APUSH Review: Give Me Liberty, Chapter 5

Summary

This educational video delves into the pivotal period leading to the American Revolution, highlighting the crisis between the colonies and Britain post-Seven Years' War. It discusses the British debt, the Stamp Act, and the rallying cry for 'no taxation without representation.' The video also covers the Sons of Liberty, the Boston Tea Party, and the Intolerable Acts. It touches on the roles of key figures like Thomas Paine and George Washington, and events like the Battles of Lexington and Concord, and the decisive Battle of Yorktown. The narrative underscores the colonists' struggle for representation, the influence of Enlightenment ideas, and the eventual recognition of American independence with the Treaty of Paris.

Takeaways

• 🏛️ The crisis between the colonies and Britain began after the Seven Years' War, with Britain in significant debt and seeking to enforce stricter trade regulations.
• 📜 The Navigation Acts were loosely enforced prior to 1763, but post-war Britain sought to enforce them more rigorously, leading to increased tensions.
• 🗳️ The concept of 'no taxation without representation' emerged as colonists resisted British taxes, feeling they had no voice in Parliament.
• 🔍 The Writs of Assistance allowed British officials to search homes and ships for smuggled goods, further straining relations with the colonists.
• 💵 The Currency Act prohibited colonies from printing paper money, forcing them to use hard currency like gold and silver.
• 📜 The Stamp Act was a direct tax on colonists, affecting many common paper goods and leading to widespread resistance.
• 👥 The Sons of Liberty emerged as a group resisting British taxes, including the harassment of stamp collectors.
• 📚 John Dickinson's 'Letters from a Pennsylvania Farmer' advocated for reconciliation with Britain and equal treatment of colonists.
• 🍵 The Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party were key events that escalated tensions between the colonists and the British.
• 📜 The Intolerable Acts were passed in response to the Boston Tea Party, further uniting the colonies against British rule.
• ✍️ The Declaration of Independence, primarily written by Thomas Jefferson, listed grievances against King George III and was influenced by Enlightenment ideas.

Q & A

What was the main cause of the crisis between the colonies and Britain?

The crisis was mainly caused by Britain's tremendous debt after the Seven Years' War, which led to a more hands-on approach towards the colonies and the passing of new acts to regulate trade.

What was the significance of the end of the Seven Years' War in 1763?

The end of the Seven Years' War marked a turning point in the relationship between Britain and the colonies, as Britain began to enforce stricter trade regulations and taxes on the colonies.

How did the Navigation Acts and smuggling contribute to the tension between the British and the colonists?

Prior to 1763, the Navigation Acts were loosely enforced, and Americans often got around them by smuggling. The British, being heavily taxed, felt the burden should extend to the colonists, leading to tension.

What was the concept of 'virtual representation' and why was it rejected by the colonists?

Virtual representation was the British government's argument that all people living in the British Empire were represented in Parliament, even if they couldn't vote. Colonists rejected this because they wanted direct representation.

What was the purpose of the Writs of Assistance and how did they contribute to the tension?

The Writs of Assistance were open-ended search warrants allowing British officials to search homes and ships for smuggled goods. They contributed to tension by infringing on colonists' privacy and rights.

Why was the Currency Act of 1764 significant?

The Currency Act prohibited colonies from printing paper money and required them to use hard currency or gold and silver, which affected the economy and increased resentment towards Britain.

What was the Stamp Act and why was it a pivotal moment?

The Stamp Act was a direct tax on colonists for commonly used goods made of paper. It was pivotal because it represented taxation without representation and was the first tax affecting all colonists.

How did the Sons of Liberty resist British taxes?

The Sons of Liberty emerged as a group to resist British taxes, harassing stamp collectors and gaining support from craftsmen, laborers, and merchants.

What was the significance of the Boston Tea Party and how did it influence Britain's response?

The Boston Tea Party was a protest against the Tea Act and led to Britain passing the Intolerable Acts in response, which further escalated tensions and pushed the colonies towards rebellion.

