The Great Experiment: Reading

Overview
During the 1600-1700s, many Europeans had migrated to the various parts of the world. During the
1750s, there was these ideas began to spread: What is the purpose of Government? What is the best
type of Government? Who should be in charge? How much should religion be involved in a
government? Which persons should be protected by the laws of the government? Who counts as a
person?
The questions spread throughout Europe as well as their Empires (thanks to the Industrial Revolution
and the printing press). These ideas spurred the European colonies to question whether they wanted
to still be ruled by their European masters. Even though these colonies had been originally found by
Europeans, it was now four or five generations of people since those original colonists. The majority
of the people who lived there had been born and raised in the colonies and had never been to
Europe. They felt that they were their own nation and didnt need the Europeans any more.
Old & New Englands
Ever since the beginnings of settlement in 1636, England
and America had been growing apart. By 1760, England
was still an aristocracy, ruled by people born and bred
to a high station in life. Their society was one of culture
and refinement. The common people, deprived of
abundant opportunity at home, accepted a position of
dependence. They regarded hard work, deference to
superiors, and submission to rulers as their lot in life.
But in America things had taken a different turn. The
tone of society was favored democracy, where the
people have the power in government. There were
no lords or hereditary offices. Manners were yet
crude and society wore a garb of rustic simplicity.
The wilderness had attracted people of independent
spirit, and the stern conditions of the frontier had
bred self-reliance and self-respect. The Americans
did not like to look up to superiors, nor were their
leaders set apart by privileges of birth and inherited
wealth. The opportunities of the New World made
people enterprising, energetic, and aggressive.
Restraints were few, custom counted for little, and
rank for less.
Between these two societies there could not be
much in common. Convention, decorum, and
formality guided the aristocracy of England. Its leaders looked down upon the crude manners of the
Americanstheir uncouth dress and speech, their boisterous ways, their lack of formal education,
and their aspirations for independence and self-rule. Most ancestors of the Americans had belonged
to that humble class which was still without political rights or influence in England. What magic of
the American woods could transform these lowly folk into peers of the chosen few who lived on the
fat of England's fertile soil?

Equally wide was the gulf that separated the colonists and England in their political thinking. By
1750 Britain believed that Parliament had complete authority over the colonies. Parliament could
tax them, make laws for them, and even abolish their elected assemblies. In summary the
Parliament felt the Colonists did not have any real rights.
French & Indian War (7 Years War)
The Seven Years war saw extensive fighting in North
America. The fighting that took place in North America
was referred to as the French & Indian War. The treaty
of 1763 ending theFrench and Indian Warmade England
master of Canada and of the land between the
Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River. The
whole cost of governing this vast region was suddenly
shifted from France to Britain. Yet the British people
were already staggered under an immense national
debt, and their taxes were higher than ever before. In
the view of Britain's ministers, England had made great
sacrifices in order to expel the French from the New
World. The chief motive had been mercantilism, or
government protection of trade and profits. An
additional result was that the 13 colonies might now live
in peace. As a result of the benefits the Colonists received, they should be taxed to help pay for
them.
Settlers were pouring into the Ohio Valley, gobbling up
the land won from the French. Such activity
excited the worst fears of theNative
Americans. Land, fur-bearing animals, the
Indians' very existenceall would be
engulfed by the relentless advance of the
Europeans.The Indians discontent grew
and began a series of destructive raids on
the advancing frontier. For the Colonists
defense England decided to station a large
army on the frontier. Should the colonies
contribute toward the expense of this
protection? England decreed that they
shouldby paying taxes imposed by
Parliament.
Sugar, Stamps, Quartering Act
Parliament issued a series of taxes to pay for the military action in North America. In 1764, the
Sugar Act was passed. The colonists now had to pay import duties on foreign molasses, sugar, wine,
and other commodities. More important, measures were adopted to prevent smuggling, including
giving officers permission to search peoples homes. In 1765 theStamp Act levied a direct tax on all
newspapers printed in the colonies and on most commercial and legal documents used in business.
A third measurethe Quartering Actrequired each colony to pay part of the cost for having British
troops stationed in their colony. A fourth-The Currency Act of 1764- made the colonists pay the
whole debt which had been created in waging the French and Indian War.

Opposition quickly spread through the colonial assemblies. It came to a head in 1765, when the
colonists stated that they, as English subjects, could not be taxed without their consent. Alarmed
by the refusal of the colonial towns to buy any taxed goods, British merchants petitioned
Parliament for its repeal. The Stamp Act was repealed in 1766. At the same time, however,
Parliament declared that it had full power to tax the colonies whenever and however it thought
best.
The Tea Party
Then, in 1773, Parliament passed another act
that set all the elements of discord in motion.
This measure allowed theBritish East India
Company(BEIC) to ship tea to the colonies
without paying any of the import duties, or
taxes, that the other merchants had to pay. The
merchants everywhere were alarmed. In
Boston, a group of citizens disguised as Indians
tossed 15,000 worth of the tea into the harbor.
This incident, afterward known as theBoston
Tea Party, brought about the greatest preRevolutionary War crisis. Since the BEIC was
carrying out a British law, King George III felt
that the colonial opposition must not go
unchallenged.
Intolerable Acts
Parliament replied to the Boston Tea Party with the five punitive, orintolerable actsof 1774.
The first of these closed the port of Boston until the BEIC was paid for the lost tea. Since
commerce was the lifeblood of Boston, this act inflicted hardships on all the townspeoplethe
innocent and the guilty alike. The second modified the Massachusetts charter of 1691, taking away
many highly prized rights of self-government which that province had long enjoyed. The third
measure provided that British officials accused of committing crimes in a colony might be taken to
England for trial. The fourth measure allowed the English appointed Governor of Massachusetts to
quarter soldiers at Boston in taverns and unoccupied buildings. The fifth act was not intended to
punish the colonies. It extended the boundaries of the province of Quebec to the Ohio River and
gave the Roman Catholics in the province both religious liberty and the double protection of French
and English law.
Acceptance of the intolerable acts by the colonists would have meant yielding nearly all their
claims to the right of self-government. Neither the colonists nor England could now back down
without a complete surrender. This led the a revolution, the forcible overthrowing of one
government system for another.
Organizing the Revolution
In order to act together in resisting the measures of Britain, the colonists established an effective
revolutionary organization. In structure it resembled a pyramid. The bottom stones consisted of
committees of correspondence. Committees of correspondence were generally established in the
counties. They enabled the people of each locality to act together and to communicate with fellow
colonists in remote places. The next layer of the pyramid consisted of provincial congresses. At the
apex of the pyramid stood theContinental Congress. The Congress denounced parliamentary

