Lecture 16: U.S. History – The American Revolution and the Establishment of the United States (1765 – 1797) Jason Downs British and American Culture

Dissatisfaction with British Rule  By the 18 th century, many Americans were growing increasingly dissatisfied with British colonial rule  “No taxation without representation!”

The Boston Tea Party (1773)

Samuel Adams

Thomas Jefferson

Benjamin Franklin

George Washington

Declaration of Independence  July 4, 1776  “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

The American Revolution ( )  American forces were led by General George Washington  First battles were at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts in April 1775  Fighting lasted for several years, with many British and American victories  Final battle: Yorktown, Virginia in 1781 – The British forces surrendered and accepted American Independence

George Washington Crossing the Delaware River

Articles of Confederation  After the war, the 13 colonies were governed under the “Articles of Confederation” until 1789  This was a weak grouping of states, and most of the power was left to the individual states, rather than to the central government.

The Constitution and the First President  The Articles of Confederation were too weak to form an effective government  As a result, the states eventually agreed to a new United States Constitution  George Washington was elected as the first president of the new United States of America, and took office in 1789  He served two four-year terms, stepping down after eight years, setting an important precedent.

Homework:  Unit 8, Sections 1-6 (pages )  Unit 12, Section 3 (pages )  Additional history text (posted on class website)  Apple vs. FBI case (posted on class website)