What was the role of the Continental Congress in the growing conflict?

The Continental Congress was created in response to the Intolerable Acts and included representatives from all colonies except Georgia. It played a crucial role in organizing resistance and eventually pushing for independence.

What were the main points of Thomas Paine's 'Common Sense' and its impact?

Thomas Paine's 'Common Sense' argued for American independence from Britain, using Enlightenment ideas and appealing to the average colonist. It was influential in swaying public opinion towards independence.

Outlines

00:00

🏛️ Colonial Crisis and Acts

This paragraph discusses the crisis that arose between the American colonies and Britain following the Seven Years' War, which ended in 1763. Britain, heavily in debt, began to enforce stricter trade regulations through new acts, marking a significant shift in the relationship with the colonies. The lack of representation for colonists in British decisions led to growing discontent. The Writs of Assistance, Currency Act, and the Stamp Act are highlighted as key events that intensified tensions, with the Stamp Act being particularly resented for its direct tax on colonists without their consent. The Sons of Liberty emerged as a group resisting British taxes, and the Stamp Act Congress was formed to boycott the act, leading to its repeal by Parliament in 1766.

05:02

📚 The Road to Revolution

The second paragraph delves into the growing resistance against British rule in the colonies. It covers the Townshend Acts, which imposed taxes on various goods, and John Dickinson's 'Letters from a Pennsylvania Farmer,' advocating for reconciliation with Britain. The boycott of British goods and the rise of the homespun movement are discussed, as well as the Boston Massacre, which further fueled colonial resentment. The paragraph also touches on the Intolerable Acts, the Quebec Act, and the formation of the Continental Congress, which prepared the colonies for potential conflict. The significance of the Suffolk Resolves and the Committees of Safety in transitioning power from colonial to grassroots organizations is highlighted, setting the stage for the American Revolution.

10:03

🗽 The Fight for Independence

The final paragraph focuses on the events leading to the American Declaration of Independence. It discusses the Olive Branch Petition, an attempt at reconciliation with Britain, and Thomas Paine's influential pamphlet 'Common Sense,' which argued for American independence. The Declaration of Independence is detailed, emphasizing its listing of grievances against King George III and its inspiration from Enlightenment ideas. The paragraph also covers the military aspects of the Revolution, including the battles of Lexington and Concord, Bunker Hill, and Yorktown, which were pivotal in securing American independence. The Treaty of Paris is mentioned as the formal recognition of U.S. independence and the acquisition of territories up to the Mississippi River.

Keywords

💡Seven Years' War

The Seven Years' War was a global conflict fought between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the world's great powers. It was a significant event leading to the crisis between the colonies and Britain, as Britain's victory left it with a massive debt, which influenced its subsequent policies towards the American colonies. The war is mentioned as a turning point that led to Britain's more hands-on approach towards the colonies, setting the stage for the tensions that would eventually lead to the American Revolution.

💡Taxation without representation

Taxation without representation was a major grievance of the American colonists against Britain. It refers to the imposition of taxes on the colonies by the British government without the consent of the colonists, who had no representation in the British Parliament. This concept is central to the video's theme, as it was a driving force behind the American Revolution. The script mentions this concept in relation to the Stamp Act, which was a direct tax on the colonists, leading to widespread protests and the rallying cry 'No taxation without representation.'

💡Stamp Act

The Stamp Act was a direct tax imposed by the British government on the American colonies in 1765, requiring colonists to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper they used, including legal documents, newspapers, and playing cards. The act is highlighted in the video as a symbol of the colonists' resistance to British authority and as a catalyst for the American Revolution. The script describes the act as the first tax that affected all colonists and led to the formation of groups like the Sons of Liberty, who resisted the act through protests and boycotts.

💡Sons of Liberty

The Sons of Liberty was a secret organization formed in the Thirteen Colonies to oppose the rule of the British government. The group is mentioned in the script as emerging to resist British taxes and to harass stamp collectors. They played a significant role in the protests against the Stamp Act and were supported by various segments of society, including craftsmen, laborers, and merchants. Their actions contributed to the growing unrest and the eventual push for independence.

