Unit 3: The American Revolution

Unit 2 - Recap• 13 Colonies

– Northern and Middle: Northern and Middle: Industry, Manufacturing and Shipping focused.

– Southern: Southern: Focused more on Agriculture and slavery

• Enlightenment Ideals are spreading…– Intellectual movement that believed that all problems could

be solved by human reason.– Baron de Montesquieu, John Locke, Voltaire, Rousseau main

leaders in applying philosophies to government and politics.– Affected Religious beliefs and caused decline in church

attendance.

The Great AwakeningThe Great Awakening• A religious movement that countered “The

Enlightenment” where people turned to God for direction and not human reason.

• Circuit Riders like John Edwards John Edwards and George George Whitfield Whitfield rode around on horse back having revivals.

• Great outpouring of “Holy Spirit” emotion led to new churches and greater religious tolerance.

• “If we can figure out how to worship God… we can govern ourselves.”

But…Colonist Felt SeparatedBut…Colonist Felt Separated• People in each colony did not think they had much

in common with the other colonies. • They did not know if they were Americans or

English... They were not united.

And then… “JOIN, or DIE.”And then… “JOIN, or DIE.”• The French and Indian War(s) The French and Indian War(s) (1689 – 1763)

– 1754 – 1763 British win and gain Canada, Florida, and some of Louisiana in the Treaty of Paris. But afterwards…

– The Crown limited the rights of English settlers who wanted to go west to settle in Louisiana.

Proclamation Line 1763Proclamation Line 1763• War Ends with the 1763 Treaty of Paris • Most controversial parts of the treaty (agreement) was

that England would not allow the colonists to move past the Appalachian Mountains and take more Indian land.

• The Proclamation Line of 1763 stopped the colonists from moving west of the Appalachian Mountains.

Results of the French – Indian WarResults of the French – Indian War• Proclamation Line of 1763 upset the people of the

13 colonies… • But overall, the colonists felt much safer from the

Indians and were glad the war was over.

England In Debt Due to WarHowever, fighting the French and Indian war was very

expensive for England and King George III saw the colonies as his ticket out of debt

Money, money,money!

MONEY!!

Paying for WarPaying for War• King George decided that the colonists would

have to pay taxes to recover his loss.• His view: It was the Colonies duty and

responsibility as his subject because the war was about their protection.

• The colonists quickly grew very angry about the taxes they were now being forced to pay.

What are Taxes?

Taxes = the money collected by the government to pay for services

Why Were The Colonists So Angry About Why Were The Colonists So Angry About Taxes?Taxes?

• No one represented the colonist in English Parliament so…

• No regulation on how much the King could tax them. People every in the colonies began to say…“ No Taxation Without Representation!”

NEW TAXES!!• STAMP ACT: a tax on all things made out of

paper. • The colonists tried to fight this by not buying the

stamps and also ran the stamp sellers out of town.

MORE NEW TAXES…MORE NEW TAXES…• Townshend Acts: a tax on paper, glass, lead

and TeaTea!!!!” • ….The colonists got even more upset and

refused to pay!!!

The colonists got so upset about the British taxes

there were several stories about the colonists

grabbing tax collectors dumping hot tar and

chicken feathers on them and then pour boiling hot

tea down their throat.

Tar & Feather THE TAX COLLECTOR!

No Taxation without

Representation

We were just doing

our job

Mother! Look at those dumb tax collectors!

Boston MassacreBoston Massacre• English “Redcoats” sent to help control and

monitor the colonists. • Everyday tension (anger) grew between the

colonists and the redcoats.• On March 5, 1770March 5, 1770, tensions finally exploded into

violence in the streets.

Stop insulting

me

Hey lobster

Boston MassacreBoston MassacreA group of young men and dockworkers began

arguing in the streets with a group of English soldiers and a club was thrown and hit an Redcoat.

The soldiers began fired into the crowd. Four laborers were killed as well as Crispus Attucks (the first African-American man killed in the American Revolution).

People began calling the shooting of the 5 people a massacre. This incident became a tool for anti-British propaganda.

Boston Massacre

What is Propaganda?What is Propaganda?Propaganda is information that is spread for the purpose of promoting a specific cause.

What was the cause/reason for calling the shooting of five people in Boston a massacre?

