Download 7.4 Part 2

CHAPTER 7 • SECTION 4
Economics and History
CONNECT
PAYING FOR THE WAR
CONNECT
The Continental Congress—our first national government—did not have the power
to tax; it asked for funds and then hoped that the states would pay. It did have
the power to borrow, however. Fighting the Revolutionary War cost America around
$100 million, and by 1782, the new U.S. government was approximately $30 million
in debt. To fund the Continental Army, the United States borrowed money in
several ways.
Economics and History
PAYING FOR THE WAR Congress had
few options when it came to paying off war
debts. Rather than assessing Americans
with a tax, the government elected to print
more paper money. As a result, inflation
rates rose, and the value of American
currency dropped. Inflation caused America
to be stuck with a currency worth little
more than the paper it was printed on.
TREASURY NOTES
CERTIFICATES
A treasury note states the
government’s promise to repay a
specified amount at a specified
date. Notes were sold to patriotic
investors and to foreign countries such as France.
Printed money, known as
“certificates,” could be exchanged
for an amount of silver—if the
government had enough. This is how
many “regulars” (soldiers), farmers,
and tradespeople were paid.
• Do you think printing more currency was a
good way to solve the problem of paying
down the war debt? (Possible Answers:
Yes, the currency gave people a tangible
return on the war; No, the currency was
essentially worthless because there was so
much of it in circulation.)
Connect to Today
ANSWER
Connect to Today Possible Answers:
Yes—they have to get the money
somewhere and borrowing it can help
the lender if the debt is paid back with
interest later; No—governments should
not borrow money if they are unable or
unwilling to pay it back to the lender.
The Treaty of Paris
Answer: An estimated
27,000 Americans died
and abut 8,200 were
wounded. Also, the war
left America with a debt
of about $27 million.
• Why do you think neither side fully met the
terms outlined in the treaty? (Possible Answer:
People on both sides were still angry about the
war and may have felt that their country had
been treated unfairly in the treaty.)
• Categorize How could you organize the
terms of the Treaty of Paris into different
categories? (Possible Answer: by listing terms
that favor Britain and terms that favor America)
224 • Chapter 7
Do you think it’s a good idea for a modern government to borrow money? Why or why not?
SUMMARIZE List some of the costs of the war.
The Treaty of Paris
KEY QUESTION What did America gain most from the Treaty of Paris?
Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay began formal peace negotiaParis which
tions with the British on September 27, 1782. The final Treaty of Paris,
ended the Revolutionary War, was signed on September 3, 1783.
Reader, Recorder, Reporter
• What was the Treaty of Paris? (the peace
agreement that formally ended the
Revolutionary War)
Wealthy individuals, such
as Haym Salomon and Robert
Morris—the country’s first
superintendent of finance—issued
personal notes (or loans) to pay
government expenses.
left the United States during and after the war. Among them were several
thousand African Americans and Native Americans, including Mohawk
chief Joseph Brant. Most of the Loyalists went to Canada. There they settled
new towns and provinces. They also brought English traditions to areas that
the French had settled. To this day, Canada has both French and English as
official languages.
The Revolution had been a civil war that left both Patriots and Loyalists
with bitter memories. Patriots found it especially difficult to forgive the
former American general Benedict Arnold. In 1780 Arnold had betrayed his
country by trying to turn over an American fort to the British. Throughout
American history, the name Benedict Arnold is used to mean traitor.
Unit 3 Resource Book
• Economics in History, p. 108
Teach
PERSONAL NOTES
224 Chapter 7
DIFFERENTIATING INSTRUCTION
Struggling Readers
Gifted & Talented
Write Benedict Arnold’s
Epitaph
Draw a Political Cartoon
Supply students with articles and
biographies about Benedict Arnold.
Working in small groups, have students
use the information to write an epitaph
about him. Epitaphs should include
details about Arnold’s role in the
Revolutionary War and in the legacy
that Arnold’s actions left on American
society.
Provide students with several
examples of political cartoons. Discuss
characteristics and ways political
cartoonists convey information by
using symbols. Then have students
draw a political cartoon relating to the
“Connecting Economics and History”
feature on p. 224 in their textbooks. Post
completed cartoons on a bulletin board
in the classroom or hallway.
