Native Americans demanded that the British authorities lower prices on trade goods and furnish them with ammunition. When these demands were not met at a conference at Detroit (9 Sept 1761) the Native Americans grew increasively restive, stirred up by the Delaware prophet, a visionary living in the upper Ohio, and by his disciple, Pontiac (c.1720-69), chief of the Ottawa. After his plan to take Detroit by a surprise attack was betrayed (May), Pontiac took to open warfare. Within a few weeks every British post west of Niagra was destroyed (Sandusky, 16 May; Ft. St. Joseph, 25 May; Ft. Miami, 27 May; Ft. Quiatenon, 1 June; Ft. Venango, c.16 June; Ft. Le Boeuf, 18 June; Ft. Presque Isle, 20 June), save for Detroit, which, under Maj. Henry Gladwin, resisted a 5-month siege, and Ft. Pitt, under Capt. Simeon Ecuyer. In retaliation Amherst proposed to Bouquet that "Small Pox"be sent among the disaffected tribes, and the latter replied that he would try to distribute germ-laden blankets among them, but because of the danger of exposure to British troops, preferred hunting Native Americans "with English dogs" (13 July). As a result of reinforcements which reached

July). Marching to the relief of Ft. Pitt, Bouquet defeated (with heavy British losses) and routed the

Native Americans at Bushy Run, east of present Pittsburgh (2-6 Aug.), and relieved the fort (10

Aug.). In Nov. Pontiac raised his siege of Detroit. A number of tribes had already signed treaties

with Col. John Bradstreet at Presque Isle (12 Aug. 1764). Pontiac finally submitted, concluding a peace treaty with Sir William Johnson at Oswego (24 July 1766). Subsequently he remained loyal to

the British, but was murdered (1769) in Cahokia (Ill.), according to Parkman's version, by a Kaskakia Indian bribed by an English trader.

Morris Jeffrey and Richard. "Encyclopedia of American History: seventh edition". New York: Harper Collins Publishers. ©1996.

Pontiac's Rebellian, named for the Ottawa Indian chief who led the uprising, began when Pontiac led

an attack on the fort at Detroit. The raid failed and the Indians began a siege. News of the attack sparked similar raids throughout the region until all but three forts -- Detroit, Pitt, and Niagra -- had

fallen. British forces rushed to their relief. With no French aid materializing, Pontiac in October secured a truce and withdrew to the west. A final peace agreement in 1766 marked the end of the

rebellion.

benefits and advantages which must accrue therefrom to their commerce, manufactures, and navigation; we have thought fit, with the advice of our Privy Council, to issue this our Royal Proclamation, hereby to publish and declare to all our loving subjects that we have, with the advice of our said Privy Council, granted our letters patent under our Great Seal of Great Britain, to erect within the countries and islands ceded and confirmed to us by said treaty, four distinct and separate governments, styled and called by the names of Quebec, East Florida, West Florida, and Grenada, and limited and bounded as follows, viz.:

First, the Government of Quebec, bounded on the Labrador coast by the river St. John, and from thence by a line drawn from the head of that river, through the lake St. John, to the south end of the

lake Nipissim; from whence the said line, crossing the river St. Lawrence and the lake Champlain in 45 degrees of north latitude, passes along the high lands which divide the rivers that empty themselves into the said river St. Lawrence from those which fall into the sea;...

Secondly, the Government of East Florida, bounded to the westward by the Gulf of Mexico and the Apalachicola River; to the northward, by a line drawn from that part of the said river where the Chatahoochee and Flint Rivers meet, to the source of the St. Mary's river, and by the course of the said river to the Atlantic Ocean;...

Thirdly, the Government of West Florida, bounded to the ...westward, by the Lake Pontchartrain, the lake Maurepas, and the river Mississippi; to the northward, by a line drawn due east from that

part of the river Mississippi which lies in 31 degrees north latitude, to the river Apalachicola or Chatahoochee; and to the eastward, by the said river....

We have also, with the advice of our Privy Council aforesaid, annexed to our Province of Georgia all the lands lying between the rivers Altamaha and St. Mary's.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

And whereas it is just and reasonable, and essential to our interest and the security of our colonies, that the several nations or tribes of Indians with whom we are connected, and who live under our protection, should not be molested or disturbed in the possession of such parts of our dominions and territories as, not having been ceded to or purchased by us, are reserved to them, or any of them, as their hunting-grounds; we do therefore, with the advice of our Privy Council, declare

it to be our royal will and pleasure, that no Governor or commander in chief, in any of our colonies of Quebec, East Florida, or West Florida, do presume, upon any pretence whatever, to grant warrants of survey, or pass any patents for lands beyond the bounds of their respective governments, as described in their commissions; as also that no Governor or commander in chief of our other colonies or plantations in America do presume for the present, and until our further pleasure be known, to grant warrants of survey or pass patents for any lands beyond the heads or sources of any of the rivers which fall into the Atlantic Ocean from the west or northwest; or upon any lands whatever, which, not having been ceded to or purchased by us, as aforesaid, are reserved to the said Indians, or any of them.

