THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION PART I & PART II

WAS THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION “REVOLUTIONARY?”

It is so cold out here… How cold is it??? It’s so cold out that lawyers have their hands in their own pockets!!! HAHAHA! George Washington at Valley Forge

Causes of the Revolution Comparing British and Colonial Governments King *inherited executive power Parliament -House of Lords *aristocrats with inherited titles also inherited legislative power _____________________ -House of Commons *elected by men who held significant amounts of property *less than ¼ of British men qualified to vote Great BritainGovernor *Appointed by and served the king but paid by the colonial legislature Colonial Legislatures -Upper House or Council *appointed by governor *prominent colonists but without inherited titles ________________________ -Lower House or Assembly *elected by men who held property *about 2/3 of colonial men qualified to vote American Colonies

The problem with Parliament levying taxes and ‘virtual representation’Tarred and FeatheredTarred and Feathered New Taxes Upset Colonists Debt from French & Indian War The Acts… Sugar 1. Sugar : assigned customs officers and created courts to collect the duties and prosecute smugglers Quartering 2. Quartering : provide housing and supplies for British troops Stamp 3. Stamp : tax on almost all printed materials (1 st direct tax on colonies) “Taxation without representation!” 3 forms of colonial protest: 1. intellectual  Enlightenment ideas 2. economic boycotts  nonimportation agreements 3. violent intimidation  Sons/Daughters of Liberty

New Taxes Lead to New Protests… Townshend Acts Stamp Act repealed in 1766, Townshend Acts passed: new import duties on everyday items— glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea Violence in Boston Custom officials seize the Liberty 4,000 British soldiers sent to occupy Boston Boston Massacre Committees of correspondence: purpose to build colonial unity Parliament drops most of Townshend Acts, but kept tax on tea Boston Tea Party Parliament passes Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts): closed Boston harbor, increased power of the governor, sent troops and warships to Boston

Colonies take action First Continental Congress (1774) Coercive Acts threat to freedom Announced a boycott of all British imports New governments that bypassed Parliament & the Crown ATTENTION all old, white males who own property!

Declaring Independence War Begins Battles of Lexington and Concord Redcoats v. militiamen Patriots (40%) Loyalists (20%) Second Continental Congress (1775) Assumes responsibility for the war Formation of Continental Army George Washington becomes commander of the army Olive Branch Petition sent to King George III Loyalist arguments: Need for law and order Colonists can’t defeat British Patriot demands for higher taxes and allowed less freedom of speech Question: Which side was appealing for Native Americans and enslaved people? A:

Influences on Independence Thomas Paine’s Common Sense Proposal=independence from Britain, republican state governments, and a union of the new states. King is greatest enemy to American liberty, not Parliament Merit over inherited privilege Declaring Independence Drafted by Thomas Jefferson Primarily a long list of grievances, introduced “all men are created” Men born with natural rights or unalienable rights

PART 2… I warned that the British were coming…

Turning Points of the War The numbers: 1/5 loyalists 1/5 slaves most were neutral -the invincibility of the British: a lesson learned at Bunker Hill; British driven from Boston -traditional war vs. revolutionary war -the value of George Washington -the British blockade profiteering -profiteering: selling in demand items at a very high price BritishAmericans -Leader in manufacturing-ill equipped, trained -established government-lack of central government -well trained, plenty of supplies-lack of manpower

Americans Strengths Knowledge of land George Washington Inspired by independence Weaknesses Untrained/undisciplined Shortage of food/ammo Inferior navy No central government Great Britain Strengths Strong, well-trained army Strong central government=funds Support of colonial Loyalists/Native Americans Weaknesses Long distance from home Unfamiliar with terrain Weak military leaders Sympathy of British politicians for American cause

-inflation and the issuing of paper money -from Boston to New York Battle of Trenton: German mercenaries, raised spirit of troops Saratoga: turning point of war Encouraged France to recognize American independence and to enter the war Marquis de Lafayette & military expertise Benjamin Franklin Valley Forge The Frontier War Native Americans support British…effect?

War’s End and Lasting Effects -British turn to the South, stick to conventional (misguided) war strategy -countryside becomes sympathetic to Patriot cause The War Ends Four factors… 1. British made tactical mistakes/underestimated Patriots 2. British misunderstood the political nature of the conflict 3. Patriots were highly motivated/Washington’s leadership 4. Patriots received French assistance Yorktown -Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown

Treaty of Paris Treaty of Paris: (1783) recognized American independence and granted boundaries to the United States (Canada-north, Florida-south, Mississippi River-west) Effects of the Revolution: 1. British abandon allies (Loyalists, slaves, Native Americans) 2. Women (republican virtue) 3. African Americans (emancipation in the north, slavery in the south) 4. Revolutionary ideas spread around the world