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U.S. History
9 / 24 / 2009
Lesson Plan – Class #15
Unit 3 – Chapter 4
Do Now: Answer Questions on the hand-out in groups.
Homework: Read pages 103-108 and create split page notes
First thing covered: Check for split page notes, lesson on chapter 4 section 1.
Overview: The Stirrings of Rebellion
- Tensions arose from the British Parliament’s pressure on the colonies to raise
money to finance debts accrued during the French and Indian Wars, as well as
European conflicts.
- In March 1765, Parliament passed the Stamp Act (also persuaded by George
Grenville). This required colonies to purchase special stamped paper for every
legal document, license, newspaper, pamphlet, and almanac, and imposed
special “stamp duties” on packages of playing cards and dice. Those who
refused to pay the tax were tried in vice-admiralty courts.
- Boston shopkeepers, artisans, and laborers organized a secret resistance group
called the Sons of Liberty, with one of its founders being Samuel Adams. This
group harassed customs workers, stamp agents, and royal governors thus
forcing many to resign. Their protests kept any stamps from being sold.
- The colonial assemblies met to discuss how to deal with the stamp act, and the
overall resolution was that Parliament did not have the right to tax individual
colonies since they were not represented in Parliament.
- Merchants in NY, Boston, and Philly agreed not to import goods
manufactured in Britain until the Stamp Act was repealed. In March 1766,
Parliament repealed the Stamp Act, but issued the Declaratory Act which
stated that the Parliament had full right to make laws “to bind colonies and
people of America… in all cases whatsoever.”
- Charles Townshend proposed a revenue law, passed by Parliament in 1767,
known as the Townshend Acts—Unlike the Stamp Act which was a direct
taxation, this act was indirect, or duties levied on materials imported from
Britain. These were items such as glass, lead, paint, and paper. The acts also
imposed a 3-penny tax on tea, the most popular drink in the colonies.
- Colonists reacted with outrage and well-organized protests. Their slogan was,
“no taxation without representation.” Women joined the boycott led by
Samuel Adams by forming spinning bees, in which public displays of
spinning and weaving of colonial-made cloth, as well as boycotting tea. Even
the wealthier women did not import British luxuries.
- Conflicts intensified in July 1768, when the British agents in Boston seized
the Liberty, a ship belonging to a local merchant John Hancock under the
presumption that it contained smuggled wine. This sparked riots against
customs officials that ended with 2,000 “red coats” being stationed in Boston.
- At the Customs House on March 5th, 1770 an uprising led by Cripus Attucks,
a sailor of African and Native American descent, ended in the British sentries
opening fire on the angry mob killing five and wounding several. The British
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were called “lobster backs,” in reference to their red uniforms. This conflict
was soon labeled by Samuel Adams and others as the Boston Massacre.
In1772, hostilities arose again when a group of RI colonists attacked a British
customs schooner that patrolled the coast for smugglers. King George named
a special commission to seek out suspects and bring them to England for trial,
but colonists responded by setting up committees of correspondence to
communicate with other colonies about this and other threats to American
liberties.
1773, Lord Frederick North, the British Prime Minister, faced a new problem.
The British East India Company took a huge hit from the boycott of the
colonies, and had 17mill lbs of tea surplus. He enacted the Tea Act, which
granted the company the right to sell tea to the colonies free of taxes that
colonial tea sellers had to pay. This would cut colonial merchants out of the
tea trade, and give colonists tea at cheaper prices.
The colonists protested violently, and on Dec 16, 1773, a large group of rebels
disguised themselves as Native Americans and proceeded to dump 18,000lbs
of tea into the Boston Harbor in what came to be known as the Boston Tea
Party.
In response to the Tea Party, King George III pushed Parliament into passing
a series of measures called the Intolerable Acts in 1774. These included the
closing of the Boston Harbor since colonists refused to pay for the damaged
tea, the Quartering Act which authorized British commanders to house
soldiers in vacant private homes and other buildings, and the placing of
Boston under martial law by the new governor of Mass, General Thomas
Gage.
The committees of correspondence moved into action and assembled the First
Continental Congress in September 1774, where 56 delegates met in
Philadelphia and drew up a declaration of colonial rights. This declaration
defended the colonies rights to run their own affairs, supported the protests in
Mass, and stated that if the British used force against the colonies, the
colonies should fight back. They also agreed to reconvene in May 1775.