And we do further declare it to be our royal will and pleasure, for the present as aforesaid, to reserve under our sovereignty, protection, and dominion, for the use of the said Indians, all the land

and territories not included within the limits of our said three new governments, or within the limits of the territory granted to the Hudson’s Bay Company; as also all the land and territories lying to the westward of the sources of the rivers which fall into the sea from the west and northwest as aforesaid; and we do hereby strictly forbid, on pain of our displeasure, all our loving subjects from making any purchases or settlements whatever, or taking possession of any of the lands above reserved, without our special leave and license for that purpose first obtained.

And we do further strictly enjoin and require all persons whatever, who have either willfully or inadvertently seated themselves upon any lands within the countries above described, or upon any other lands which, not having been ceded to or purchased by us, are still reserved to the said Indians as aforesaid, forthwith to remove themselves from such settlements.

And whereas great frauds and abuses have been committed in the purchasing lands of the Indians, to the great prejudice of our interests, and to the great dissatisfaction of the said Indians; in order, therefore, to prevent such irregularities for the future, and to the end that the Indians may be convinced of our justice and determined resolution to remove all reasonable cause of discontent, we do, with the advice of our Privy Council, strictly enjoin and require, that no private person do

presume to make any purchase from the said Indians of any lands reserved to the said Indians within those parts of our colonies where we have thought proper to allow settlement; but that if at any time

any of the said Indians should be inclined to dispose of the said lands, the same shall be purchased only for us, in our name, at some public meeting or assembly of the said Indians, to be held for that purpose by the Governor or commander in chief of our colony respectively within which they shall lie: and in case they shall lie within the limits of any proprietary government, they shall be purchased only for the use and in the name of such proprietaries, conformable to such directions and instructions as we or they shall think proper to give for that purpose. And we do, by the advice of our Privy Council, declare and enjoin, that the trade with the said Indians shall be free and open to all our subjects whatever, provided that every person who may incline to trade with the said Indians do take out a license for carrying on such trade, from the Governor or commander in chief of any of our colonies respectively where such person shall reside, and also give security to observe such regulations as we shall at any time think fit, by ourselves or commissaries to be appointed for this

purpose, to direct and appoint for the benefit of the said trade. And we do hereby authorize, enjoin, and require the Governors and commanders in chief of all our colonies respectively, as well those

under our immediate government as those under the government and direction of proprietaries, to grant such licenses without fee or reward, taking especial care to insert therein a condition that such license shall be void, and the security forfeited, in case the person to whom the same is granted shall

refuse or neglect to observe such regulations as we shall think proper to prescribe as aforesaid.

And we do further expressly enjoin and require all officers whatever, as well military as those employed in the management and direction of Indian affairs within the territories reserved as

aforesaid, for the use of the said Indians, to seize and apprehend all persons whatever who, standing charged with treasons, misprisions of treason, murders, or other felonies or misdemeanors, shall fly from justice and take refuge in the said territory, and to send them under a proper guard to the colony where the crime was committed of which they shall stand accused, in order to take their trial for the same.

Given at our Court at St. James's, the 7th day of October 1763, in the third year of our reign.

Sugar act Passed under the title of the Revenue Act in April, 1764,

the Sugar Act was actually an altered version of the Molasses

Act of 1733, which had been neglected for years. The Sugar

Act put a three cent tax on foreign refined sugar, and put

higher import taxes on non-British textiles, coffee and indigo,

and on Madeira Canary wines. It also banned the importation

of foreign rum and French wines.

In the area of Savannah a planter class takes root and grows with the

success of their cotton and rice crops. The elite planters derogatorily call

farmers, who expand the state to the west, "crackers" because their wheat

and corn crops are normally "cracked" prior to consumption. The tall coastal

pines yield lumber, which becomes a major export by the 1760's. One large

consumer of the lumber is the Caribbean Islands, whose sugar exports help

pay for the lumber. When the Sugar Act is passed in 1764 Georgians

appear concerned not with the tax, but with the sale of lumber to a major

customer.

The Stamp Act of 1765 brings the first true rift between loyalist and colonist

in Georgia. England sees the colonies as a part of the mother country,

populated by Englishmen, and Parliament serves all Englishmen, not just

those in England. Colonists see a mother country out of control. Heady from

the defeat of the Spanish and French, and recognized as the pre-eminent

world power, the colonists see an England that begins to extract more from

the colonies abroad and less from English at home. And the fact that the

colonists, as loyal Englishmen, no longer enjoy the privilege of electing

members of Parliament does not sit well with many men. Most colonists and

many others around the world view King George III as incapable.

Duty

- The American Heritage History of the American Revolution A tax stamp manufactured for the Stamp Act

The Stamp Act, sponsored by George Grenville, was the first direct tax imposed by Britain on it American colonies. To help cover the cost of maintaining troops in the colonies, Parliament levied a tax on legal and commercial documents as well as printed material such as newspapers and pamphlets, all of which had to carry a special stamp. Benjamin Franklin and other American agents in London offered alternative measures, but conceded the need for revenue from America.

