Download US History-Honors

U.S. History 101
American Revolution & A New Nation
The Road to Independence (1753-1783)
French
and
Indian
War
(17541763)
• Cause = rivalry between Britain & France
for control of North America
• Britain & Native allies versus France &
Native allies
 1757 – William Pitt becomes Prime Minister of
England
• Key Battles
 Fort Necessity (1755) – French defeat British
forces led by George Washington
 Battle of Quebec (1759) – British lay siege
and conquer capital of New France
 Treaty of Paris (1763) ends the war
Albany
Plan of
Union
• Proposal by Ben Franklin in 1754 to form
a legislature uniting all the colonies.
North America in 1763
Effects of the War
on Britain
1. Increased her colonial empire in
the Americas.
2. Greatly enlarged England’s debt.
3. Britain’s contempt for the colonials
created bitter feelings.
Therefore, England felt that a
major reorganization of her
American Empire was necessary!
Effects of the War on the
American Colonials
1. Unites them against common enemy.
2. Created a socializing experience.
3. Created bitter feelings towards the
British that would only intensify.
 Americans treated like 2nd class
citizens
 Unimpressed with Britain’s military
tactics were weak. {fought cowardly}
BACKLASH!
British  Proclamation
Line of 1763
In response to Pontiac’s Rebellion
Closed region west of Appalachians to all
settlement by colonists.
Colonists moved west anyway.
Issues Behind the Revolution
Action
When?
What It Did
Sugar Act
1764
Lowered the Tax on Sugar, but No Trial by Jury
Stamp Act
1765
Tax on Newspapers, Books, Court Documents
Declaratory Act
1766
British can rule over Colonist
Quartering Act
1765
Provide Housing for troops
Townshend Acts
1767
Tax on paper, tea, lead to support judges and
troops
Boston Massacre
3/5/1770
British soldiers opened fire on the crowd, 5
dead
Committees of
Correspondence
1772
Samuel Adams and James Otis to coordinate
resistance throughout the colonies
Boston Tea Party
12/16/1773
Tea Act –British East India Co.
Intolerable Acts
Spring 1774 Coercive Acts
First Continental
Congress
9/5/1774
56 delegates met in Philadelphia.
Boston Massacre March 5th 1770
Ben Franklin, Pennsylvania Gazette – May 9, 1754
“Gentlemen may cry peace, peace—but there is
no peace. The war is actually begun! . . . Is life
so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased
at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it,
Almighty God!—I know not what course others
may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or
give me death!”
--Patrick Henry
March 23, 1775
Revolutionary War
• April 19, 1775 – British troops in Boston, Mass.
march to Concord planning to seize the armory
 Colonists find out and numerous riders scurry
to inform the inhabitants including Sam Adams
Paul Revere
and John Hancock.
 Myths
 Paul Revere was one of many riders, such as William
Dawes.
 His cry was “the regulars are coming out!” not “the British
are coming!”
• 5 miles from Concord at (Battle of) Lexington, the British
encountered 70 armed minutemen.
 “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” – no one knows who fired it.
• British continued on to Concord
 Most of the arms had been hidden
 As the British marched back to Boston thousands of colonists
began using guerilla war tactics resulting in 240 casualties
Issues Behind the Revolution
• May 1775
Second
Continental • Strongly Divided at first
• King George III denied
Congress
Oliver Branch Petition
Common
Sense
• Pamphlet written by
Thomas Paine, published
in Jan. 1776, arguing for
separation from Britain
and formation of a
republic
Declaration of Independence
Jefferson was primary
author
Borrowed heavily from
fellow philosophers, most
notably John Locke
Natural rights {life,
liberty, pursuit of
happiness}
Rule of law {obey the
laws}
•July 2nd , 1776 Congress
formally declared the U.S. an
Independent nation
•July 4th Approved by Congress
1. List of grievances directed
at King George III
2. Unalienable Rights
3. Consent of the Governed
4. Right to alter or to abolish it
• Loyalists or
Tories –
colonists loyal
to Britain.
• 1/3 of
colonists
remained loyal
to the King of
Britain.
