The Road to the American Revolution

French & Indian War Beginning in 1689, Great Britain and France fought a series of wars for control of European and colonial trade. The French and Indian War (1754-1763) was the last of a series of wars fought between Great Britain and her allies and France and her allies. The war began in North America as a result of on-going British-American expansion into the Ohio River Valley. The French persuaded their Indian allies to join them in preventing further settlement in the region west of the Appalachian Mountains.

End Results… Great Britain eventually won the war. The Treaty of Paris (1763) ended the French and Indian War and forced France to turn over control of Canada to Great Britain. The French and Indian War had more than doubled the British national debt. As a result, those living in the British isles had endured heavy taxation, high inflation, and unemployment during this time.

Proclamation of 1763 Pontiac, a chief of the Ottawa Nation, led a coalition of Native Americans in 1763 in an attempt to drive the British and American colonial families out of the Ohio Valley. Thousands of British Americans were killed as well as hundreds of British troops. Pontiac’s War was concluded with the help of the Iroquois Confederacy and skillful diplomacy. To prevent further Native American attacks, Parliament passed the Proclamation of 1763 in an attempt to end Americans settlement beyond the Appalachian Mountains.

The Road to Revolution (1763-1776) The end of the French & Indian War (1763), marked the start of the road towards the American Revolution: 1763: Beginning of parliamentary sovereignty & Proclamation Line 1765-67: Stamp & Townshend Acts 1773-75: Boston Tea Party, Intolerable Acts, Lexington & Concord 1776: Declaration of Independence

“Sons of Liberty” & “Daughters of Liberty” In Boston, Samuel Adams organized the Sons of Liberty organized to protest the law. These protests often turned violent. To replace boycotted British cloth, the women of Boston organized the Daughters of Liberty. The organization spun yarn into thread, wove cloth on home looms, and was instrumental in maintaining the American boycott of British goods.

Mob reaction to the Stamp Act The “Sons of Liberty” & “Daughters of Liberty” were formed to protest British restrictions & became the leaders of colonial resistance Mob reaction to the Stamp Act For the 1st time, many colonists refer to fellow boycotters as “patriots” The colonial boycotts were effective & Britain repealed the Stamp Act

The was a series of “indirect” taxes on lead, glass, paper, tea, etc.

More Boycotts

Colonists created committees of correspondence to communicate with each other Thomas Jefferson, Richard Henry Lee, Patrick Henry, and Francis Lightfoot Lee meeting at Raleigh Tavern, Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1773 to establish the Committee of Correspondence

Paul Revere’s etching of the Boston Massacre became an American best-seller Colonists injured British soldiers by throwing snowballs & oyster shells With only 4 dead, this was hardly a “massacre” but it reveals the power of colonial propaganda 11

First Continental Congress “We have to help Boston”

Lexington & Concord

The Enlightenment Colonists used the ideas of the Enlightenment to justify their protest John Locke wrote that people have natural rights (life, liberty, & property) & should oppose tyranny Rousseau believed that citizens have a social contract with their gov’t Montesquieu argued that power should not be in the hands of a king, but separated among gov’t branches

Conclusions By December 1775, the British and American colonists were fighting an “informal revolutionary war”…but: Colonial leaders had not yet declared independence In 1776, Thomas Paine’s Common Sense convinced many neutral colonists to support independence from Britain By July 1776, colonists drafted the Declaration of Independence

Examining Excerpts from Thomas Paine’s Common Sense Examine Common Sense: In teams, read the 6 excerpts from Common Sense & write the main idea in your own words For each excerpt, think of a short skit that could be used to show the main idea

Town Hall Meeting Class Discussion It is June 1776 & you are gathered to decide “Should the colonies declare independence?” Students are divided into 3 groups: Patriots, Loyalists, “Undecideds” Goal: Convince the “Undecideds” to join your side by presenting reasoned arguments Bullet #1: Sell to kids the “climate””: in June 1776, shots have been fired at Lex/Concord in 1775, Common Sense is being circulated, colonists are divided over the issue to separate. Bullet #2: define Patriot, Loyalist, Undecided

If the colonists declare independence, how will they govern themselves?

If the colonists declare independence, how will they ensure that they will remain united?

If the colonists declare independence, who will the new nation trade with?

If the colonists declare independence, what will the new nation do about taxes?

Is taxation without representation fair?

If the colonists declare independence, how will the new nation deal with Indians?

If “liberty” is so important, what will independence mean for slaves, women, and poor people?