Page 19 - NS-2 Textbook

The American Revolution, 1775-1783

The Seven Years' War was fought from 1756 to 1763. Dur- played up in the press and soon became known as the
ing this war, Britain captured French and Spanish colo- "Boston Massacre." It made many colonists want to seek
nial possessions around the """orId, Inainly because of its revenge.
superior naval strength. Chief among these possessions wee years later, irate Bostonians disguised as
were Canada and Florida in North America and India in warlike Indians boarded a merchant ship and dumped
Asia. some British tea into the harbor rather than pay taxes due
England's prime minister during these years, on it. Parliament soon responded to this "Boston Tea
William Pitt, planned the naval strategies that made it Party" with the Coercive Acts, which closed the port of
possible for England to win half the world by the war's Boston, abolished the right of the people of Massachu-
end. The prime ministers after Pitt, howevel; allowed the setts to select their o\vn cOlUlcil, and restricted other civil
Royal Navy to decline somewhat in the years after the liberties.
war. On the other hand, France began to rebuild its navy TIlese were the events that led to the American Rev-
immediately. olution, which began at Lexington and Concord in April
1775. liThe die is cast," wrote King George III. IJThe
colonies must either triumph or submit." There was no
PRELUDE TO REVOLUTION
longer the possibility of a peaceful settlement.
While England and France were busy fighting each other
in the Seven Years' War, the American colonies grew and PROBLEMS FOR BRITISH SEA POWER
prospered. When the war was over, British officials
looked to the colonies as a way to raise money to help The Royal Navy, in 1775 the mightiest in the world, soon
payoff the debts built up during the long war. They felt found out that it would not be easy to fight the Ameri-
the colonies had benefited unfairly. They believed that, cans. For one thing, the British had been getting much of
unlike Englishmen at home, the colonists had not borne their shipbuilding materials, such as tar, pitch, hlrpen-
their share of the taxes and restrictions. England thus tine, and timber for masts and hulls, from the colonies.
passed the Revenue Act and began enforcing taxes on Now, of course} the colonies ,vauld not supply these n1a-
sugar imports to the colonies in 1763. Then, by the Stamp terials to England. TIle British also soon found that many
Act of 1765 and other similar acts, it tried to reassert officers in the British Army and Navy believed the Amer-
Parliament's power in the colonies. The colonists icans were English citizens and refused to fight against
thought all this was unfair and soon became upset over them.
the way Britain was treating them. Another force that had earlier been on England's
In 1767 Parliament passed the Townshend Act, side ,vas novv huned against it: the privateers, the armed
which taxed paper, lead, and tea. All over the colonies American merchant ships that had helped the British win
people protested. Anti-British feelings were especially the French and Indian War. Now these privnteersmell,
strong in Boston. There, on the evening of 5 March 1770, with the blessing of the Continental Congress, set out to
an angly crowd of protesters led by an African American capture British ships and goods.
named Crispus Attucks gathered and began to taunt The 1,800-mile-Iong American coast presented a big
British soldiers. One thing quickly escalated to another, problem for the British. How could they defend their
and in a scuffle that followed, the soldiers shot and killed merchant ships from privateers in English waters, patrol
Attucks and several other people-considered the first the American coastline to keep ships from supplying the
casualties of the American Revolution. TIle incident was colonies with arms and other goods, and at the same

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