Section III: The American Revolution (Pages 427-431) This section is about: How growing discontent with British policies led the American colonies to a war for independence. How the ideas of the enlightenment thinkers influenced the colonial leaders as they founded a new government and wrote the U.S. Constitution. E

E You already know a lot about this from middle school. You’ll cover it in a lot more detail junior year. But it is part of what’s going on in the world in the 1700’s, so it’s important we talk about parts of it in Global Studies. Look quickly at the “Main Ideas” on page 427 – especially “A” and “C.” E

Causes of the American Revolution Enlightenment ideas didn’t just stay in Europe. They spread to England – and even to North America (where people were unhappy with the way their lives were run by the British). It was a perfect mix for something to happen. E

The American Colonies E By the 1770’s, England had taken over the east coast of North America. 13 colonies had been set up as trading centers (the triangular trade and more). England tried to be in control of all the trade in the colonies, but was too far away to be effective. They were also too far away to have control over the people and their rule / local governments E

War With France By 1763, England had been in 4 recent wars with France. The last one left them unable to control their western borders. The wars also left England DEEPLY in debt. The British decided to send more soldiers to North America to keep an eye on the colonists (more money). To pay for all this, England began to enforce trading laws more strictly – and add some taxes to the colonists to help them raise some money. E

Growing Discontent 1 2 There was a: Sugar Act, Quartering Act, Stamp Act, Proclamation of 1763, Townshend Acts, and others… The colonists got pretty mad. They had a protest in Boston where British soldiers shot at and killed some colonists. At another protest in Boston Harbor (over a new “Tea Tax”), the colonists ………. Colonists started passing around propaganda to spread the word of their cause. Thomas Paine wrote a pamphlet called “Common Sense” in which he urged colonists to start their own government E (Trying to influence people’s ideas with media)

War for Independence E Eventually, things got pretty bad. In 1774, some colonial leaders called for a meeting to decide what to do next. This meeting was called the Continental Congress. Their original plan was to look for a way to negotiate with Britain. E

Declaration of Independence Before they could settle things, fighting broke out (1775). The colonists formed an Army, with George Washington as commander (the odds were heavily in favor of the British). By 1776, the Continental Congress had decided to declare independence. Thomas Jefferson was chosen to write a document to give to the British. He was a great writer, but many of his ideas came from John Locke. These included: people have “the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” and if a government fails it’s citizens, the citizens should have the right to do away with the government E

The American Revolution Not all people were in favor of independence – there were more than a few arguments about it. People in Great Britain also had opposing views about fighting another war (5th war for them). For the colonists, they were a weak, disorganized, poorly supplied army – fighting against the greatest power in the world at the time. The British controlled most big cities and ports. The colonists controlled the countryside. E

Fighting through “hit and run” and sneak attacks Turning Point of War 3 In 1777, the French decided to help the colonists (England had been their enemy for awhile). They brought supplies, well trained soldiers, and ships to help in the fight. The colonists started using some new tactics – guerrilla warfare – and that helped them gain some advantage. The last major battle was in Virginia (1781), and Lord Cornwallis (main British general) surrendered to the Americans. By 1783, the Treaty of Paris officially ended the war. 4 E Fighting through “hit and run” and sneak attacks

A New Nation 5 E Starting out as a new country was tough (war debts). The country started out in a recession (people not spending money), with no way to earn or collect money. In 177, the states came up with a plan: the Articles of Confederation. This plan didn’t work – it was too weak and couldn’t enforce it’s own rules. They thought they wanted to be weak (and not overpowering like the European monarchies of the time). 5 E

6 A New Constitution (What are you supposed to do if your government isn’t working?) It was time to get a new government – and come up with a plan based on the ideas of the enlightenment (Locke and Rousseau). The new government was a federal republic (Rome) – with power shared between the states and the federal government. The new government would have three branches (Montesquieu). Legislative / Executive / Judicial. ……………….. E

Finish the rest on your own The delegates were smart enough to know this new government had to be flexible enough to deal with changes over time. So they made a plan that amendments could be added to the Constitution (although these changes could be made, it was not simple to do so). Some people wanted to make sure people still had their rights in this new government, so a Bill of Rights was added (the 1st 10 amendments). By 1789, George Washington had been elected the first president, and you’ll hear the rest in U.S. History during junior year. 7 Finish the rest on your own 8 E

Effects of the American Revolution All of these events in America changed the way people around the world viewed government. A group of colonies had never been successful in standing up to it’s monarch. In France, Spain, Germany, and Latin America, people started to realize they no longer had to accept that the nobility was totally in charge of the people. They were going to fight to get the same rights. 9 10 E

This is the last slide for today Make sure page "E" is completed E