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American Revolution
• The English Colonies began to have
problems in the 1770’s with England when
the colonists started to question who had
the right to govern the colony.
• The colonists believed that they had the
right to make laws and decisions that
affected them.
• The English Parliament believed they had
the right to govern them.
Who had the right?
• The colonists believed they had the right
because they had always governed
themselves and knew what was good for
them.
• The colonists believed that taxation by the
English Parliament without representation
was unfair.
The Colonies
Who had the right?
• The English Parliament, England’s form of
government, believed it had the right to
make and pass laws in the colonies when
they needed to.
• Parliament passed laws like the Stamp Act,
Quartering Act, and the Tea Act to make
more money for England.
English Parliament
The Response
• The colonists got fed up with all of the taxes and
decided to dump all the tea in Boston into the
harbor. This was known as the Boston Tea
Party.
• The English responded to the Boston Tea Party
with the Boston Port Act. It shut down the port of
Boston until all of the tea was paid for.
• This hurt the colonies financially, because they
could no longer trade with anyone.
Virginians Step It Up!
• The colonies started up a Committee of
Correspondence in each of the 13 colonies
to communicate about the growing
problems with England.
• Patrick Henry became one of the strongest
outspoken individuals on the movement
towards independence. He gives the “Give
me Liberty or Give me death!” speech at the
Virginia Convention that moves the
colonists towards war.
Patrick Henry
Virginians and the War!
• At the 1776 Continental Congress in
Philadelphia, Thomas Jefferson provided
political leadership and was made chief
writer of the Declaration of Independence.
It took him 17 days to write it and it
explained the reasons for colonial
independence from British rule. It was sent
to King George in England to inform him
of the intentions towards freedom from
English authority in the colonies.
The Declaration of Independence
Virginians and the War!
• George Washington, a young military
leader was appointed Commander and
Chief of the Continental Army.
• His strong leadership during the 1st
Continental Congress and on the battlefield
made him a role model to all the colonists.
George Washington
The Revolutionary War Begins!
• The British attacked the colonists in
Massachusetts to start the war.
• Paul Revere made his famous ride to warn
the colonists from Concord that the British
were coming.
• The first battles were at Lexington and
Concord Massachusetts.
1st Battle in Virginia
• The Battle of Great Bridge was the first land
battle of the American Revolution fought in
Virginia.
• The American Colonist victory forced the British
colonial governor to flee the city of Norfolk.
• Jack Jouett rode on horseback through the
backwoods of Virginia to Charlottesville to warn
Thomas Jefferson, then the governor of Virginia,
that the British were coming to arrest him and the
members of the General Assembly.
Colonists take sides!
• A loyalist was someone that sided with
England during the conflict with Great
Britain.
• A patriot was a colonist that wanted
independence from England and was ready
to go to war.
• A neutralist was someone that did not take
sides during the war.
African Americans in the
Revolutionary War
• African Americans were divided about the war.
Some sided with England to earn their freedom
from slavery. They were promised it if the
English won.
• Some African Americans fought with the
colonists. A brave Virginian slave named James
Armistead Lafayette served in the Continental
Army and was granted his freedom after the war.
Women and Indians in the War
• Women also played a part in the war by
taking care of the farms at home and
nursing injured soldiers on the battlefield.
• Many American Indians fought alongside
the Virginia patriots, while others fought
with the British. The Indians were also
divided during the war.
Yorktown
Yorktown
• The Battle at Yorktown ended the
Revolutionary War.
• General Cornwallis surrendered to
American forces and this was the last major
battle of the war.
• The Patriots had defeated the great British
Army and gained its independence.
• A new nation was born!
Virginians and their Role in
creating a New Nation
• George Washington was……
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Great Military Leader
1st President of the United States
“Father of our Country”
Strong leader and role model for
future Presidents of the United States.
Thomas Jefferson
Virginians and a New Nation
• Thomas Jefferson…..
• The chief writer of the Declaration of
Independence.
• Founded UVA and was a writer. He wrote
a book called Notes on Virginia.
• Wrote the Virginia Statute of Religious
Freedom which became the basis of the 1st
Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
• President of the United States.
George Mason
Virginians and a New Nation
• George Mason……
• Wrote the Virginia Declaration of Rights
which became the basis for the Bill of
Rights of the U.S. Constitution.
• James Madison…….
• Chief writer of the U.S. Constitution.
• “Father of the Constitution”
• President of the United States.
James Madison
US Constitution
• This document states how our National
Government will work or operate.
• Executive Branch: President
• Legislative Branch: Laws
• Judicial Branch: Court System
Bill of Rights
• The Bill of Rights guaranteed individuals
rights in the United States like: Freedom of
the Press, Religion, and Speech.
• George Mason’s Virginia Declaration of
Rights served as a template for this
important historical document.
Bill of Rights
• 1st amendment based on Thomas Jefferson’s
Statute of Religious Freedom.
• 13th Amendment: Slavery Abolished
• 15th Amendment: Right to Vote
A Moral Conflict
• The Declaration of Independence stated that
“All men are created equal.”
• The Bill of Rights was created to give the
people rights.
Think!
• Did all people in the United States have
rights during the creation of these
documents?
Our Capital Today!