revolutionary war for independence colonists vs british
TRANSCRIPT
Revolutionary War for Independence
Colonists vs British
Critical Questions….. 1.) Could Parliament tax colonists
without representation in Parliament? Why or why not?
2.) Did the rights English law gave free men in England also belong to free men in the colonies? Why or why not?
Mercantilism and the Navigation Acts (remember these???)
To control the economy, the British reinforce existing laws
Who do these laws help?
1763 P.M. Grenville increases collectors
Navigations Acts: colonist must1. Transport their goods
only in British/Colonial ships
2. Export certain enumerated goods to Britain
3. Purchase imports from Britain
Writs of Assistance
Colonists used to economic freedom-smuggling increases with Nav. Acts
Writs of Assistance: general search warrants authorizing officials to search homes for smuggled goods
New Acts and Taxes
Sugar Act 1764: reduced existing taxes on colonial imports of sugar and molasses from Spanish and French West Indies
Currency Act 1764: could not produce own currency
Reaction: merchants continue to smuggle goods to avoid tax; opposition brewing
New Taxes
Stamp Act 1765: first internal tax (not on imports/exports)
Required stamps to be on print materials Wills, mortgages,
almanacs, pamphlets, newspapers, playing cards, etc
Reaction: colonists view as an act of tyranny
“no taxation without representation”
Refuse to buy stamps; attack tax collectors
Stamp Act Protests – Sons of Liberty
Boston Shopkeepers, artisans, laborers organize a secret resistance group –SONS of LIBERTY
Founder – Samuel Adams Harass stamp agents – many resign Colonial protests prevent any stamps
from actually being sold! Individual colonial assemblies pass
resolutions - people can only be taxed by their own assemblies/representatives
Stamp Act Congress – colonies make collective protest – begin to act as one
Delegates from 9 colonies meet in NY to denounce the Stamp Act
Declaration of Rights and Grievances – Parliament lacks power to tax colonists because colonists not represented in Parliament!
Begins colonial boycott of goods – merchants agree not to import British goods until Stamp Act repealed
Quartering Act
Quartering Act 1765: colonists required to provide soldiers with food and living quarters
“Protecting colonists from Indian attacks”
Resistance to quartering act
NY is headquarters for British troops NY Assembly refused to assist in
quartering troops Skirmish occurs; one colonist
wounded Parliament almost suspends
Assembly's power but Assembly begins to supply money
Townshend Acts
Townshend Acts 1767: initiates taxes on glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea
% of tax goes to royal governor; less dependent on colonial assembly
Reactions: reinstate nonimportation
Daughters of Liberty form
Response: British use military courts; colonists denied a jury trial-$$$$
Act repealed 1770
Troop arrival
October 1768: British troops arrive to solve political unrest in Boston
Presence of troops increases hostility
Colonists see it as threatening and colonists compete for jobs with poorly paid soldiers looking for extra work during off duty hours
Boston massacre – Paul Revere’s engraving
Boston Massacre
March 5, 1770 Angry colonial mob descend upon
British at Custom’s House Hurled rocks and snowballs, egged on
soldiers (Sons of Liberty) Capt Thomas Preston in charge; shots
fired without command 5 dead including 1 slave (Crispus
Attucks)
Boston Tea party
Tea Act 1773: British East India Co allowed to sell tea to colonists without paying taxes colonial tea makers had to pay
Cuts colonial tea makers out of the tea trade
Reaction: 50 members of SOL dress up as Indians; 18,000 lbs. of tea dumped into Boston Harbor; ¾ a million dollars
Reenergized colonists; stricter enforcement
Colonial Poem – Tea Boycott
A Lady’s Adieu to her Tea Table
Farewell the Teaboard with your gaudy attire,Ye cups and saucers that I did admire
To my cream pot and tongs I now bid adieu;That pleasure’s all fled that I once found in you
No more shall my teapot so generous beIn filling the cups with this pernicious tea,
For I’ll fill it with water and drink out the same,Before I’ll lose Liberty that dearest name
Before she shall part I will die in the cause,For I’ll never be governed by tyranny’s laws.
Intolerable/Coercive Acts 1774
King George III is furious. Parliament passes Intolerable Acts
Shuts down Boston harborGeneral Thomas Gage
(commander of British forces in N. America) appointed new Gov of MA
Boston placed under martial law
Colonial Response…..
Committees of Correspondence assemble First Continental Congress in Philly 1774
56 delegates from 12 colonies Draw up Declaration of Colonial Rights Defend colonists’ right to run own affairs Support protests in MA State that if Britain uses force again colonies they
will fight back
Agree to reconvene in May 1775 if their demands are not met
Colonists Divided at First CC
Stay with Britain or break away?