💡Townshend Acts

The Townshend Acts were a series of measures, including taxes on glass, lead, paper, paint, and tea, passed by the British Parliament in 1767. The script discusses these acts as part of a broader pattern of British taxation and control over the colonies. The acts were met with resistance from the colonists, who saw them as further examples of taxation without representation, and they played a role in escalating tensions leading up to the American Revolution.

💡Boston Massacre

The Boston Massacre was a confrontation on March 5, 1770, in which British soldiers shot and killed several American colonists in Boston. The event is depicted in the script as a significant incident that increased tensions between the colonists and the British. The script notes that the soldiers fired into a crowd that was taunting and throwing objects at them, resulting in the death of five colonists, which further fueled the desire for independence among the colonists.

💡Boston Tea Party

The Boston Tea Party was a political protest by the American colonists against the British government in 1773, during which they destroyed a shipment of tea sent by the British East India Company. The script describes the event as a direct response to the Tea Act, which placed a tax on tea. The colonists' boycott of taxed tea and the subsequent destruction of the tea shipments demonstrated their resistance to British taxation and their willingness to take radical action in pursuit of their cause.

💡Intolerable Acts

The Intolerable Acts, also known as the Coercive Acts, were punitive laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774 in response to the Boston Tea Party. The script mentions these acts as a turning point that further alienated the colonists. The acts included the closing of the port of Boston, the modification of the Massachusetts Charter, and the extension of the boundaries of Quebec, among other measures. These actions were seen by the colonists as an infringement on their rights and liberties, and they galvanized support for the revolutionary cause.

💡Continental Congress

The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body during the American Revolution. The script discusses the First Continental Congress, which was convened in response to the Intolerable Acts, and the Second Continental Congress, which took place in 1775 and where the decision to pursue independence was made. The Congress is a key concept in the video, as it represents the colonists' efforts to unite and coordinate their resistance against British rule.

💡Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence is a document adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, that announced the thirteen American colonies' separation from Great Britain. The script highlights the Declaration as a pivotal moment in the video's narrative, emphasizing its significance in asserting the colonists' belief in natural rights and their decision to form a new nation. The Declaration, primarily authored by Thomas Jefferson, lists grievances against King George III and is inspired by Enlightenment ideas, such as the social contract and the pursuit of happiness.

Highlights

The crisis between the colonies and Britain dates back to the end of the Seven Years War in 1763.

Britain's debt led to a more hands-on approach with the colonies, altering the relationship.

New acts were passed to regulate trade, which was previously loosely enforced.

The British believed the colonists were virtually represented in Parliament, a notion rejected by the colonists.

Writs of assistance allowed British officials to search homes and ships for smuggled goods.

The Currency Act prohibited colonies from printing paper money, requiring hard currency instead.

The Stamp Act was a direct tax on colonists, sparking widespread resistance.

The Sons of Liberty emerged to resist British taxes and harass stamp collectors.

The Stamp Act Congress was formed to boycott the Stamp Act, leading to its repeal in 1766.

The Regulator Movement in South Carolina highlighted under-representation issues.

The Townshend Acts included taxes on glass, lead, paint, and tea, leading to John Dickinson's 'Letters from a Pennsylvania Farmer'.

The Boston Massacre in 1770 increased tensions between colonists and British soldiers.

The Tea Act led to the Boston Tea Party as colonists boycotted taxed tea.

The Intolerable Acts were passed in response to the Boston Tea Party, further straining relations.

The Continental Congress was formed in response to the Intolerable Acts, with Patrick Henry's famous speech.

The Olive Branch Petition sought reconciliation with King George III, but was rejected.

Thomas Paine's 'Common Sense' argued for American independence and was widely influential.

The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson, drawing on Enlightenment ideas.

The Battle of Saratoga was a turning point, leading to French support for the American cause.

