if this be treason. married martha dandridge custis she was a widow with 2 children very wealthy she...
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Married Martha Dandridge Custis She was a widow with 2 children Very wealthy She and Washington did not have children of their own Washington oversaw the Custis White House Plantation Near Williamsburg Capital of colonial Virginia Life of a farmer Owned slaves Reports say he treated them wellTRANSCRIPT
If This Be Treason
Chapter 7
Married Martha Dandridge CustisShe was a widow with 2 childrenVery wealthyShe and Washington did not have children of
their ownWashington oversaw the Custis White House
PlantationNear Williamsburg
Capital of colonial VirginiaLife of a farmerOwned slaves
Reports say he treated them well
Washington
Lawmaking body of the Colony of VirginiaMet at Williamsburg
Washington electedPatrick Henry
“Caesar had his Brutus. Charles the First his Cromwell, and George the Third… may profit by their example.”
“If this be treason, make the most of it!”
House of Burgesses
Stamp Act (1765): Required colonists to pay tax on all official documentsTax came in form of a stamp/seal Needed for all legal documents, diplomas, licenses,
newspapers, etc.Parliament and King George III created the Stamp
Act to pay for French and Indian WarParliament figured the war was for America, so
Americans should pay for itParliament could search colonial storehouses in
New England for smuggled goodsTrials held at “admiralty courts” by the British navy
Not at courts with colonial juries
Stamp Act
Colonists upsetSaw themselves as EnglishmenDid not feel like they were being treated equallyBelieved only their local assemblies could tax
themParliament had never directly taxed them beforeSince they were not represented in Parliament, they
believed Parliament shouldn’t tax themSons of Liberty
Led by Samuel AdamsMore radical protest styleColonial revolutionaries
Sons of Liberty
Stamp Act Congress (1765)Representatives from 9 colonies met in NYCDeclared that Parliament could not tax themAlso declared trial by jury was a right for all
Englishmen, and the King and Parliament couldn’t take it away
England repealed the Stamp Act in March 1766
Stamp Act Congress
Most colonists thought life would go back to normal after repeal of the Stamp Act
Declaratory ActParliament had direct control over when and
how it taxed the coloniesDidn’t upset most Americans
Radicals were upset, however
Declaratory Act
Charles Townshend became Chancellor of the Exchequer for EnglandGiven the power to taxWanted to punish colonists for rebellion against Stamp
ActTownshend Acts
New taxes on English made items sent to coloniesTax on tea imported by the British East India Co.
Massachusetts Assembly wrote a letter in protestLetter angered British Secretary for the Colonies Demanded they take it back or he would disband them
They didn’t, he took away their authority and ability to meet
Townshend Acts
Mob in Boston attacked a British customs officerBritish troops sent to BostonUpset radicals more
Sam Adams called for revolutionMassachusetts decided action would be
foolish because British army was too powerfulNew Prime Minister in England
Repealed Townshend TaxesExcept the taxation of tea
Reaching a Boiling Point
Bostonian mob threw rocks and icy snowballs at British guard outside the customs house
20 British soldiers called in for reinforcementDid not attack
One soldier hit with clubFiredRest ordered not to fire
Did anyway3 colonists dead, 2 mortally wounded
Sons of Liberty termed it a “massacre”Spread pamphlets and an engraving to fire
people up
Boston Massacre
British soldiers put on trialJohn Adams to defend the British
Only lawyer willing to do soCousin of Sam Adams
Adams argued they were provoked by the mob, and the British government was more to blameBritish were acquitted (found not guilty)
At Trial
Tea expensiveEast India Co. could only sell tea to British merchants
These merchants than sold it to colonistsTownshend Acts
Smuggled tea cost lessSons of Liberty had ties to these smugglers
New law in 1773 allowed East India Co. to sell directly to colonistsCheaper now than smuggled teaOnly could sell to merchants with no ties to smugglers
Radicals protestedSaid England was playing favorites
Tea Time
NY and Philly stopped East India Co.’s ships from entering harbor
Boston allowed ships in stillEven though it was a more radical city
Dec 16, 1773 Sons of Liberty sent a message to Mass. Gov. Hutchinson demanding he force the ships to leave Governor refused
150 colonials dressed like Mohawk IndiansRowed to tea shipsEmptied 343 large boxes of tea into the harbor
Boston Tea Party