One country or separate entities?
American or British?
BIG names at 1st CC – George Washington, Patrick Henry, John and Sam Adams, John Jay
Fighting Erupts
Shot Heard Around the World
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZMmPWTwTHc
Minutemen After the 1st CC, colonists
in many New England towns step up military preparations.
Minutemen = civilian soldiers – ready to fight at “a minute’s notice”
Minutemen begin stockpiling arms and gun powder
LEXINGTON AND CONCORD
April 1775 General Gage receives orders - seize colonial
military supplies in Concord, MA (outside Boston) Told to arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock,
believed to be in Lexington, MA 700 British troops head to Concord to seize and
destroy all munitions they find
Paul Revere, Dawes and Prescott ride through countryside warning that soldiers are coming
Countryside rings with church bells and gun shots – prearranged signals the British are coming
Lexington and ConcordTwo small towns about 20 miles west of Boston
LEXINGTON AND CONCORD
British march into Lexington; unknown shot is fired and the British begin shooting the Patriots.
8 minutemen killed, 10 wounded British keep marching to Concord Militia has removed weapons from depot,
British find nothing British run into 400 armed colonial soldiers,
ready for attack Patriot militia attacks and the British retreat
End Resultshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZMmPWTwTHcShot Heard Around the World
British retreat; British soldiers are attacked by militia men and farmers hiding behind stone walls, buildings and trees; guerilla warfare
Overall, British lose 99 men, 74 wounded
Militia loses 49 men, 46 wounded
Loyalists V. Patriots
LOYALISTS/TORY – remain loyal to the crown
1. Colonies are British property
2. Parliament is acting as it should
3. We are British4. Colonies are
causing British to respond this way
PATRIOTS – favor independence
1. British are taking colonies for granted
2. Not allowed to act/live freely
3. British not protecting colonists’ interests
Loyalists/Tories
Imagine – WHY? Why might a colonists choose to be a loyalist?
Bitter choices – divided the colonies and even families apart (first Civil War)
LOYALISTS/TORIES
Exact # difficult to know (many change sides as war progresses). Estimates are @ 20%
Many live far from cities and know little of the events that are enraging the colonists and making them want independence
Many thought the British would inevitably win and want to avoid being punished as rebels
Thought the crown could protect them and their rights more effectively than a future unknown colonial government
Some Loyalists served in positions such as governors, judges, etc and felt a closer tie to the crown
Battle of BUNKER HILL General Gage decided to hit minutemen dug in at Breed’s Hill
north of Boston near Bunker Hill
June 17,1775 - 2,400 British troops march up the hill - in typical broad formation lines Massed together, easy targets, no ground cover
Colonists fire – kill over 1,000 (lose only 450). Ends up bloodiest battle of Rev.
2ND CONTINENTAL CONGRESShttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBBTF0Wg7dY&list=RDPBBTF0Wg7dY#t=0(No More Kings)
Summer - 1775 2CC meets in Philadelphia
July 1775 send king Olive Branch Petition Ask for time to work out
situation and for return to “former harmony”
King George rejects the petition, says the colonists are in state of “open and avowed rebellion,” and tells ministers to “bring the traitors to justice.”
2nd Continental Congress
Appoints George Washington as General of Continental Army
Patriots Declare Independence
Ideas and Documents that fuel the Revolution
THOMAS PAINE – Common Sense
THOMAS PAINE
January 1776 Publishes an anonymous, persuasive pamphlet
called Common Sense Created to convince colonists that Parliament is
not the problem The King is the Problem Monarchy is inherently bad
Written for the common people-Bible quotes Widely circulated and helped many colonists
overcome their doubts about separating from GB
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
Separation proposed by Richard Henry Lee in June 1776
Continental Congress appoints a committee made up of John Adams, Ben Franklin, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston and Thomas Jefferson write the Declaration of Independence.
July 4th, 1776 – delegates adopt the Declaration of Ind and vote unanimously that they are free from England
Declaration of Independence
People born with natural rights – life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness (Locke)
Governments get power from consent of governed
People have right to alter/abolish governments that threaten their rights
All men created equal (??????)
FIGHTING
BEGINNING OF THE WAR
Major Revolutionary Battles – what is the significance of each one?
Battle of Bunker Hill Battle of Trenton Battle of Saratoga Battle of King’s Mountain Guilford Court House Yorktown
TIDES TURN
Before 1777—America loses frequently After—America gains European support and
wins more often
Battle of Saratoga: (New York) American troops, led by Benedict Arnold, stop the British advance of troops to the southern United States. 1777
This victory improves morale and convinces France to join the war as allies of the United States.
