7. Being a Revolutionary

The American Revolution (HIST 116)

Professor Freeman continues her discussion of the Boston Massacre and how it represented a growing sense of alienation between the American colonists and the British authorities. The Americans and British both felt that the colonies were subordinate to Parliament in some way, but differed in their ideas of the exact nature of the imperial relationship. This period saw the formation of non-importation associations to discourage merchants from importing British goods, as well as committees of correspondence to coordinate resistance. One instance of such resistance occurred in December 1773, when Boston radicals who were frustrated with the Tea Act threw shipments of tea into Boston Harbor.

00:00 - Chapter 1. Different Conceptions of Colonists' Relationship to Britain
07:55 - Chapter 2. The Growth of Non-Importation Associations in the Colonies
19:05 - Chapter 3. Taxing as Display of British Supremacy: Parliament's Reactions
26:34 - Chapter 4. The Impact of the Tea Tax and the Development of Committees of Correspondence
33:50 - Chapter 5. Colonial Interpretation of and Reactions to the Tea Act: The Boston Tea Party
43:09 - Chapter 6. British Dismantling of Colonial Governance and Conclusion

Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website: http://open.yale.edu/courses

This course was recorded in Spring 2010.