The Treaty of Paris recognized American independence and expanded U.S. territory.

Transcripts

[Music]

come on give me liberty fans we got

chapter 5 for you today this one coming

from the fourth edition of the textbook

but if you got another one it'll match

up make sure you check the description

right now I have so many videos that

relate to this chapter lots that are

lots of topics that are broken down and

very important to understand to succeed

in a push a really any history class all

right let's get started

so we're talking about the crisis

between the colonies and Britain and a

lot of this really goes back to the end

of the seven years war that ended in

1763 Britain is in a tremendous amount

of debt this is a turning point this is

actually the essay topic from the 2015

AP exam so Britain and so to neglect

they begin to take a more hands-on

approach on the colonies and this really

drastically alters the relationship

between the British and the colonists so

new acts were passed to regulate trade

and keep in mind prior to 1763 trade was

loosely enforced yes there was a

navigation acts for the most part they

weren't really enforced and Americans

got around it by smuggling Britons were

heavily taxed and they felt that the

burden should be extended to the

colonists as well

now some colonists were upset that they

didn't have representation so the

British government argued yeah bro

you're virtually represented and this

means that all the people living in the

British Empire were represented in

Parliament even if they could not vote

and this was rejected by colonists they

didn't like this

Rhett's of assistance were created and

these were essentially open-ended search

warrants that allowed British officials

to search homes and especially ships for

smuggled goods and if somebody was

caught smuggling they would be tried in

an admiralty court where they were

guilty until proven innocent there was

no trial by jury lots of tension this

creates between the colonists and the

British as well currency Act was created

in this prohibited colonies from

printing paper money and they must use

hard currency or gold and silver all

right stay in fact you see it start

wicked wicked important Stamp Act this

was a direct tax on the colonists to

raise right

this was not approved by the colonial

assemblies so this is an example of

taxation without representation it was a

tax on 50 commonly used goods paper

goods like carts newspapers marriage

licenses you name it if it's made out of

paper chances are it was taxed and this

affected virtually all colonists this

was the first tax that no matter where

you were living as a countess you would

be affected by this so Americans begin

to view themselves as equals to the

British counterparts and the bridge

covers like no borough Parliament

supreme you guys ain't equal sorry in

America we have this rallying cry of no

taxation without representation and this

was used by the car by the countess to

say hey we want representation in

Parliament and here is how the Stamp Act

was viewed in America you see it as a

symbol of death or awfulness

so stamp collectors were hanged in

effigy effigy is when you make like a

straw man or a a fake person and you

hang them and you label them as let's

say a stamp collector and committees and

organizations emerge to resist the Stamp

Act most nobly the Stamp Act Congress

which was a colonial organization to

boycott the Stamp Act and we'll see that

it's successful in the colonies so Sons

of Liberty's this was a Sons of Liberty

was a new group that emerged and they

emerged to resist British taxes and they

would harass stamp collectors and they

had support from craftsmen laborers and

merchants and after much American

resistance Parliament will repeal to

stay up act in 1776 because economically

it is hard to enforce now this is a

turning point this is hugely hugely

important the countess realized if they

resist or put up a fight with any tax or

act that the British will eventually

give in now in the 1760s we have a

movement called the regular later

movement and these people were upset

about under-representation for Western

settlements in the South Carolina

Assembly so you have poor people living

out on the western frontier they're

upset about under-representation kind of

a similar idea to beacon to rebellion

they criticize the wealthy and

eventually in 1771 they were suppressed

by the South Carolina militia

present-day Vermont we have conflicts

that emerged between New Yorkers in New

England

over land and colonial elites really

these two these two issues helped

illustrate the Kodi elites feared

challenges to British Authority might

also result in challenges to a two

colonial authority so these are kind of

movements of lower-class individuals

that are resisting elites colonial

elites okay Townsend X these were

created by Charles Townsend here he is

it was a tax on Glee and glas.t lead and

paint john dickinson writes his very

famous book letters from a Pennsylvania

farmer and he argued for a

reconciliation with Britain and that the