Colonists stepped up military preparations, and the minutemen (civilian
soldiers) stockpiled firearms and gunpowder.
Gage sends his troops towards Lexington, where he heard that munitions and
Hancock & Adams could be located. Minutemen in Boston overheard of this
plan, and one of the young leaders there named Joseph Warren told Paul
Revere (a member of the Sons of Liberty) to warn Hancock and Adams, and
the town people along the Lexington Road to Concord.
Paul Revere, William Dawes, and Samuel Prescott went out on the night of
April 18th and warned all the people of the 700 British Regulars (army)
heading to Concord. Church bells and gun shots signaled the population.
The Battle of Lexington lasted only 15 minutes when the British troops fired
on the 70 militia men assembled in Lexington, but when they reached
Concord and found an empty arsenal, they were ambushed on their return to
Boston by 3,000 - 4,000 minutemen.
U.S. History
9 / 25 / 2009
Lesson Plan – Class #16
Unit 3 – Chapter 4
Do Now: Answer Questions from hand-out in groups.
Homework: Read pages 113-117 and create split page notes
First thing covered: Check for split page notes, lesson on chapter 4 section 2.
Overview: Ideas Help Start a Revolution
- May 1775, colonial leaders convened a 2nd Continental Congress in
Philadelphia to discuss their next move as the minutemen and British were
still clashing in Boston.
- John Adams suggested a radical plan of having each colony set up its own
gov’t and the Congress declare the colonies independent. He also argued that
the militiamen be considered a Continental Army and they should have a
general named to them.
- George Washington was named general of the Continental Army, and the
Congress, acting like an independent gov’t, issued paper money to pay troops
and organized a committee to deal with foreign nations.
- June 17th, 1775, General Thomas Gage sent 2,400 British troops up Breed Hill
to attack the militiamen. The militiamen waited for them to get close then
opened fire. They repeated this once more before munitions ran low and they
were forced to retreat. 450 militiamen died / 1000 British troops died. The
battle was misnamed Bunker Hill and was the deadliest battle of the war.
- The 2nd Continental Congress was readying for war, but still hoping for peace
since many were still loyal to King George III and blamed the war on his
ministers. They sent the so-called Olive Branch Petition which urged for a
return to “the former harmony” between them. George refused and claimed
they were in rebellion, then urged Parliament to force a naval blockade on the
American coast.
- Common Sense, a 50pg anonymous pamphlet began circulating in the
colonies, written by Thomas Paine in response to King George III. He argued
independence was an American “destiny” and would allow for trade b/t other
nations for guns and munitions and foreign aid from British enemies. He also
stated that independence would allow America to have a society free of
tyranny and with equal social and economic opportunities for all.
- By the summer of 1776, events pushed the Continental Congress towards a
decision when NC declared independence, as did a majority of Virginia. The
Congress appointed a committee to prepare a formal declaration explaining
the reasons for the colonies’ actions. Thomas Jefferson, a Virginian lawyer,
was chosen to express the committee’s points.
- Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, which drew on John
Locke’s concepts of Natural Rights of life, liberty, and property which were
translated into “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Jefferson argued
that the gov’t derives its power from the people, who have the right to alter or
abolish any gov’t that threaten these rights and set up one that upholds them.
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Of the many points Jefferson made, he states that “all men are created equal”
which referred to free citizens, thus leaving out blacks, Indians, and women—
but it allowed for these groups to challenge traditional attitudes.
In the 1st draft, Jefferson attacked the cruelties of the slave trade, but SC and
GA relied heavily on slaves and therefore this was omitted to gain their
approval in Congress.
The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4th, 1776 and read
outside of the Philadelphia State House (Independence Hall) to a crowd of
patriots—supporters of independence.
Loyalists opposed independence and remained loyal to the crown, and many
had served the crown as judges, councilors, and governors as well as being
ordinary people of moderate means. They were loyal b/c they thought Britain
would win the war, b/c they thought Britain would protect their rights better
then the new Congress, and some just new little of the events in Boston.
Patriots drew their numbers from people who saw economic opportunity in an
independent America. Their caused embraced farmers, artisans, merchants,
land owners, and elected officials. While patriots made up ½ the population,
many Americans remained neutral.
The Quakers generally supported the patriots, but they did not believe in war.
