Section 1: The Scientific Revolution Section 2: The Enlightenment Chapter Introduction Section 1: The Scientific Revolution Section 2: The Enlightenment Section 3: The Impact of Enlightenment Section 4: The American Revolution Visual Summary Chapter Menu

The American Revolution How did the American Revolution reflect Enlightenment ideals? Chapter Intro 4

The BIG Idea Self-Determination The American Revolution and the formation of the United States of America seemed to confirm premises of the Enlightenment. Section 4-Main Idea

Content Vocabulary Academic Vocabulary federal system amendment guaranteed Section 4-Key Terms

People, Places, and Events Hanoverians Robert Walpole George Washington Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson Yorktown Bill of Rights Section 4-Key Terms

Britain and the American Revolution Drawing on the theory of natural rights, the Declaration of Independence declared the colonies to be independent of Britain. Section 4

Britain and the American Revolution (cont.) George I became King of England and started the Hanoverian dynasty of British monarchs. Robert Walpole was the head of the cabinet in Parliament who strove to have peaceful foreign relations. However, an expanding middle class and trading economy favored British expansion. Section 4

Britain and the American Revolution (cont.) The colonists in North America had grown accustomed to governing their lives economically and politically. Following the Seven Years’ War, Britain wanted new revenues from the colonies and imposed the Stamp Act, which was very unpopular with the colonists. Section 4

Britain and the American Revolution (cont.) The British enacted other policies to tighten control of its American colonies. The colonies organized the First Continental Congress in 1774 to discuss taking up arms against the British. In 1775 fighting began between the British and American rebels. The Second Continental Congress acted as a government, and George Washington led the army. Section 4

Britain and the American Revolution (cont.) One year later, in July 1776, the Second Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson, and the Revolutionary War had officially begun. France, Spain, and the Dutch Republic entered the war against Great Britain as well. Following the surrender of General Cornwallis at Yorktown in 1781, the British decided to end the war. Yorktown Section 4

Britain and the American Revolution (cont.) The Treaty of Paris of 1783 recognized American independence and granted American control of the land east of the Mississippi River. Land Claims After the American Revolution, 1783 Section 4

The Birth of a New Nation The formation of the United States convinced many eighteenth-century philosophes that a new age and a better world could be created. Section 4

The Birth of a New Nation (cont.) The first government under the Articles of Confederation (1781) was ineffective and did not give the government the power it needed to deal with the nation’s problems. A new government was established as a federal system under the United States Constitution, in which the national government and the state governments shared power. Section 4

The Birth of a New Nation (cont.) The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution in ten amendments that guaranteed the rights of citizens. Many of the rights in the Bill of Rights were derived from the philosophes and embodied Enlightenment ideals. Section 4

Section 4-End

THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION American colonists revolted against British rule. France, Spain, and the Dutch Republic helped the American colonies win independence. Many believed the American Revolution confirmed Enlightenment principles. VS 3

Figure 8

federal system a form of government in which power is shared between the national government and state governments Vocab21