The American Revolution: Objectives covered: WSH.26A WSH.1D WSH.8A WSH.8B WHS.25C

The American Revolution – Cause and Effect Britain had just ended what was known as the seven years war. British leaders wanted to raise money to pay for the war and to try to maintain an army and defend the colonies. The British Parliament approved: 1. Stamp Act = 1765 required that that certain printed materials such as legal documents and newspapers, carry a stamp showing that a tax had been paid to Britain. Opposition was widespread and often violent, and the act was repealed in 1766.

2. Boston Tea Party = Samuel Adams and other colonist dressed up as indians and dumped british tea into Boston Harbor to protest the tax on Tea by the British Government. Colonist were outraged over tax on tea and crisis began to follow other crisis. Colonist felt that british people were making decisions about taxes without their input or consent. The American Revolution – Cause and Effect

3. Tariffs on American Goods were imposed by the British Parliament. Outraged colonist and continued to strain relations between England and the Colonies. The colonist were upset with what became known as “Taxation without representation”. This means that they were subject to taxes without any voice in the British Parliament. They were just supposed to take it and eventually this led to war. The American Revolution – Cause and Effect

War begins: The American Revolution Fighting begins in April 1775 in Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts. The Continental Congress met and formed a militia and named George Washington as Commander in Chief. More than a year passed after the first battles when on July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress approved a declaration of independence. The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson. It declared the British colonies free and independent states absolved from allegiance to the British Crown.”

The American Revolution: America wins the war with the help of France. France helped the American colonist with money and arms (weapons) since the start of the war. French soldiers and Officers also served in Washington’s Army. In 1778, the French granted diplomatic recognition to the American state (nation). Spain and the Dutch Republic as entered the war against Great Britain.

The American Revolution: America wins the war with the help of France. Britain’s General Cornwallis was forced to surrender to Washington at Yorktown in The French Navy bottled up the coast line and George Washington’s army surrounded the British forces and the British decided to end the war.

The American Revolution: America wins the war with the help of France. A treaty in France’s capital called “The Treaty of Paris in 1783 recognized the independence of the American colonies and granted American control of the western territory from the Appalachians to the Mississippi River.

Things that impacted our form of government in the United States. 1. Magna Carta = “The Great Charter 1215” document that forced King John of England to recognize the rights of nobles which was an act that kept the English Monarch from ever becoming an absolute power. (no one is above the law)

2. English Bill of Rights = document signed in 1689 that guaranteed English citizens: a.no taxation without consent of Parliament b.no cruel or unjust punishment, c.free speech in Parliament, d. no imprisonment without a trail, e. the right to petition, f.the right to bear arms and; g.the right to a trial by jury. Things that impacted our form of government in the United States. These provided the foundation for the American version of our Bill of Rights. The first 10 rights guaranteed by the US Constitution.

Things that impacted our form of government in the United States. 3. Parliament = The governing body of Britain which is part of the Constitutional Monarchy. It is made up of a bi- cameral house. It consist of the House of Commons and the House of Lords and has a Prime Minister. The queen or king is the monarch. The Parliament takes care of governmental business while the king or queen serves as a ceremonial figure head. Parliament House of Commons Prime Minister Queen/King House of Lords

Things that impacted our form of government in the United States. Our legislative branch of government was modeled after Parliament. You have the House of Representatives and the Senate. This makes it a bi-cameral representation of American citizenry.

Things that impacted our form of government in the United States. 5. Articles of Confederation = document that is considered nation’s first constitution before the formal U.S. Constitution. It was written in and approved in in 1787 they were revised in what became known as the Constitutional Convention which led to the U.S. Constitution. We are a federal system in which power is shared by the national and state government. The federal system was divided into three branches: the legislative, judicial, and executive.

Things that impacted our form of government in the United States. 6. U.S. Constitution = document written in 1787, ratified in 1789 by 9 of the 13 states. It is the same document that we use today however it has been amended as part of our written plan of government today. Preamble: “We the people of the United States of America, in order to form a more perfect union. Establish justice and ensure domestic tranquility. Provide for the common defense and promote the general welfare, secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves to our posterity do ordain, and establish this constitution for the United States of America”.

Things that impacted our form of government in the United States. 7. Federalist Papers = were written to support the ideas of a strong central government and were intended to get states to support ratification of the newly written U.S. Constitution. (Articles of Confederation were seen as weak and did not provide a strong central government).

Things that impacted our form of government in the United States. 8. Unalienable Rights = rights given to us by our creator which can not be taken away by any human form of government. Such rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Things that impacted our form of government in the United States. 9. Consent of the Governed = is a political theory stating that a government's legitimacy and moral right to use state power are, or ought to be, derived from the people or society over which that power is exercisedpolitical theory governmentlegitimacymoral rightstate powerpeoplesociety

Things that impacted our form of government in the United States. 10. Democracy = a government that is created of the people, for the people, and by the people.

Limited Government – people give rights to the government to do what it needs to do but they are limited. They limit government power and authority and protecting the rights of the citizens is one of the most important duties.

Republicanism – government controlled by the people through elected representatives.

Checks and Balances – a system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches.

Federalism – a system in which power is divided and shared between national, state, and local governments

Separation of powers = the division of governmental power into the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.

Popular Sovereignty = idea that political power rests with the people who create and/or abolish governments. The “voice of the people” is heard through voting and participating in government.

Individual rights – those unalienable natural rights guaranteed to all people and specified in the Bill of Rights.