The American Revolution

Egad! We Birthed A Nation!

The French Indian War

-French areas of colonization-St. Lawrence River Valley,

Quebec, Great Lakes, Louisiana

-Interest in trading not colonizing

-better relationship with Indians

-English colonists want to expand

-Indians resist and ally with French

French Empire

The French Indian War

-Old rivalry-multiple wars fought

between French and English in past centuries

-1754 conflict ignites again as French begin building forts near Virginia border

-Virginia Gov’t sends George Washington led militia against the French

England vs. France

The French Indian War

-The French and Indian allies won many early battles

-Albany Plan of Unioncolonies debate forming central

government

-Victory at Quebec gave the British control

-turning point of the conflict

-Treaty of Paris, 1763-France lost all lands in America

England vs. France

Problems After The French Indian War

Indians in the Ohio Valley revolt against British forts

-conflicts were becoming costly for Britain

-Proclamation of 1763stated that colonists could

not cross the Appalachian Mtns

-Colonists ignored the law and continued to provoke Indians

Problems

Salutary Neglect

Salutary neglect was an undocumented, though long-standing British policy of avoiding strict enforcement of parliamentary laws, meant to keep the American colonies obedient to Great Britain.

Problems After The French Indian War

-British heavily in debt b/c of war

-standing British Army in the colonies

-Trading restrictions established to levy duties (taxes) on certain products

-smugglers try to avoid paying taxes

Tensions Build

Problems After The French Indian War

--writs of assistance

-Sugar Actaffected merchants and

traders

protests began against taxation without representation

James Otis

Tensions Build

Stirrings of Rebellion

-Parliament passes Stamp Act

-placed a direct tax on the colonists

-required stamp on all legal documents, newspapers, license, and cards

-affected many colonists rich and poor

-Quartering Act, 1765

Stamp Act

Stirrings of Rebellion

Sons of LibertyBostonSamuel AdamsJohn Adams

-no taxation w/o representation

-protests and boycotts were organized

-stamp agents were harassed

-law eventually repealed

Resistance Begins

Stirrings of Rebellion

-new tax placed on imports such as tea, glass, paper, paint

-colonists again reacted with protests

-British reacted by sending more troops

Townshend Acts

Stirrings of Rebellion

-March 1770

-protests by colonists

-British troops fire on crowd

-5 colonists killedCrispus Attucks

-Most soldiers found not guiltyJohn Adams served as attorney for

the soldiers

Boston Massacre

Stirrings of Rebellion

-tax on tea still remain in effect

-monopoly on tea given to British company

-Dec. 1773 colonists raided Boston harbor and threw the tea overboard and burned the ships

Boston Tea Party

Stirrings of Rebellion

-Parliament passes Coercive Acts in reaction

-Colonist call it the Intolerable Acts

-closed Boston Harbor

-suspended basic civil rights

-housed troops in peoples’ homes

-Committees of Correspondence

Intolerable Acts

Stirrings of Rebellion1st Continental Congress

-Committees of Correspondence had been communicating with other colonies

-militias begin to form-minutemen

-after Intolerable Acts they call for a meeting

-late 1774 1st meeting held in Philadelphia

-discussed rights of colonies

-agreed to meet again in 1 year

Stirrings of RebellionLexington and Concord

-April 1775

-British try to seize weapons stored in Concord

-Paul Revere, William Dawes, Samuel Prescott warn colonists

-minutemen met British at Lexington

-shots fired and colonists killed

-colonist conduct guerilla battle along road to Concord

The Revolution Begins

-May 1775

-called for an army and appointed Washington as leader

-some talk of compromise and some of independence

2nd Continental Congress

The Revolution Begins

-June 1775

-Colonist take hill overlooking Boston (Breed’s Hill)

-British charge the hill 3 times until colonists run out of ammo

-lots of casualtiesdeadliest battle of war

Bunker Hill

The Revolution Begins

-July 1775

-2nd Congress send King George a petition to return to the peace of the past

-he refuses the petition and urges the rebellion put down

Olive Branch

The Revolution Begins

-many colonists had loyalties that were strong to Britain

-Loyalists

-Patriots

-Common Sense

-written by Thomas Paine

-Jan. 1776

-urges independence for the colonies

Common Sense

Independence DeclaredDeclaration of Independence

-June 1776 Congress was debating Independence

Richard Henry Lee

-Committee appointed to begin work on formal document

-meant to explain the reasons for independence

-mostly written by Thomas Jefferson

-Congress edited the final draft

-Issued July 4, 1776

Independence DeclaredKey Concepts in the D of I

-Jefferson took ideas from many Enlightenment thinkers

-Natural Rights and Social Contract from John Locke

-All men are created equal

-Listed specific reasons for our independence

Revolutionary WarEarly Defeats

-British capture all major colonial cities

New YorkPhiladelphiaBostonCharleston

-Washington’s army in retreat and many desert

Revolutionary WarPatriot Victories

-a few victories helped keep morale up

-Dec. 1776 at Trenton

Jan. 1777 at Princeton

Revolutionary WarTurning Point

-large British force defeated at Saratoga Oct. 1777

-kept British near the coastline

-helped colonists get French help in the war effort

-turning point of the war

Revolutionary WarValley Forge

-camp site of Washington’s army during winter of 1777-78.

-British forces occupied nearby cities

-many soldiers died of cold and starvation

-Congress struggled to gain supplies for the army

-lack of central gov’t

Revolutionary WarCivilian Life

-inflation

-shortage of goods

-women took over the work of men

-some women helped the military effort

Revolutionary WarForeign Help

-foreign military leaders offered professional training for the army

-Friedrich von SteubenPrussian officer who

trained patriot soldiers

-Marquis de Lafayetteled volunteer army from

France

Revolutionary WarSouthern Campaign

-British strategy changed to splitting the colonies

-Charleston captured by Cornwallis

-Kings MtnPatriot

-CowpensPatriot

Revolutionary WarWar’s End

-Guilford Courthousecostly British victory

-retreat to Yorktown

-surrounded by French and Americans

-Cornwallis surrenders Oct, 1781

Revolutionary WarTreaty of Paris

-Treaty of Paris 1783

-recognized U.S. independence

-set boundaries to the Mississippi

-some provisions of the treaty will lead to trouble later

Revolutionary WarSymbol to the World

-liberty

-freedom

-equality

-opportunity

-belief in a greater cause

-set a precedent for the American future