Many African Americans fought on the side of the patriots while others would
fight for the crown b/c they were promised freedom. Native Americans
supported the British b/c they felt the colonists were a bigger threat to their
land.
The colonies were plunged into 2 wars—one with Britain and a civil war.
U.S. History
9 / 28 / 2009
Lesson Plan – Class #17
Unit 3 – Chapter 4
Do Now: Answer Questions from hand-out in groups.
Homework: SPNotes 118-123 and complete any make-up work owed to me.
First thing covered: Check for split page notes, lesson on chapter 4 section 3.
Overview: Struggling Toward Saratoga
- Very few people thought the rebellion would last, seeing that the colonies
were a divided population of 2 ½ million against a nation of 10 million that
was backed by a world empire.
- In the winter of 1777-1778, Valley Forge, PA, served as the site of the
Continental Army’s camp. British troops found quarters within Philadelphia
in warm homes, while the Continental troops huddled in make shift huts in the
freezing woods of PA—underfed and under-clothed.
- The British had retreated from Boston in March 1776, moving the war to the
Middle Atlantic States. The British decided to seize NY as a plan to isolate
New England.
- New York was taken by Gen. William Howe and Admiral Richard Howe in
the summer of 1776. The 32,000 British troops beat back Washington and his
untrained and ill-equipped army of 23,000. The British also utilized German
mercenaries (called Hessians b/c many came from the German region Hesse).
- The British Army pushed Washington’s forces across the Delaware, into PA
by the fall of 1776. A large number of Washington’s men had deserted, been
killed, or captured, leaving him with only 8,000 troops. Also, the terms of the
remaining men’s enlistment was up on Dec. 31. A victory was needed to raise
the morale of the men.
- On Christmas night in 1776, Washington led 2,400 men across the Delaware
in small rowboats, and then marched 9 miles through the snow and ice to
reach Trenton, NJ where there was a garrison of Hessians. The drunken
Hessians were ambushed and 30 were killed, 918 taken prisoner, and 6
cannons were confiscated. Another victory in Princeton 8 days later against
1,200 British troops rallied Americans.
- Gen. Howe began his campaign to seize the capital in Philadelphia in the
spring of 1777. He succeeded in doing so by late August. At the same time,
Gen. John “Gentleman Johnny” Burgoyne hatched a plan to march down from
Canada to Albany to join forces with Howe and isolate New England.
- The Americans, led by Gen Horatio Gates, clashed with the Burgoyne along
his route and eventually surrounded the British in Saratoga causing the
surrender on Oct. 17th, 1777. This changed the British strategy from inland
warfare to remaining on the coast where the naval fleet could supply the
troops.
- France had been sending Patriots weapons secretly since 1776, and the victory
at Saratoga had bolstered their confidence in the Americans causing them to
join the revolutionary forces. They signed in alliance with the Americans,
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recognizing their independence and promising not to make peace with Britain
until they recognized the American independence as well.
French aid would take months to arrive as Washington and his forces faced
the bitter winter in Valley Forge. Many troops suffered from exposure and
frostbite in the woods. More than 2,000 troops of the 10,000 died that winter.
The Revolutionary War not only affected the soldiers, but the American
citizens as well. Congress ran out of hard money (gold & silver) and
borrowed money by selling bonds to American investors and foreign gov’ts,
esp. France. It also printed paper money called Continentals, and as they
printed more and more money, its value plunged, causing rising prices, or
inflation.
Profiteering was also an issue with gov’t officials who sold scarce goods at a
profit. Corrupt merchants hoarded goods or sold defective merchandise like
spoiled meat, cheap shoes, and defective weapons.
Finally, Robert Morris and Haym Salomon raised funds from various sources
so by 1781, troops were finally paid in specie, or gold coin.
The demands of war affected civilians as well. Women were left at home to
manage farms, shops, and businesses, as well as households and families.
Many women helped the war effort by mending clothes, making munitions at
home with their household silver, and some even went to the battlefield with
their husbands where they washed, mended, and cooked for the troops. Some
women even joined battle such as; Margaret Corbin and “Molly Pitcher”
Thousands of African American slaves escaped to freedom- some to cities,
where they passed as free people and others to Native American tribes in the
frontier. About 5,000 African Americans served on the Continental Army.
Native Americans remained on the fringes of the war, some fighting for the
British but most remaining out of the conflict.
U.S. History
9 / 29 / 2009
Lesson Plan – Class #18
Unit 3 – Chapter 4
Do Now: Answer Questions in groups.