FRANCE JOINS THE COLONISTS
The Saratoga victory boosts French trust in colonists. They officially recognize American independence and sign an alliance with Americans in 1778.
Winter at Valley Forge 1777/1778
December 1777 - Valley Forge, PA
Washington’s Army struggles to stay alive
no food, log cabins, freezing temperatures, enlistment terms ending
Frostbite – many lose limbs
10,000 soldiers – over 2,000 die
The British Move SOUTH After their loss at Saratoga the British changed their
strategy and moved South End of 1778 – they take Savannah, GA May 1780 Cornwallis captures Charles Town, SC Cornwallis quickly controls SC and sets up several forts, but
as he crosses into NC Patriot bands attach and cut off his lines of communication
Washington sends Nathaniel Greene to command Southern troops. Beat the British at Cowpens, SC and lose at the battle of Guilford Courthouse, NC – BUT the British sacrificed heavily – 93 killed over 400 British wounded.
Cornwallis – weak and struggling – decides to move to the Chesapeake area of VA
Greene = one of few soldiers to serve all 8 years of the war. He fought in every major campaign and was 2nd only to Washington in his leadership and military skill in the Revolution.
YORKTOWN, VA
Cornwallis moves his army of 7,500 onto a peninsula between the James and York Rivers and camps at Yorktown 17,000 French and American troops surround the
British on the peninsula and bombard them day and night.
A French naval force blocks the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay (Cornwallis cannot retreat!!)
Siege of Yorktown lasts 3 weeks. Oct 17, 1781 – outnumbered by more than 2-1 and exhausted Cornwallis surrenders
Treaty of Paris Peace talks begin in Paris 1782 Continental Congress sends – John Adams,
Ben Franklin, and John Jay They immediately demand the British
recognize American independence
Colonists now have new identity as free Americans – what does that mean??
Was the American Revolution truly Revolutionary?
Why or Why not????
ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION
Created in 1776-77, Ratified in 1781
First constitution for the USCreated by a committee from the 2CCModeled after Franklin’s Albany Plan of UnionSignificance: even before ratification, the A
of C allowed 2CC to act as the governing body
READ YOUR COPY
ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION
The A of C establish the US as a CONFEDERATION of sovereign states What does sovereign mean?
Problems? makes the federal government
very weak establish a “league of
friendship” between the states and does not use the term “nation” or “government” at all
Constitution Issues
1780s=America’s “Critical Period”-why?
Proposed strong central government over the states-why?
What about state governments?
Northwest Land Ordinance-1785Who can give out land?
Shays rebellion
Pro-Debtor Laws: forgiving debt and printing more paper money
SHAY’S REBELLION: Daniel Shay of MA organizes troops to liberate farmers
James Bowdoin (Gov.) confronts and crushes movement
SIGNIFICANCE?
Activity
Come up with a set of six classroom rules that students and the teacher must abide by
You can come up with the rules any way you want
You can use the board, paper, whatever you need to accomplish this task
You have 10 minutes to complete your class rules
GO!
Constitution: what is it?
CONSTITUTION: the basic principles and laws of a nation, state, or social group that determine the powers and duties of the government and guarantee certain rights to the people in it
During your Discussion…
Who made the decisions?How were the decisions
made?Were there discussions?Did you change from any of
your original ideas? How did it happen?
Did any factions in develop?
Constitutional Convention
Philadelphia 1787 Met in secret-no
press Madison: VA Plan
National Supremacy above state sov.
Direct vote of some national leaders
3 branches of central government-bicameral legislature
Opposition
Rejected by small states
NJ Plan: Unicameral legislature One vote per state
POPULATION=PROBLEM
NY leaves in disgust!
GROUPS 1-4
YOUR TURN TO DEBATE
GROUP 1: The Small StatesGROUP 2: The Large StatesGROUP 3: Slavery-Southern StatesGROUP 4: Slavery-Northern States
15 minutes to outline laws for YOUR GROUP. Present when satisfied!
COMPROMISE
COMPROMISE-what is it?
Now that you’ve heard all 4 groups, come up with a COMPROMISE that tries to satisfy everyone’s opinions.
15 MINUTES: GO!
Connecticut compromise
Combined both the VA and NJ Plan-Sherman
Bicameral legislatureHouse of
RepresentativesSenate=state legislature
Slave lawsFugitive Clause3/5ths Compromise
Challenge: will the American people accept? Answer: Ratified on
Sept. 17, 1787
Bill of rights debacle
December 15, 1791 First 10
amendments Federalist v Anti
Feds
Feds: you don’t need it
Anti: you MUST have it
Amendments/Bill of rights
Follow the directions on your “Bill of
Rights” flyer. BE CREATIVE. Turn in MONDAY March 9,
2014 before debate.