One step forward… two steps backOne step forward… two steps back• The colonists protested (spoke out against) the taxes and these

protests worked! • England ended the stamp tax… But … the troubles did not end.• In 1773, England passed a tax on tea. Colonists in several

colonies protested against the tax and boycotted the taxed products.

Lets head to Boston…

Samuel Adams and The Sons of LibertySamuel Adams (Cousin of John Adams) led a group

called the Sons of Liberty. The Sons of Liberty went around the colonies

protesting taxes and organizing boycotts (Boycotts are where people refuse to buy a good)

Boston Tea PartyBoston Tea Party• The most famous of the protests. • During the Boston Tea Party colonists dressed as

Indians and boarded the ships that contained boxes of tea.

• They then tossed the crates into the Boston harbor.

Closing the HarborClosing the Harbor• To punish the people of Boston, King George

closed the Boston Harbor meaning ships could not go in or out. (No trade = no $)

• To stop the colonists from organizing, town meetings were outlawed.

• The colonists felt they were losing their freedom.I can’t believe he is going to

close the harbor so we

can’t fish

Edenton Tea PartyEdenton Tea Party

• Penelope Baker and Elizabeth King led a Women’s Patriots Party.

• Signed their own “Resolves” for freedom from taxation.

• More Colonies got involved in the boycotts of all types of English goods. Edenton, Wilmington,...

Intolerable ActsClosing the Boston Harbor was just one part of what the colonists called the Intolerable Acts.

They could not tolerate (accept) these ridiculous laws England was passing to control the colonies.

We cant tolerate

this!

The Colonies Unite… sort of.The Colonies Unite… sort of.• Colonists from 12 of the colonies held a meeting in

Philadelphia (the First Continental CongressFirst Continental Congress) • Some wanted to stay loyal to the King of England. • They decided to send the “Olive Branch Petition”“Olive Branch Petition” (A

letter to him asking him to end the tax on tea, etc...) • King George III refused to even read the letter and

responded by sending ships full of English soldiers to lay siege on Boston.

Lets Send King George III a

petition asking him to stop taxing us

NEVER!!

You need to be

punished for your

actions.. I’m

sending soldiers!!!

Petition from the 1st continental Congress

Minutemen and Militias!Minutemen and Militias!• Each colony had a militiamilitia - an army

composed of non-professional fighters.

• Soldiers were called “MinutemenMinutemen” because they could/should be ready to fight in a minutes notice.

• Each Colony’s militia held a stock pile of weapons, gun powder, and flint just in case.

• The British Redcoats in Massachusetts needed more supplies so they went for Concord.

The British head to ConcordOn the night of April 18, 1775, the British soldiers (redcoats) marched to Concord, Massachusetts to take the weapons from the colonial minutemen.

Get me your weapons

Nope

Give us your weapons!!

No!

Paul ReverePaul Revere• There were several Patriots

in the colonies. (A patriot was colonist who wanted independence freedom) from England.

• A famous patriot was named Paul Revere.

• Revere was willing to risk his life trying to notify others about the approaching soldiers.

I’m Paul Revere

and I'm a patriot

THE BRITISH ARE COMING!!As the British headed into Concord, Paul Revere and another rider mounted their horses and rode as fast as they could toward Lexington and Concord Massachusetts yelling “The British are coming!! The British are coming!!!”

The British are

coming!

Lexington and ConcordLexington and Concord• The next day on April 19, 1775 the English

redcoats and colonial minutemen began to fight at in an open field at Lexington and Concord.

• The shots fired at Lexington and Concord in 1775 would represent the start of the American Revolution.

““The Shot heard around the world…”The Shot heard around the world…”

Lexington and Concord 1775

(Exit Ticket) PostcardThe year is 1765. Your neighbors are enraged by Britain'sattempt to tax them without the consent (agreement).Britain has never done this before and everyone will beaffected by the new taxes. Write a postcard to your friendwho is a minuteman living in Concord discussing thefollowing things:

1) Why is King George taxing the people in the 13 colonies? 2) What tax do you hate the most?3) What were the Sons of Liberty doing when you saw them at the

Boston Harbor?4) Why did the British Soldiers come to Concord Massachusetts?5) How do you feel about Paul Revere waking you up at midnight?

Why?