cow should be treated like Englishmen

basically he's arguing for let's go back

to the days of salutary neglect where we

all got along so well this was a very

very popular best-selling book many

colonists encouraged purchasing of

homespun clothing or clothing as made in

the United States as a way of boycotting

British made goods daughters of Liberty

were women who made homespun clothing it

became very helpful in this movement and

artisans benefited greatly from the

boycotts because their products were now

being bought instead of British ones now

in Boston we have the very famous of

Boston Massacre and understand this

let's go back a little bit and many

British soldiers wanted second jobs

besides being soldiers and they would

compete with colonists for these jobs

which would increase tensions now in

March of 1770 there's a colonial crowd

that is very upset and they are pelting

the British soldiers with snowballs with

rocks and they're yelling things at them

now nobody really knows why the British

fired but they began to fire under the

crowd killing five Americans including

Crispus Attucks who was african-american

and generally considered to be the first

person killed in the American Revolution

now Paul Revere he was a famous printer

Lee jumps on this and he creates this

engraving any titles that you can see up

here the bloody massacre

so really portrays the colonists as

these innocent group here just

peacefully standing there in the British

shooting at them and this really really

really helps increase tensions as well

John Wilkes as a member of parliament

that was critical of the king he really

became like a folk hero or

rallying cry in the colonies many people

looked up to him the Tea Act was created

to bail out the near bankrupt British

East India Company and what it does was

it puts a tax on tea now interestingly

enough the price of tea was cheaper than

smuggled tea but the colonists still

boycotted it because they hated taxes so

much so they were against all taxes they

were willing to pay more for smuggle tea

because there wasn't a tax on it and as

a result of the Tea Act we have the

Boston Tea Party that occurred now in

response to that Britain passes the

Intolerable or the coercive acts they

closed the port of Boston they

instituted a new quartering act in which

the soldiers could stay in the homes of

people living there and they also

revoked a Massachusetts Charter at the

same time they passed something known as

the Quebec Act which extended the

boundary of Canada to the Ohio Valley so

American colonists are very concerned

because they think the Canadian border

is encroaching on their land and the

Quebec Act also provided legal

protection for Catholics which many

Protestant American colonists were very

weary of and many colonists feared that

Britain was strengthening Catholicism at

their expense

so the Quebec Act angered many American

colonists as well let's jump over to the

Continental Congress this was passed in

response this was created in response to

the Intolerable Acts the Suffolk

resolves encouraged disobedience to laws

encourage people not to pay taxes and

ultimately to help prepare for war the

Continental Congress was made up of all

colonies except for Georgia and included

people like John Adams in George

Washington Patrick Henry gave his very

famous speech give me liberty or give me

death

that really became a rallying cry as

well now the Association encouraged no

trade with Britain in the West Indies

and Committees of safety developed and

that they were created to help

transition power from colonial

governments in which the British

government had control to grassroots

organizations and Kawas based their

arguments on natural rights their rights

to elect individuals to not pay taxes

without consent

many many many colonists wanted to be

seen as equals in the British Empire

which the British did not share the same

view gives jump on over to of Lexington

and Concord April of 1775 more than one

year prior to the American Declaration

of Independence there is a conflict

between the colonists and the British

now Britain sought to seize colonial

arms stationed there and this was known

as the shot heard round the world

in the colonists push the British

soldiers back now in June of that same

year 1775 Weah breeds Hill which was

incorrectly called breeds Hill it's

actually called Bunker Hill this is the

Battle of Bunker Hill in which the

colonists took a surprisingly high

number of British casualties now in 1776

the Second Continental Congress was

created and they'd like to George

Washington as commander of the colonial

military they're going to be the ones

who ultimately push for the Declaration

of Independence

now throughout 1775 it's very important

to know most Americans did not want

independence rather they simply want to

go back to the days of solitary neglect

the governor of Virginia seen that war

was kind of imminent offered freedom to

slaves that fought on behalf of the

British and this really angered a lot of

plantation owners some of which were

loyal to the British crown now in