Hardships
• Financing the war
 Congress could ask the colonies for help, but couldn’t
force them to give anything (ex. Valley Forge)
 No power of taxation
• Britain blockaded Atlantic coast not allowing colonists to
trade
• Washington never had more than 26,000 soldiers available
at one time
• Most Continental soldiers were under 23 y.o.
• African Americans were banned from the Army in the
beginning, but later free African Americans and Indians were
recruited to help the colonists
• Inflation – steady increase in prices over time reduced the
ability to buy goods
Military Strategies
The Americans
Attrition [the
Brits had a long
supply line].
Guerilla tactics
[fight an
insurgent war 
you don’t have
to win a battle,
just wear the
British down]
Make an
alliance with
one of Britain’s
enemies.
The British
Break the
colonies in half
by getting
between the
No. & the So.
Blockade the
ports to prevent
the flow of
goods and
supplies from an
ally.
“Divide and
Conquer”  use
the Loyalists.
Britain’s “Southern Strategy”
Britain thought that there were more Loyalists in
the South.
Southern resources were more valuable/worth
preserving.
The British win a number of small victories, but
cannot pacify the countryside [similar to U. S.
failures in Vietnam!]
Good US General:
Nathanial Greene
Battle
When
Bunker Hill June
1775
Trenton
Saratoga
Yorktown
Dec
1776
Oct
1777
Oct
1781
Effect
1,100 British Casualties
400 Patriots
Crossing the Delaware
Turning Point of the War.
General Cornwallis
surrendered to
Washington
Bunker Hill (June, 1775)
The British suffered over 40% casualties.
Breed’s and Bunker Hill
• General Gage of the American Militia controlled two hills North of
Boston.
• British launched siege of Breed’s Hill
• 1600 Patriots stopped their advances twice
• Third attempt overran both hills
• British won the battle, but proved 400 patriots could fight against
2400 British soldiers.
• “You can never conquer us” and “All America will revenge our cause”
Washington Crossing the Delaware
Painted by Emanuel Leutze, 1851
Battle of Trenton and Princeton
• Traditionally armies did not fight during winter.
• Washington’s army left their camp in Pennsylvania on Christmas night
of 1776 and went on attack.
• 2,400 troops ferried across the Delaware River. Early the next
morning they surprised the 1,400 Hessians stations in Trenton.
Capturing most of them.
• A few days later, Washington made a similar attack on nearby
Princeton.
• Victories greatly boosted Patriot morale and convinced more
Americans to support the Patriot cause.
Battle of Saratoga
• Series of battles in Upstate, NY close to
Albany where the American’s defeated
the British.
• The victories led to the French joining
the war to support America.
The Battle of Yorktown (1781)
Count de
Rochambeau
Admiral
De Grasse
Victory in Yorktown
• Washington arrives in Yorktown with the
support of the French.
• Washington’s forces doubled the size of
British General Cornwallis.
• The French fleet prevented Cornwallis from
escaping.
• Cornwallis surrendered to Washington,
ending the American Revolution
Cornwallis’ Surrender at Yorktown:
“The World Turned Upside Down!”
Painted by John Trumbull, 1797
Effects of the Revolution
• Established independence
• Inspired patriotism
• First instance of a colony defeating its Imperial
master
• Spread idea of liberty
• Promoted antislavery in the North
 Numerous northern states abolished slavery
thereafter
• Natives support of Britain provided a reason to
continue killing them after the war ended
Famous Revolutionary War Figures
Benedict Arnold
John Paul Jones
Hero of the Battles of
Ticonderoga & Saratoga
Father of the US 21-year old that
Navy
volunteered to go
behind enemy lines
“I have not yet
begun to fight!”
Captured and
hanged
Schemed with John
Andre to give West Point
to the British, but his plan
was foiled
Name now is
synonymous with betrayal
Nathan Hale
“I only regret that I
have but one life to
lose for my country”
Thomas Sumter
“Gamecock”
General in the
South
Famous Revolutionary War Figures
Ethan Allen
Hero of the
Battle of
Ticonderoga
Leader of
the “Green
Mountain
Boys”
Francis
Marion
“Swamp
Fox”
Pioneer of
guerilla
warfare
Marquis de
Lafayette
Baron Frederick
von Steuben
French
general who
aided the US
Prussian general
who through drilling
turned the US into
a formidable
fighting force at
Valley Forge
N. America After the Treaty of Paris, 1783
: Constitution of the U.S. (1776-1800)
Articles of
• 1st gov. of U.S.