Homework: Short Answers from Review Packet and get any make-up work handed in.
First thing covered: Check for split page notes, lesson on chapter 4 section 4.
Overview: Winning the War
- In February 1778, the American troops were transformed when a Prussian
captain and talented drill master, Friedrich von Steuben, volunteered his
services to General Washington. He taught the colonial soldiers how to stand
at attention, execute field maneuvers, fire and reload quickly, and wield
bayonets.
- Also, Marquis de Lafayette, a brave, idealistic 20-yr.-old French aristocrat,
offered his assistance. He stationed himself in Valley Forge, lobbied all the
French reinforcements in France in 1779, and led a command in Virginia in
the last years of the war.
- The British began moving South in the summer of 1778, after their defeat at
Saratoga. They hoped to rally Loyalist support and gain back former colonies,
and then fight back in the North.
- A British expedition easily took Savannah, GA and by 1779 a Royal Governor
commanded GA. Afterwards, Gen. Clinton and Gen. Charles Cornwallis
sailed south with 8,500 men and took their biggest victory in Charles Town,
SC in May of 1780, taking 5,500 American P.O.W’s.
- Cornwallis continued to succeed in the South in 1780, and was aided by
several African Americans who had escaped from Patriot slave owners.
Cornwallis set up forts all throughout SC, but when he entered NC the British
lines of communication were cut by bands of Patriots who attacked them,
forcing them back to SC.
- Washington ordered Nathaniel Greene to march south and harass Cornwallis
as he retreated. Greene divided his troops into 2 groups; one group led by
Daniel Morgan was sent, but were pursued by a group sent by Cornwallis, led
by Lt. Col. Tarleton. Morgan led the British on a grueling chase through
rough countryside until they met in Cowpens, SC where the British were
forced to surrender in January of 1781.
- Cornwallis then decided to move the fight to Virginia where he met up with
reinforcements. He first failed to capture the forces led by Lafayette and von
Steuben, and then made the grave mistake of leading his troops to the
peninsula b/t the James and York rivers to camp in Yorktown.
- In 1780, a French army of 6,000 landed in Newport, RI. Lafayette suggested
that the French and American armies join forces with the two French fleets
from RI and the West Indies to set up a joint attack on Yorktown. The French
fleet defeated the British fleet then blocked off the Chesapeake Bay to prevent
a rescue by sea. 17,000 French and American troops surrounded the British
and bombarded them for a month until Cornwallis surrendered.
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On October 19th, 1781, Washington was handed Cornwallis’s sword in
surrender. Peace talks began in Paris in 1782, where representatives from
France, America, Britain, and Spain assembled. Each nation had its’ own
interests: Britain hoped to avoid giving America full independence. France
supported American independence, but feared them becoming a world power.
Spain hoped to gain land between the Appalachians and the Mississippi River.
American delegates were the able John Adams, Ben Franklin, and John Jay of
NY who demanded that Britain recognize American independence before any
bargaining began.
In September 1783, the delegates signed the Treaty of Paris, which confirmed
the U.S. independence and set the boundaries of the new nation. The U.S.
now stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to Mississippi River, and from Florida
to Canada.
The British made no provisions to protect their Native American allies, and
the treaty did not specify when they would evacuate their forts. Also, the
Americans agreed that British creditors could collect debts owed to them and
promised that Loyalist could sue in courts for recovery of their losses, but
these were not honored by state gov’ts.
The American Revolution would inspire the world as both a democratic
revolution and a war for independence. Also, the rise of egalitarianism—a
belief in the equality of all people—was fostered by the blurring of the class
distinctions during the war and created a new attitude that ability, effort, and
virtue, not wealth or family, defined one’s worth.
Egalitarianism of the 1780’s only applied to white males, not to women,
slaves / African Americans, or Indians.
Left with a new nation, the people of the US now had to figure out how they
would set up a republic different from the monarchies they had once known.
U.S. History
9/30 through 10/01/2009
Lesson Plan – Class #19 & #20
Unit 3 – Chapter 4
This time is to be allotted for the students to review the readings and notes that
have been done in class thus far, and to answer any questions on what is to come in the
midterm. Also, this should be a time to hand in any make-up work that needs to be
completed before the midterm grades go out.
Homework: Finish review packet and Midterm Essay by the exam date.