taxation and the five intolerable acts. It intended to destroy all trade with England if the British
did not yield.
All of the tension officially came to a head on July 4th, 1776, when the Continental Congress signed
Declaration of Independence. Crafted by Thomas Jefferson, the document declared the 13 Colonies
as separated from Britain, creating a new nation founded on the enlightenment principles of the
natural rights of man. The revolution and the Great Experiment, as George Washington would
later call it, had begun.
Handicaps of the Americas
Five and a half years elapsed before the land again
enjoyed peace. Why did the war last so long? At the
start the Americans did not have a unified army. The
soldiers were untrained, undisciplined and poorly
equipped. The Generals were of poor quality and
made serious mistakes. Nearly a third of the people
remained faithful to the king. The colonies themselves
were suspicious and jealous of each other, which made
it difficult for them to work together. The Continental
Congress had major financial issues; which led them to
borrow immense amounts of money to pay for
increasing expenses.
Advantages of the Americas
But in the long run stronger influences favored the Americans. They knew the lay of the land where
the fighting had to be done better than the British did, and they were used to the rough living
conditions which war brought in its train. Britain's soldiers had no real interest in the war, while the
Americans were defending their firesides and their settled way of life.
If the colonists were really to be subdued, the whole countryside had to be conquered. Their
communities were largely self-sufficient units that could not be crushed by the capture of a single
city or an important road. This meant that England had to wage a series of campaigns on land. The
difficulties of moving an army over miry roads were enormous. Moreover, England could not occupy
all regions at once. It could not keep soldiers in every village, and when its troops were withdrawn
the people took up arms again. At a time when an army could march only a few miles a day, it was
a stupendous task to subdue isolated settlements stretching from Maine to Georgia and extending
in places 300 miles (480 kilometers) into the interior. Having to bring troops and supplies across the
ocean made England's task all the greater.
The needs of the time brought forward an unusual group of leaders.George Washington, as
commander in chief of the Army, kept the American cause on its feet, inspiring hope by his
courage, patience, and firmness during its darkest hours. ToBenjamin Franklinbelongs much of the
credit for securing aid from France that helped win the war. As an agent of Congress, he became
the idol of Paris, using every art of diplomacy to win the good will of all classes. Others, such
asJohn AdamsandThomas Jefferson, struggled against discord in Congress and rallied the people
against despair.
One other thing favored the American: England was not united at home. Setting out to be a real
ruler, George III attempted to make the king superior to Parliament. His opponents, the Whigs,
believed that he was ready to destroy the liberties of all the English people. One group of Whigs

believed that the colonies could not be subdued and wanted to give them their freedom. Others
favored compromise, believing that the trade of free states in America would be as profitable to
England as keeping them as colonies.
Peace
Alarmed by military defeats to the Colonists in 1781 and
uprisings in Ireland and India, Parliament in 1782
demanded that King George III end the war. Congress
named a total of five commissioners - including John
Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson- to make
a treaty of peace. The conference took place in France.
Fearingnot without reasonthat Spain and France were
ready to betray the United States, the US negotiated a
secret preliminary peace treaty with England without France
or Spains knowledge. Under the treaty, which was signed
at Paris on Nov. 30, 1782, the Americans secured the
independence of the 13 Colonies and the land west of it to
the Mississippi River. It did not, however, end Englands possessions in
North America. England still controlled large swaths of territory in
Canada.
The American Revolution was a great social movement toward
democracy and equality. Many Loyalists to England fled from the 13
states to Canada; encouraging the Canadians to remain separate from
the United States. The next seven years were an ugly experiment in
national union. In 1787, the ideals upon which the nation had fought
for were forged into the US Constitution and Bill of Rights; creating a
democracy with separated powers and protection of basic human
rights.
Conclusion
The American Revolution sent a shock wave through the rest of Europe. If the powerful British could
be kicked out of its colonies in America... what does that mean for other countries and their colonies?
What does that mean for Kings who rule cruelly over a people who do not like them?

Questions
1) Update the following items on the Content Matrix: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson,
George III, Benjamin Franklin, Continental Congress, Revolution, Mercantilism,
American Revolution, Stamp Act, Democracy, Treaty of Paris
2) Create a timeline of the following events: Boston Tea Party, Treaty of Paris, Stamp Act, French &
Indian War, Founding of the American Colonies, Intolerable Acts
3) If the American Colonies were founded by England in 1636, why didnt a large number of colonists
view themselves as English/British by 1750? Create a Logic Tree & write a 1 paragraph response
4) Should the British Parliament have been allowed to tax the American Colonies? Create a Logic
Tree & write a 1 paragraph response.
5) The British had a superior army, navy, and economy. Why did the British lose the war? Create a
Logic Tree & write a 1 paragraph response.