Download Chapter 20 Section 5

Chapter 20
Section 5
The
American
Revolution
Empire and Conflict
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The British colonies in North America were located
along the east coast.
French colonies were located to the north and west.
When the colonists began to venture out toward the
west, conflicts were inevitable
In North America the result was the French and Indian
war in 1754
Which sparked the 7 Years War in Europe from 1756
to 1763
The British won both of the wars and gained control of
much of North America through the Treaty of Paris
Increased Imperial Control
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In order to pay Britain back, America was made to pay
more taxes and the Brits began to enforce the
mercantilism laws
In 1765, Parliament passed the Stamp Act, imposing a
tax in the form of a special stamp on documents such
as wills, contracts, mortgages and newspapers
The colonists protested and eventually, Britain
repealed the Act
With each new tax law, the colonial resistance
increased
With no representatives in Parliament the colonists
argued “no taxation without representation” and
relations between Britain and the colonies grew worse
“An Emblem of the Effects of
the STAMP,” a warning
against the Stamp Act
published in the Pennsylvania
Journal, October 1765; in the
New York Public Library.
England issued an
embossed tax stamp in
1765 for use in the
American colonies
Intensified Conflict
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It was under the rule of King George III that the final break
with the colonies occurred
George III was determined to force the colonists obedience. In
1770 he found a new prime minister in Lord North
At this time in the colonies about 1/3 of the citizens, called
Patriots, wanted independence from Britain, about 1/3, called
Loyalists, opposed independence and the other third did not
take sides
In 1773 Lord North gave the British East India Company a
monopoly to ship tea to the colonies resulting in the Boston Tea
Party
In response, Parliament closed the Boston Harbor.
{Colonists called this and several other British laws passed in
1774 the Intolerable Acts}
Continued…
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{In the fall of 1774, delegates from 12 of the 13
colonies met in Philadelphia in the First Continental
Congress to demand full rights of British
citizens.}
By April of 1775 British troops began to feel
threatened
 In response the British troops began to seize colonial
guns and gunpowder
 At the towns of Lexington and Concord the British
fought with a group of armed colonists. It was here
that the first shots in the American Revolution took
place.
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A single and evoked shot rang out from behind a stone wall. "The shot that
was heard ‘round the world", is still unknown from which musket, or which
side the shot came from.
The Declaration Independence
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Delegates met again and voted to declare their freedom from
Great Britain
On July 4, 1776 they adopted the Declaration of Independence,
establishing the United States of America as an independent
nation
Thomas Jefferson was the principle author
In his first draft of the declaration, Jefferson had denounced
slavery, a majority objected. Stating it was an attack on their
right to “own property”. Therefore delegates to the Congress
omitted the passage
By the way the declaration did not include women either
{The Declaration of Independence gave rights of
governance to the people}
It stated the gov. is created to protect individual rights and if it
fails to protect those rights, the people may abolish it and set
up a new government.
The War for Independence
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Britain had no allies to help in the war. So King George had to
hire some soldiers
Many of these mercenaries were Germans that came from the
town of Hesse.
The hiring of the Hessians was seen by colonists to be
exceptionally brutal
At first The Americans were poorly trained volunteers who did
not do well in battle
Fortunately they had many good leaders such as George
Washington, commander of the American forces
The militia also helped the Americans win the war. They did not
follow the rules and standards of a “gentleman’s war” like the
English.
However late, the French also came to America’s aid to help
them win
War and Peace
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A major turning point in the war took place in October
1777, when the Americans defeated the British at
Saratoga. This is when France jumped into the fray,
joined with Spain and the Netherlands
In 1781 American and French forces defeated the
main British army at Yorktown, Virginia, winning the
Revolutionary War
The peace negotiations, led by Benjamin Franklin,
lasted for two years.
In 1783 the Americans and their allies signed the
Treaty of Paris
The Americans won their independence and extended
their territory
Governing a New Nation
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The Second Continental Congress adopted the {Articles of
Confederation, a plan of government that gave power to the
states,} in 1777
The articles set up a central government with a one house
Congress in which each state had a single vote.
 However, {under the Articles of Confederation the central
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government was weak}
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This was deliberate because the colonists feared that a strong
central government could become repressive so {The Articles
of Confederation called for strong state governments}
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because they were closer to the people
But it was almost immediately the people began to see that the
Articles made it hard to build an effective and stable
government
The Constitution
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Delegates decided to meet again to revise the Articles, but
realized it would not be enough and drafted a constitution
which was signed in 1787 and went into force in 1789
In which a federal system of government was set up.
Meaning that the central government was given many
important powers like waging war, raising armies, and
regulating trade. The states and the people retained all the
other powers
The government was split into 3 branches the executive
branch, the legislative branch and the judicial branch. Each
branch acted as a check on the powers of the other
{Some believed the Constitution did not give individuals enough
rights. As a result, ten amendments were added in 1791. They
were called the Bill of Rights.}
Review Questions
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What did Colonists call the Stamp act and several
other British laws passed in 1774
Why did delegates from 12 of the 13 colonies met in
Philadelphia in the First Continental Congress?
The Declaration of Independence gave rights of
governance to who?
What was the plan of government that gave power
to the states
What did the Articles of Confederation do to the
central government?
What are the first ten amendments of the
Constitution called?
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The earliest American folklore
story was inspired by the
American Revolution. The
Hessians were exceptionally
brutal mercenaries from
Germany. They were thought to
have fought in the war for only
one reason… blood. They had no
stakes in the war and would not
profit regardless the result. The
Headless Horseman was said to
be a Hessian soldier that lost his
head due to a cannonball. He was
so evil that hell spat him out and
he is doomed to forever wander
the scene of the battle searching
for his head and in the process
taking out his wrath on anyone in
his way