Download C. Friday, Aug. 23--POWER POINT-

Causes of the American
Revolutionary War
What philosophical, geographical, political, social
and economic factors made the American
Revolution possible?
In other words,
what
pisses people
off so much
that they are
willing to revolt?
I. Background (1600 – 1750)
• Desire for new religious or economic
opportunity motivated most colonists
• Colonial diversity & isolation encouraged self
sufficiency & independent thinking
•European conflicts fostered “Salutary Neglect”
All these factors promoted independence and a
love of “liberty” in America during
colonial period
Turning Point:
The French & Indian War 1754 – 1763
The “Catalyst” for ending of Salutary Neglect
American Colonists Initial Reactions to
the French & Indian War = Very Supportive
Ex: George Washington
Results of French & Indian War
• England wins lots of land from French in N. America
• England’s war spending creates huge financial debts;
British leaders feel the Americans should pay their share
• Americans see British Army up close & in action--Colonials
learn some military tactics and respect for the “Red
Coats” declines
Colonial Unrest Grows
1763 – 1770
Why do
many
American
colonists
(like GW)
go from
being
“Loyalists”
to
“Patriots”?
Influence of the
Enlightenment on Colonial
views of “natural rights”
& “liberty” of citizens
Parliament passed
the
Proclamation of
1763
Colonists saw it as
restricting
their liberty
Stamp Act (1765)
No Taxation Without Representation!!!!!
King George III NOT happy
• Stamp Act Repealed (1766)
• Replaced with Townshend Acts
(1767)
--Taxed paper, paint, lead,
glass, tea
Colonial Unrest Boils Over
1770 - 1775
Boston
Massacre
(1770)
Wikipedia
Boston
Tea
Party
(1773)
Colonial Cartoon depicting
Liberty’s Kids
“Intolerable” Acts (1774) passed after Boston Tea Party
Committees of Correspondence &
First Continental Congress (1774)
Symbolizes Growing Colonial Unity
Present:
G.Washington
Samuel Adams
Patrick Henry
Some Colonials
Express “Radical” Ideas:
Ex: Patrick Henry
Representing
Virginia in
the Continental Congress:
Colonial
Population
divides into:
Patriots (Whigs)
&
Loyalists
(Tories)
Bullets Fly: The Battles of
Lexington & Concord (1775)
The “Shot Heard
Round the World”
Liberty’s Kids
The Battle of Bunker Hill
June 17, 1775
The Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence
• Written by
Thomas Jefferson
• It is the “Birth Certificate
of the United States”;
signed July 4, 1776
• Listed rights and
grievances against King
George III
Key Ideas in the Declaration of Independence
• All men are created equal.
“We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that
all men are created equal.
• People have certain natural rights that they
are born with.
“They are endowed, by their Creator, with
certain unalienable rights, that among these
are Life, liberty and the Pursuit of
Happiness.”
Key Ideas in the Declaration of Independence
• Governments only have power because the
people have temporarily given it to them.
“Governments are instituted among Men,
deriving their just powers from the consent of
the governed.”
• When a government fails to protect the people’s
rights, the people have the right to overthrow it
and set up a new government.
“That whenever any form of Government
becomes destructive to these ends, it is the
Right of the People to alter or to abolish it…
Big Picture” Trends to Remember
About the American Revolution
•It was an unplanned & mainly “conservative”
reaction to end of “salutary neglect”
•Initially, most Colonists want to maintain ties with
Mother Country AND regain “Rights of Englishmen”
(a.k.a.) “Liberty” at the same time, but…
• Growing violence and lack of willingness to
compromise led to “Revolution” in 1776