THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION Chapter 19 Section 3

KEY TERMS  Stamp Act  Thomas Jefferson  Benjamin Franklin  George Washington  Treaty of Paris  James Madison  Federal system

FORMING A NEW IDENTITY  First settlement 1600  Colonies expanded rapidly  1770 population 2 million people  Land was plentiful and cheap  English class system largely absent

FORMING A NEW IDENTITY  Individuals could advance through hard work and intelligence  Mid 1770’s colonies established for 150 years  British subjects but allowed independence  Each colony had its own government  Began to identify with the colony and not Britain

OPPOSING BRITISH FORCES  1760’s conflict between Britain and the colonies  1763 Britain wins the French and Indian War  War was expensive  Since removal of French benefited colonists  Britain wanted colonies to pay part of the costs

OPPOSING BRITISH FORCES  1765 Parliament passed the Stamp Act  Official stamp must be on all documents  Newspapers  Legal documents  Other public papers  Colonial leaders were outraged  Taxes passed without representation

OPPOSING BRITISH FORCES  Boycotted English goods  Stamp Act repealed 1766  1767 British imposed new taxes  Glass  Paper  Paints  Teas

OPPOSING BRITISH FORCES  Boston, Massachusetts one of the largest colonial cities called for another boycott  British sent troops to keep order in the city  Bostonians harassed troops on the street

OPPOSING BRITISH FORCES  1770 British discipline snapped  Troops killed five men  Known as the Boston Massacre  Most of Townshend Acts repealed  Tax on tea remained

OPPOSING BRITISH FORCES  1773 group of Bostonians called the Sons of Liberty dumped hundreds of crates of tea overboard  Boston Tea party  Britain closed Boston’s port  Passed the intolerable acts  Limited freedom in the colonies

OPPOSING BRITISH FORCES  Colonists called the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia in 1774  Gave list of grievances to British government  Plan to reconcile differences with British was presented and voted down

REVOLUTION BEGINS  Sons of Liberty expected a war  Hid weapons in the countryside of Boston  April 1775 British troops marched out of Boston  Lexington and Concord too find the weapons

REVOLUTION BEGINS  April 19 British troops confront 75 colonial militiamen in Lexington  Shots rang out Revolution begins  Not all colonists were patriots  Many colonists remained loyal to England

REVOLUTION BEGINS  Common Sense written by Thomas Paine  Argued the colonies had grown and no longer need Great Britain  They deserved independence  Helped patriots gain support for the cause of independence

STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE  First war in which old ideas of government were challenged  Patriots created a nation built on the ideas of the Enlightenment

DECLARING INDEPENDENCE  Second Continental Congress 1776  Committee to write a Declaration of Independence  John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin were the leaders

DECLARING INDEPENDENCE  Jefferson used ideas from Locke and Rousseau  July 4, 1776 Declaration of Independence adopted by Continental Congress  Drew ideas from the English Bill of Rights  Right to trial  Right to elect members of parliament  Right to independent judicial system

THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR  George Washington assigned commanding general of the army  Americans had little money  Advantage of fighting on own land

THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR  Began poorly for the British  Americans positioned cannons overlooking Boston British troops evacuated  British troops defeat Washington at the Battle of Long Island

THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR  Continental Army driven into New Jersey  Crossed the Delaware and defeated British troops at Trenton  1777 British defeat Washington in New Jersey  Washington moves to Pennsylvania

THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR  Philadelphia fell to the British  Washington’s army spent the winter at Valley Forge  British winning in upstate New York  Battle of Saratoga British surrendered

THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR  Benjamin Franklin was seeking a Treaty with France  Victory at Saratoga convinced the French to help colonists  Next two years Americans strengthened their forces

THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR  British strategy to divide the colonies in two  British captured Savanna, Georgia in 1778  Charleston, South Carolina 1778  American made numerous attacks on the British

THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR  September 1781 French and American armies surrounded the British  After weeks of siege Lord Cornwallis and his troops surrendered at Yorktown  October 19, 1781 American colonists won their independence

THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR  September 1783 British signed the Treaty of Paris  Recognized America’s independence  Set up geographic boundaries for the United States  Received greater territory than the 13 colonies  Americans had to build a nation

FORMING A NEW GOVERNMENT  Articles of Confederation  Approved 1781  Made national government weak (avoid abuses)  Government had no power to tax  Could not negotiate foreign treaties  Government was weak and ineffective

THE CONSTITUTION  1787 delegates met in Philadelphia  Constitutional Convention  George Washington presided  James Madison played a leading role  Delegates met for four months

THE CONSTITUTION  1787 signed the Constitution  1789 Constitution ratified  Constitution created a federal system of government  Federal system-certain powers are held by the federal government other powers reserved for the State government

THE CONSTITUTION  National government divided into three branches  Executive branch- the president power to carry out laws  Judicial branch-interprets the laws  Congress the legislative branch- makes the laws

THE CONSTITUTION  Congress has two branches  Lower house- House of Representatives  Upper house- the Senate  System of checks and balances so one branch does not become too powerful

THE CONSTITUTION  Influenced by the Enlightenment  Founding principle that government exists for the people  Reflects Locke and Rousseau  Idea of government by the consent of the people

THE BILL OF RIGHTS  Wanted protection for the rights of citizens  Bill of Rights- first ten amendments to the Constitution  Protect natural rights by Voltaire, Locke, and Rousseau  Freedom of speech and religion  Guarantees due process of law

IMPACT OF NATIONAL GOVERNMENT  America’s revolution had an impact on other countries  French King supported the American Revolution  His government was far from those ideals  Taxed people without mercy  Loss of Seven Years War

IMPACT OF AMERICAN GOVERNMENT  France’s support of the Americans worsened their economic problems  French Revolution 1789  Inspired by the American people  Soldiers who fought, wisdom of the Framers of the Constitution made us an example against oppression