation from elected governments. They didn’t vote for Parliament, so it could not tax them. Moreover, they had natural rights as human beings which were being ignored. These principles
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eventually became the continental rallying cry of “No taxation without representation.” This declaration posed a huge threat to Parliament’s plans, mostly because it was technically true . During the winter of 1764 as crisis loomed, Grenville claimed virtual representation solved the problem, for which he was ridiculed in Parliament and the colonies. This loss of credibility and news of the colonial protests led to the
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fall of Grenville’s government in July 1765. While the colonies celebrated the Stamp Act’s repeal, the next battle loomed. Simultaneous with the repeal, Parliament passed the Declaratory Act, stating that Parliament had the same powers in America as it did in Britain. Parliament intended to try again, and now Townshend had his personal reputation to save. Thus beginning in 1767 the five Townshend Acts were passed. These acts were intended to raise revenue, tighten Parliament’s
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control of trade, and punish New York for refusing to quarter troops. Once again, there were riots in Boston and widespread boycotts. At the Massachusetts assembly’s behest, numerous colonial legislatures began to send petitions to King George asking him to intervene and protect their rights as Englishmen. The petitions went nowhere, as the King was firmly on Parliament’s side. However, most alarming was the Circular Letter written by Otis and Adams and passed
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by the Massachusetts assembly in February 1768, stating that Parliament was acting unconstitutionally in continuing to tax the colonies without representing them. It was sent to other legislatures, to their approval. In response, the Colonial Secretary Lord Hillsborough ordered Massachusetts to withdraw the letter. When it refused, Hillsborough ordered the assembly dissolved and sent two thousand troops to occupy Boston that September.
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The Boston Massacre Tensions mounted for the next year and a half, especially in occupied and resentful Boston. On the night of March 5, this resentment boiled over. A guard on duty outside the Custom House got into an argument with a wig maker's apprentice , eventually hitting him with his musket. This caused onlookers to begin harassing the guard. The crowd kept growing and he retreated up the steps and called for help. Captain Thomas
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Preston soon arrived with seven soldiers and ordered the crowd of several hundred to disperse. Instead, the crowd started throwing snowballs, rocks, and insults at the soldiers. Then innkeeper Richard Palmes, carrying a cudgel, approached Preston, asking if the soldiers' muskets were loaded. Preston said they were, but they’d only fire on his order. Just then, a missile knocked down Private Hugh Montgomery. Dazed, he retrieved his musket, shouted “Damn you,
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fire!” and fired. Palmes then swung his cudgel at Montgomery, hitting his arm, then at Preston, also hitting his arm. After a pause , the rest of the soldiers opened fire. Three Americans died instantly, and two more would die of their wounds. Both sides called for reinforcements and a full riot seemed imminent. Order was only restored when the governor himself arrived at the Custom House and promised an investigation. A trial ultimately resulted in two soldiers being
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found guilty of manslaughter. News of the incident spread like wildfire and was immediately used as anti-Parliament propaganda, with Paul Revere’s engraving calling it The Boston Massacre the most well known. The propaganda worked, and anti-Parliament sentiment spread rapidly. North Comes to Power By coincidence, on the same day as the Massacre, the recently appointed Tory Prime Minister Lord North repealed most of the Whig Townshend Acts,
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citing lack of revenue they generated. However, he kept the tax on tea and the Boston garrison intact, and further signaled to the colonies that this was the new status quo. Parliament was done backing down. In response, the colonies continued organizing. The Committees of Correspondence, first set up by the Sons of Liberty to coordinate opposition to the Stamp Act, became more active and spread to more colonies. However, 1771 and 1772 were otherwise quiet and
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it looked like the conflict might be allowed to burn out. However, Lord North wasn’t finished. In May 1773, the Tea Act was passed. Not a tax, it instead allowed the British East India Company the right to sell unlimited tea to the Thirteen Colonies at a discount. However, the Colonies saw it for what the North intended it to be: a ploy to get them to buy more tea, paying the tea tax, and implicitly accepting Parliament’s right to tax them. This led nearly every colony to refuse
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tea to be landed in their ports. Boston went further, again, with the Boston Tea Party on December 16th. This was the final straw for North, who decided that harsh action needed to be taken to put the colonies in their place. Massachusetts and especially Boston would be made an example. The fuse of revolution was now lit. The Intolerable Acts At the next session of Parliament , the five Intolerable Acts were passed.
