Road Map to Success: The Political and Intellectual Origins of the American Nation For the first 150 years, English colonies in the new world experienced little interference from England. During these years of salutary (or healthful) neglect, the colonies prospered economically, while developing their own democratic type of governing bodies. However, the French and Indian War (1754-1763), and the enormous war debt that accompanied it, changed the relationship between the mother country and her colonies. As the British began to assert more control over the colonies, in part to help retire the war debt, colonists resisted policies that threatened the self rule that they had grown accustomed to. Educated colonists were strongly influenced by the Enlightenment philosophers of the day, such as; Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Charles de Montesquieu. Concepts like human nature, laws of nature, natural rights, and ancient Greek and Roman democratic principles of government were at the forefront of political discussion as our founding fathers began to question the legitimacy of Britain’s rule over them. Over the next several classes, you will master the following learning standards: USI.1 Explain the political and economic factors that contributed to the American Revolution. USI.2 Explain the historical and intellectual influences on the American Revolution and the formation and framework of the American government.

Skill Classroom Activities How do I get there? Depth of Understanding (1-4) How do I get there? Explain the impact on the colonies of the French and Indian War, including how the war led to a change of British imperial policy from 1763-1775. Explain how freedom from European feudalism and aristocracy, and widespread ownership of property fostered individualism and contributed to the American Revolution. Explain the historical and intellectual influences of Greece and Rome on the American Revolution. Describe the political theories of European philosophers Thomas Hobbes, John Locke and Charles de Montesquieu, and their influence on the American Revolution. SELF ASSESSMENT HOW AM I DOING SO FAR??? Analyze the Mayflower Compact and its overall impact in the formation of colonial government in America. Seminal Primary Documents to read: Primary Documents to consider: Mayflower Compact (1620) Common Sense (1776) Massachusetts Body of Liberties (1641) John Locke’s Treatises of Civil Government (1690)