CHAPTER 7 • SECTION 4
Favorable Terms The Americans won favorable terms in the peace treaty:
• The United States was independent.
• Its boundaries would be the Mississippi River on the west, Canada
on the north, and Spanish Florida on the south.
• The United States would receive the right to fish off Canada’s
Atlantic Coast, near Newfoundland and Nova Scotia.
• Each side would repay debts it owed the other.
• The British would return any enslaved persons they had captured.
• Congress would recommend that the states return any property they
had seized from Loyalists.
More About . . .
The Treaty of Paris
The surrender of General Cornwallis at the
Battle of Yorktown on October 19, 1781,
marked the end of the Revolutionary War.
However, the Treaty of Paris did not go
into effect until September 1783. During
the time between those dates, hostilities
continued in the South and on the frontier.
Fed up with the constant fighting, King
George III of Britain, in agreement with the
American Congress, issued a Proclamation
Declaring the Cessation of Arms in February
of 1783. The proclamation, as agreed on
and issued by the U.S. Congress in April,
read, “. . . We hereby strictly Charge and
Command all our Officers, both by Sea and
Land, and others, Subjects of these United
States, to Forbear all Acts of Hostility, either
by Sea or by Land, against His Britannic
Majesty or his Subjects, from and after
the respective Times agreed upon.” The
proclamation remained in effect until the
signing of the Treaty of Paris formally ended
the Revolutionary War.
Neither Britain nor the United States fully lived up to the treaty’s terms.
Americans did not repay the prewar debts they owed British merchants or
return Loyalist property. The British did not return runaway slaves.
Boundary Disputes The Treaty of Paris led to boundary disputes
disputes, or disagreements, with Spain, who could now claim control of both banks of the
Mississippi river for over 100 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico. This Spanish
control threatened American shipping. In the northwest, the British refused
outposts, or bases, in the Great Lakes area, such as Fort
to give up military outposts
Detroit.
COMPARING
Prewar and Postwar Boundaries
Prewar Boundaries 1775
Postwar Boundaries 1783
British
N
N
W
French
W
E
E
Russian
S
Hudson
Bay
S
Hudson
Bay
Spanish
Claimed by
Spain and
Russia
United States
Disputed
Territory
40°
Claimed by U.S.
and Great Britain
N
40°
N
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
30°N
70°W
PACIFIC
OCEAN
0
0
Gulf of Mexico
0
500 kilometers
120°W
110°W
100°W
Connect Geography
Gulf of Mexico
500 miles
500 kilometers
120°W
80°W
COMPARING
70°W
PACIFIC
OCEAN
0
500 miles
30°N
Claimed by
U.S. and Spain
110°W
100°W
80°W
History
PREWAR AND POSTWAR
BOUNDARIES
Tell students that America’s allies in the
war also gained land upon Britain’s defeat.
ANSWERS
1. Place What was the southern limit of British territory in 1775?
2. Evaluate Which foreign nation benefited most from the Treaty of Paris?
1. Place Florida
2. Evaluate Spain
The American Revolution 225
DIFFERENTIATING INSTRUCTION
English Learners
Pre-AP
Vocabulary: Idioms
Design an Opinion Poll
Point out the sentence “Neither Britain
nor the United States fully lived up to the
treaty’s terms,” found on p. 225 in the
pupil edition. Briefly discuss the meaning
of the term idiom with students. Then
ask students to identify the idiom in
the sentence above. (lived up to) Have
students rewrite the sentence, replacing
the idiom with different words but
without changing the meaning of the
sentence. Ask volunteers to share their
modified sentences.
Have students write a survey of questions or issues about the Treaty of Paris.
Unit 3 Resource Book
• Connect Geography & History,
pp. 113–114
• Students should first provide background information about the treaty
for potential participants.
• Then students should poll the participants by asking for their opinions
about each issue listed on the survey.
• Have students tally the results and
summarize their findings in a visual aid
to share with the class.
Teacher’s Edition • 225