Download The American Revolution

The American
Revolution
By: Emily Powers and Allison Jackson
Poe-2
Background
● George the 3rd becomes King of Great
Britain; colonies are thriving
● People begin seeking identities of being from
a certain colony than of being British
Subjects as they had been self governed for
over 150 years
● Even with the loose hold on the colonies,
Britain tries to exemplify control
● Navigation Acts
● Early Acts of Rebellion show signs of unrest
in Colonists
● French and Indian War
led to Britain being in
debt
● Expected Colonies to
help pay debt through
various taxes
Various Acts Include:
The Sugar Act-1764
The Currency Act-1764
The Quartering Act-1765
The Stamp Act-1765
The Declaratory Act-1766
Tea Act-1773
● Acts enraged colonists and caused them to
react in different ways
● Stamp Act reaction
● Boston Tea Party protest caused the port of
Boston to be closed and sent soldiers to the
city
The Boston Massacre
● As British troops filled Boston,
many colonists had resentment. A
“riot” started one day when a
patriot mob threw snowballs and
sticks at Redcoat soldiers and
they retaliated with extreme
gunfire. 3 were killed on spot and
8 were wounded, becoming later
known as the infamous “Boston
Massacre.”
First Continental Congress
● Representatives from all states (except Georgia) meet to
protest the King’s harsh treatment of Boston
● Writes King George a list of complaints
Second Continental Congress
● King George the 3rd’s neglect
to answer complaints causes
the formation of the Second
Continental Congress
1775; The Beginning of the War
● Revolution is in the air
● Patrick Henry’s “Give me liberty, or give me death” speech
● George Washington is named Commander of the American
army
● Paul Revere and William Dawes take the famous Midnight
Ride
● American Minutemen exchange fire with British Redcoats at
the battle of Lexington and Concord
● The Battle of Bunker Hill takes place, leading to the British
driving out the Americans from Breed’s Hill
Ideals of Colonists
● Many colonists favored independence, while
some yearned for the “rebels” to stay loyal to
Britain
● Colonial Leaders Patrick Henry, John Adams and
Benjamin Franklin used Enlightenment ideas to
justify independence to the colonists. They said
the colonists were justified in rebelling because
the King didn't give them the same political rights
as the people in Britain.
1776; The War Continues
● Paine’s book “Common
Sense” was published, the
first book to publically educate
Americans about declaring
independence and
challenging the British
Monarch
● Declaration of Independence
is written by Thomas
Jefferson and signed by the
Congress
Differences of armies
Within the Revolutionary War, several battles were
won and lost from both sides. Though the American
army was mostly made up of civilians and untrained
farmers, they came out victorious because of the
home field advantage, determination, new tactics
and timing of the war. The British were advanced in
formations and experienced fighters, but many
British citizens were tired of warfare because they
were already in debt and favored retreat towards
the end of the war.
Cornwallis Surrenders
● Louis XVI of France entered the
war in 1778, wanting to weaken
Britain. In 1781, 9,500
Americans and 7,800 French
trapped Lord Cornwallis, a
British army commander, near
Yorktown, Virginia. Cornwallis
surrendered and the Americans
were victorious, winning the war
Articles of Confederation; a new
government
● The 13 colonies ratified a constitution in 1781. This plan of
government was known as the Articles of Confederation and
established the Unites States as a republic.
● The Articles of Confederation created a weak government
with only one body of government, the congress. Each state
had 1 vote in congress and passing laws took the approval of
9/13 states.
● Congress could declare war, enter treaties and coin money,
but couldn't collect taxes or regulate trade.
Limited Government
● Problems in the government arised because
of the limitation. It needed money to thrive
and support the new country, but it could
only collect money from the states.
● Many states began issuing their own money
and putting tariffs on good from other states.
Shay’s Rebellion
●
Led by Daniel Shay, rebels
demanded that the states lower
their taxes and issue paper money
so they could repay their debts.
When the states refused, the
rebels attacked several
courthouses. Authorities in MA
quickly crushed Shay’s Rebellion.
New System of Government
● Due to Shay’s Rebellion, Washington and James Madison felt the
need for a strong national government. In February 1787, Congress
approved a Constitutional Convention to improve the Articles of
Confederation.
● The congress had 55 delegates, all of which were familiar with the
ideas of Locke, Montesquieu, and Rousseau.
● For almost four months the delegates argued over important issues
such as who should be represented in Congress and how many votes
should each state have.
● Using the political ideas of the Enlightenment, the delegates created a
new system of government.
Checks and Balances
● Distrusting the idea of a central government, judicial, legislative,
and executive branches were created. This provided a system
of checks and balances. This balances the power of each
branch so that each branch watches over the actions of the
others.
● In addition, the constitution set up a federal government where
power was given to the state governments as well. The
constitution states that the government draws their authority
from the consent of the governed, agreeing with the principles of
Locke and rousseau.
Federalists vs. Antifederalists
● On september 17, 1787, the new constitution was signed. A
conflict with the new constitution rose. To get a law passed, 9
out of the 13 states had to approve it.
● People who disagreed with this idea and thought that the
constitution gave the government too much power were called
Antifederalists.
● People who believed that the new government would provide a
better balance in the distribution of power were called
Federalists.
Compromise and the Bill of Rights
● The Federalists added a Bill of Rights to
agree to the wants of the Antifederalists
who thought that individual rights of the
people needed to be protected.
● The Bill of Rights added ten new
commandments to the constitution which
protected basic rights such as freedom of
speech, press, assembly, and religion.
● The Constitution and the Bill of Rights
changed people’s ideas of government
by encouraging reform and progress.
Bibliography
"Revolutionary War Timeline." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, n.d. Web. 20 May 2014.
"Quartering Act of 1765." Revolutionary War and Beyond. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2014.
531-535-0521S4, and 10/11/02. The American Revolution (n.d.): n. pag. Web.
Question 1
What were the navigation
acts and how did they
negatively affect the
colonists?
Answer 1
● These acts kept colonists from
selling their most valuable products
to any country but Britain and had to
pay high taxes on any non-British
imported good.
Question 2
What were the Stamp Acts
and why were they put in
place?
Answer 2
● They were taxes put on newspapers, deeds,
wills, and many other items to help Britain
pay their own debts.
Question 3
What were the two main ways the
colonists rebelled against the stamp
acts?
Answer 3
● They boycotted all British
manufactured goods and dumped
chests of British tea into the ocean
Question 4
What key events led to the start of the
American Revolution?
Answer 4
● Key events such as the rise in the price and
number of taxes, the disconnected feeling of
nationalism and the unfair treatment of
Boston (e.g. Boston Massacre) all led to the
official start of the Revolution
Question 5
What role did Paine’s book “Common
Sense” play in the American
Revolution?
Answer 5
● Paine’s book “Common Sense” played a role
in increasing the unity and awareness of the
American revolution. This catered to the
common American to understand why
independence was necessary.
Question 6
Why did France become
involved in the war?
Answer 6
● France was looking to weaken their enemy
Britain, so they provided help and allied with
the Americans.