January of 1776 a very famous book is

written common sense it starred you got

to know it I have a video on it check

the description below but before we get

to that we're going to talk about the

Olive Branch petition which sought

reconciliation with King George a third

and Great Britain this was after the

fighting in King George the third says

no Thomas Paine or T pain comes along he

argues that it's common sense for

America to break away from England and

this pamphlet becomes a best-seller in

the county so hundreds of thousands of

copies so is ready to appeal to common

people it avoided complex language was

not written to thee to the audience of

the elites but rather to the average

everyday colonists this was issued as I

mentioned in January 1776 and

independence happened six months later

in July so the Declaration of

Independence was written primarily by

this dude Thomas Jefferson who wrote it

when he was 33 years old I am 33 years

old I'm having a mini midlife crisis

because I haven't done it

like that now what this does did was it

provided a list of grievances against

King George in third and it drew on him

a lot of Enlightenment ideas like

natural rights John Locke's life liberty

and property he changed to life liberty

and you know it the pursuit of happiness

so laws of nature he argue justified

independence and and there was even some

inspiration from John Locke's a social

contract that rulers have responsibility

to the ruled so American exceptionalism

is this belief that America really

served as a symbol of freedom for the

rest of the world and this really has

been a major idea throughout most of

American history the Declaration of

Independence inspired people from around

the world you see it in present-day

Belgium and in many areas of Latin

America and this dude's emo Boulevard if

you took AP World History any world

history class you learned about him

Maddi independence movements were

inspired in Latin America and many

people around the world began to believe

in the belief that you know what average

everyday people do have rights that the

government should protect all right

let's talk about British advantages

during the war they had a better trained

army with more men than Hessian soldiers

who were these really bad German

shoulder soldier dudes that were hired

to fight and they had an elite Navy the

basa Navy in the entire world America

had home-field advantage that a stronger

will and they had really good leadership

by people like George Washington some

slaves acquired freedom through fighting

on behalf of the Americans during the

Revolution and blacks under Washington

fought an integrated unit so they were

fighting side by side with whites the

next time this would happen would be the

Korean War in the 1950s the Virginia

legislature emancipated some slaves or

freed some slaves that fought in the

American Revolution and Washington's

surprise attack on the Hessians in the

early years of the war really increased

the morale of the troops battle Saratoga

starred know this bad boy here's a

painting of it and check it out in the

rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington

DC

Denis Norman's painting check it out

it'll be a great time October 1777

general but going of the American side

defeated the British this was a turning

point because France

entered the war on behalf of the

American colonists they began to provide

aid to them and the reason they did this

was they hope to regain lost land from

the Seven Years War now they never got

it back but they did hope for in 1780 it

was a really bad year Congress it was

almost bankrupt Benedict Arnold he

defected to the British side became

known as America's most famous traitor

an American colonists engaged in

guerrilla warfare throughout much of the

south now Marquis de Lafayette he was as

French Dube became buddies with George

Washington he played an instrumental

role in the war the battle Yorktown this

was the last major battle of the war

concered the final battle of the

Revolutionary War and the Americans win

and the Treaty of Paris provided that

the British would recognize us

independence the u.s. gained control all

the way to the Mississippi River and

they also gained fishing rights off of

Canada all right let's do a quick recap

and if so we turn neglect why did that

happen what were its impacts no the

stamp back stayed back Congress the

Townsend acts

what were those taxes on the Tea Act how

that led to the Boston Tea Party and

held the Boston Tea Party led to the

Intolerable Acts homespun movement what

was it what was the goal common sense

who wrote it what was the message was it

influential if so how the impacted the

Declaration of Independence on the world

the British and American advantages

during the war and finally the Battle of

Saratoga all right guys look forward to

seeing right back here for chapter six

thank you very much for watching if you

have any questions or concerns feel free

to leave them in the comment section

below and thank you guys very much for

watching have a good day