The act took effect in November 1765. Americans, who did not elect members of Parliament, opposed the act not only because of their inability to pay the tax, but also because it violated the newly enunciated principle of "No taxation without representation." This measure aroused the

grievances of the colonists, and their concerted action in response paved the way for the American

Revolution.

Protest against the Stamp Act

The sign in the background reads:

"The Folly of England and the Ruin of America"

Resistance to the statute took the form of petitions to the king and Parliament, a boycott of British goods, the refusal of lawyers or printers to use stamps or stamped paper, and violence sparked by the Sons Of Liberty. In New York, rioters demolished the house of a British officer who said he

"would cram the stamps down American throats at the point of his sword."

The Massachusetts legislature spearheaded the formation of the first general intercolonial conference, the Stamp Act Congress, consisting of delegates from 9 of the 13 colonies (Massachusetts,Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and South

Carolina), that met in New York from October 7 to 25 and framed an address to King George III, petitions to Parliament, and a declaration of rights and grievances.

Parliament rescinded the statute on Mar. 18, 1766, but it coupled repeal with passage of the Declaratory Act, which asserted Britain's supremacy over America "in all cases whatsoever." The constitutional principles and protest tactics established during the Stamp Act crisis laid the groundwork for the American Revolution.

Strongly protested and resisted, the Stamp Act was recognized as unenforceable and was repealed

on March 18, 1766. Simultaneously, ho ever, Parliament passed the Declaratory Act, affirming its continuing authority over colonial legislatures nonimportant agreements

This was the flag of the early colonist who

had joined together in the protest against

the British impositions on American

economic freedom. One such protest was

resistance to the Stamp Act, on October 7,

1765. A delegate from each of the nine

colonies formed the "Stamp Act Congress" .

They petitioned the king and parliament, the

act was repealed on March 18, 1766. The flag of nine red and white stripes

that represented these "Sons of Liberty" became known as the "Rebellious

Stripes." On December 16, 1773, the Sons of Liberty protested the

parliament's Tea Act, an action that became known as the Boston Tea Party.

The colonists' believed the tax to be a violation of their legitimate economic

liberty. Three and a half years after the Tea Party the thirteen colonies had

come together in their decision to fight for independence and the nine stripes

had grown to thirteen. The Sons of Liberty would rally under a large tree

which became known as "The Liberty Tree"

a leader of the fight against British colonial rule, and a signer of the Declaration of

Independence. Adams was a cousin of John Adams who became President of the

United States.

Samuel Adams graduated from Harvard College with a Master of Arts degree in 1743.

After college he entered private business, and throughout this period was an outspoken participant in Boston town meetings. When his business failed in 1764 Adams entered politics full-time, and was elected to the Massachusetts legislature. He lead the effort to establish a committee of correspondence that published a Declaration of Colonial Rights that Adams had written. He was a vocal opponent of several laws passed by the British Parliament to raise revenue in the American Colonies, including the Tea Act which gave a British trading company a monopoly on the import of tea into the colonies. This opposition reached its peak on December 16, 1774 when a group of

Bostonians dumped a cargo of tea into Boston Harbor. This act of resistance is

referred to as the Boston Tea Party.

The British Parliament responded to the "Boston Tea Party" by passing a set of laws

referred to as the "Intolerable Acts." These laws included the closing of Boston Harbor and the restriction of town meetings. Adams then urged a general boycott of British trade by the American Colonies.

In 1774 the Massachusetts legislature sent Adams and four others as its representatives to the First Continental Congress. Adams served Massachusetts again at the Second Continental Congress where he was an advocate for independence and confederation for the American Colonies.

Adams served Continental Congress until his return to Boston in 1781. He initially

opposed the new Constitution of the United States, but finally supported its ratification

in Massachusetts. Adams served as Governor of Massachusetts from 1793 to 1797.

Congress

Whereas several of the houses of representatives in His Majesty's colonies and plantations in America, have of late, against law, claimed to themselves, or to the general assemblies of the same, the sole and exclusive right of imposing taxes upon His Majesty's subjects in the said colonies and plantations and have, in pursuance of such claim, passes certain . . . resolutions . . . derogatory to the legislative authority of Parliament, and inconsistent with the dependency of the said colonies and plantations upon the Crown of Great Britain; may it therefore . . . be declared . . . in this present Parliament assembled,. . . that the said colonies and plantations in American have been, are, and of right ought to be,subordinate unto, and dependent upon the imperial Crown and Parliament of Great Britain; and that the. . . Parliament assembled, had, hath, and of right ought to have, full power and authority to make laws and statutes of sufficient force and validity to bind the colonies and people of America, subjects of theCrown of Great Britain, in all cases whatsoever.

And be it further declared and enacted by the authority aforesaid, that all resolutions . . . in any of the

said colonies or plantations, whereby the power and authority of the Parliament of Great Britain, tomake laws and statutes, as aforesaid, is denied, or drawn into question, are, and are hereby declared tobe, utterly null and void to all intents and purposes whatsoever.