Confederation
• Failed
(1781-1789)
• One branch: legislative (i.e. Congress)
Weaknesses:
Northwest
Ordinance of
1787
• Ceded land won in
the Revolution to
the purpose of
creating new
territories
• After 60,000
settlers inhabited
a territory, it could
apply for
statehood via
constitution
• Established
American
territorial policy
1780s
• Economic recession
• $50 million national debt
• States printed paper money leading to
inflation
• Annapolis Convention
 Meeting to try and solve economic crisis
 Only 5 states showed up
 Agreed to meet again in Philadelphia in 1787
 Constitutional Convention
Daniel Shays
• Causes
 Merchants and wealthy people that loaned money
began demanding their money back
 States passed high taxes to collect the money
 Some states, most notably Mass., said the tax must be paid in specie,
i.e. gold or silver coin. Very rare.
 Failure to pay could led to jail or foreclosure
 Tax supported by the rich in the east. Farmers in the west likened it
to British rule
• Led by Shays, protesters closed courthouses and raided the
armory at Springfield
• Mass. gov had no army so they couldn’t stop them
• By Jan. 1787, they had an army and suppressed the rebellion
• Importance: displayed the weaknesses of the Articles
The Constitutional Convention
• 55 delegates from 12 states (RI did not show) met in secret
• Originally designed to amend or revise the Articles of
Confederation
 Quickly decided to construct a new gov from scratch
 Both VA and NJ plans would add executive & judicial branches, as
well as give the gov the power to tax and regulate commerce
# legislative
houses
Virginia Plan
New Jersey Plan
2
1
“Father of the
Constitution”
How
representation
is determined
Population
Equal
How
representatives
are chosen
Lower House = by popular
vote
Upper House = chosen by
lower house after state
legislatures nominate
Elected by state
legislatures
James Madison
• Federalist
• George Washington,
James Madison, John
Adams, Alexander
Hamilton
• Favored the Constitution
• Strong Federal
Government
• Wrote the Federalist
papers to convince
people to ratify the
Constitution.
• Anti-Federalist
• Patrick Henry, Sam
Adams, Thomas
Jefferson
• Saw the Constitution
as a betrayal to the
American Revolution,
President would be
nothing more than a
King.
• Worried that it did not
protect Civil Liberties.
CONSTITUTIONAL
COMPROMISES
The Great
Compromise
The Three-Fifths
Compromise
Creates a legislative
branch of 2 house
Senate: 2 per state
House of
Representatives:
Based on population
Calculating a state’s
population, should
enslaved people be
included
Slaves would be
counted at 3/5 of
person for population
Commerce
Compromise
• established that
Congress could levy
tariffs on imports, but
not exports
• allowed the
importation of slaves
until the end of 1807
Federal
System
• System in which power is shared among state and
national authorities
• Power is divided among the three branches:
Separation
executive, legislative, judicial
of Powers
• No one is all powerful
Why Did
they
Select It?
• Reps term is shorter so that they are directly
responsible to the people
• Senators are longer so they can check the whims
of popular opinion
• Electoral College set up because they distrusted
the people
• Did not predict parties would form.
• Thus, whenever there is not a majority, the House
decides.
Ratification
• Federalists - Madison, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay
 Favored the Constitution
 Wrote a series of essays called The Federalist that explained
the system and won popular support
 Win due to superior organization and Washington’s support.
 Eventually agree to include a Bill of Rights to appease AFs
• Anti-Federalists - Patrick Henry, George Mason,
George Clinton
 Opposed the Constitution
 Why?
 Absence of God
 Denial of States’ rights
 Increased power of central gov
 Lack of a Bill of Rights
The New Government
• Capital - New York City
• Inauguration - official swearing-in ceremony on April 30, 1789
• Washington was careful in his action since he knew everything
would establish a precedent
 Washington’s Precedents






Referred to as “Mr. President”
Neutrality
Refused to shake hands. Bowed instead.