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The first four , called the Coercive Acts, all directly punished Boston: closing the city port, placing it under military governance, allowing officials to try anyone in British courts rather than local ones, and requiring more extensive troop quartering. To enforce these acts, General Gage was appointed governor of Massachusetts and ordered to consolidate his garrisons in Boston and move his headquarters there, which was accomplished in May 1774. This would not
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produce the results London intended. Gage had been stationed in North America since 1755, only occasionally returning to Britain, and was quite sympathetic to the colonies' grievances. He would try to separate his duties as governor from his duties as an occupier, to little effect. It was the fifth act that would prove most damaging to Britain's hold on the colonies. Unrelated to the Coercive Acts but passed at the same session, the Quebec Act outraged all
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parts of colonial society, even Parliament’s strongest defenders. To placate the Canadiens, the Act restored rights to Catholics in Quebec, allowed the use of French civil law, and most importantly, expanded Quebec’s borders to include the Ohio River Valley, forever denying it to the American colonists . This was seen as a complete betrayal and drove many previously moderate loyalist Americans towards the Sons of Liberty and the patriot camp.
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The First Continental Congress On September 5, delegates from every colony but Georgia met in Philadelphia for the First Continental Congress. After first issuing the Declaration of Rights , they agreed to resist the Intolerable Acts via a complete boycott of British imports, and to pressure the West Indies colonies to do the same. Congress then adjourned with an agreement to reconvene the next year if their grievances weren’t addressed.
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The boycott quickly put enormous pressure on Lord North to back down. However, with the king solidly behind him, North refused to budge even as British exports to America plummeted. Whether the boycott could have worked will never be known, as events in Boston overtook everyone. Even before arriving in Boston, Gage realized that his position was impossible. He had roughly 3,000 soldiers in Boston, which was more than needed to keep order in a city of 16,000 but
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far too few to control the countryside. He was effectively trapped in Boston, and lacked the authority or resources to change his situation. He refused to actively oppress the population, but couldn’t negotiate with them either. Instead, he hoped removing the colonists' ability to fight would reduce their resistance. On September 1, 1774, Gage dispatched 260 soldiers to seize the Powder House, the largest gunpowder magazine in Massachusetts,
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a few miles northwest of Boston. After capturing and removing the powder without resistance, a contingent stopped in Cambridge to seize two cannons. The next day, a crowd of thousands of militiamen swarmed Cambridge, acting on rumors of British regulars attacking Boston and worse. This forced several prominent loyalists to flee into the city for military protection. As facts became clearer, the militia dispersed, with Gage understandably perturbed by the
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swiftness and scale of the response . He didn’t know that he was under constant surveillance by the Sons of Liberty, now led by Dr. Joseph Warren. He soon learned that other colonies were moving their militia stores further inland, away from his reach. Massachusetts militia also moved their unseized cannons out of Boston to Concord and began looking for more powder to replace the lost stores. Recognizing the situation, Gage resolved to take no further provocative action.
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Unfortunately, Parliament had contrary plans. In February 1775, King George declared before both Houses of Parliament that a state of rebellion existed in Massachusetts. Immediately afterwards, Secretary of State William Legge ordered Gage to quash the rebellion, disarm the militia, disband the Massachusetts assembly and arrest their leaders . How was left to Gage’s discretion, but it was to be done as quickly as possible. In the next episode of our history of the
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American revolution, Paul Revere will go on his midnight ride, and continental militias will clash with the British at Bunker Hill. To ensure you do not miss that, make sure you are subscribed and press the bell button. Please, consider liking, subscribing, commenting, and sharing - it helps immensely. Recently we have started releasing weekly patron and YouTube member exclusive content, consider joining their
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ranks via the link in the description or button under the video to watch these weekly videos, learn about our schedule, get early access to our videos, access our private discord, and much more. This is the Kings and Generals channel, and we will catch you on the next one.
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