Added “so help me God” to oath of office
Oath takes place outdoors
Two Terms
• Cabinet - leaders of the executive departments that also advise
the president
• Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson
 In charge of foreign affairs
• Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton
 In charge of economic policy
Capitals & Hamilton’s Economic Policies
• Moved to Philadelphia in 1790
• Jefferson, Madison and Hamilton have a dinner discussing
assumption – Hamilton’s plan for the federal gov to assume all
state debts.
 Jefferson & Madison agree to Hamilton’s plan, and in return get the
new capital built in the South plus a $1.5 million reduction in tax
obligations for VA
• Washington, D.C. becomes capital in 1800
• Why assumption?
 Foreign nations that were owed money wouldn’t want the
gov to collapse since they wouldn’t get their money back.
Thus, they have a vested interest in the country surviving,
not just a state(s)
• Hamilton’s plan called for a tariff - tax on imported
goods & creation of the Bank of the United States
Alexander
Hamilton
1790s Foreign Policy
• 1789 - French Revolution. New gov soon declares war on England.
• Citizen Genêt (1793) - French ambassador begins recruiting
Americans to fight against Britain.
 To be deported, but a change in the leadership of the French
Revolution meant he would be guillotined if returned.
 Married and was given U.S. citizenship
• Neutrality - not take either side. Washington
proclaims in 1793
 Tensions rise between Britain & US
 Became US’ policy up to WWII
• Jay’s Treaty (1794) - Britain agrees to abandon
forts in the Northwest Territory
 Failed to end British practice of impressment
John Jay
1790s in America
• Whiskey Rebellion (1794) - People on the frontier,
(esp. western Pennsylvania) refused to pay the
Whiskey Tax
 Closed courthouses & attacked tax collectors
 Washington personally took command and led 13,000 troops to
suppress the rebels
 Different from Shays’ Rebellion because this was a tax passed
by Americans, not foreigners
 Importance: Showed the gov was committed to
enforcing its laws. You need to elect new reps to change
gov. Limits to public opposition.
• Rise of Political Parties
 Federalists
 Democratic-Republicans
Federalists vs. Jeffersonian Republicans
Federalists
(Hamilton)
Jeffersonian
Republicans
Constitution
 Loose construction
 Strong central gov
 Favored national
bank
 Strict construction
 Weak central gov
 Opposed national
bank
National Debt
Use debt to establish Pay off debt
credit
Vision of America
Pro-business
Pro-agriculture
Political Power
With wealthy &
educated
With the common
man
Ally
Britain
France
Election of 1796
• President Washington chose not to run for a 3rd
term. This set a Precedent for Presidents to not
seek reelection for a 3rd term.
• John Adams becomes the Second President of the
United States
• Thomas Jefferson becomes the Vice President
Events During
the Adams
Administration
XYZ Affair
Alien &
Sedition Acts
Virginia &
Kentucky
Resolutions
Increase size of the Army
Higher taxes to support the military
French demanded $250,000 and a
loan of 10 million to see a French
foreign minister. Started a sort
undeclared naval war.
President power to arrest and
deport citizens of other countries
Naturalization Act:5 years to 14
years to become a citizen
Sedition Act: wrote, published
“fasle, scandalous, and malicious”
against the American Government
could be fined or jailed
Jefferson and Madison
believed the Sedition Act
violated the Constitutional
projection of Free Speech
Resolutions adopted that
States had the right to make
Federal Laws “null and void”
“as real a revolution in the
principles of our government
as that of 1776 was in its form”
- Jefferson
• Nasty campaign
• Jefferson wins after 36
ballots in the House
• Importance:
Peaceful transition
of power
• Led to passage of
12th Amendment
War of 1812
• 1812-1814; U.S. vs. Britain & natives
• Causes




British support of Natives attacking U.S.
Anger over impressment
Embargo Act of 1807 – U.S. stops trading with all nations
Economic recession in America; Depression in Britain
• Britain burns Washington, D.C.
• Hartford Convention (1814) – New England
threatens to secede
• Treaty of Ghent (Dec. 1814) ends war.
 Old boundaries restored.
• Battle of New Orleans (Jan. 1815)
 U.S. defeats British
 Makes Andrew Jackson a national hero
After the War
• Panic of 1819 – economic depression hits
• Missouri Compromise (1820)