Uniting for Independence Chapter 2 Section 2 Uniting for Independence

The Colonies on Their Own Colonists owed allegiance to the monarch and British government Colonies served as a source of raw materials Colonist became accustomed to governing themselves Colonists remained loyal in return for self-rule and protection from the French

Britain Tightens Control French and Indian War (1754-1763) Tightened Britain’s hold on the continent Started as land struggle between France and Britain Great Britain won the war

Causes of Independence Movement The British were left with a large war debt – expected the colonies to help repay George III had different ideas about how the colonies should be governed

Taxing the Colonies To help pay for the war, taxes were levied on tea, sugar, glass, paper, other products Stamp Act of 1765 First direct tax Tax on legal documents, pamphlets, newspapers, playing cards, etc.—things printed on paper had to show a “stamp” indicating a tax had been paid.

Stamp Act

Britain’s revenue increased Colonial resentment grew Protests Refusal to buy British goods (boycott) Boston Tea Party – British tea dumped into Boston Harbor

British response to Colonial protests Intolerable Acts (1774) (Referred to as the Coercive Acts in Great Britain) Closed the Boston Harbor Withdrew the right of MA to govern itself

Colonial Unity Albany Plan of Union (1754) Benjamin Franklin Plan for uniting the colonies Colonies rejected it Gave too much power to an assembly made up of representatives from all 13 colonies

British policies spurred an American sense of community Colonist began to think of themselves as Americans

Taking Action Stamp Act Congress (1765) New York Delegates sent First meeting to protest King George’s Action Petition sent to king

Committees of Correspondence Colonial committees urging resistance to the British and keeping in touch with one another as events unfolded Samuel Adams established first committee in Boston (1773)

The First Continental Congress Delegates from all the colonies except Georgia met in Philadelphia in 1774 Key Leaders Patrick Henry Samuel Adams Richard Henry Lee George Washington

Embargo – an agreement prohibiting grade, on Britain, and agreed not to use British goods April 19, 1775 British arrive – Lexington and Concord “Shot heard ‘round the world”

The Second Continental Congress Assumed the powers of a central government President – John Hancock Voted to organize an army and navy and to issue money George Washington – commander of the Continental Army

Served as the acting government of the colonies throughout the war Purchased supplies, negotiated treaties, rallied support for the colonists’ cause

Independence Common Sense Thomas Paine Argued that monarchy was a corrupt form of government; George III was an enemy to liberty Samuel Adams declared that America was already independent

The Declaration of Independence Committee John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman Prepare a written declaration of independence. Jefferson was author. June 28, 1776 – edited draft to Congress July 4, 1776 – Congress approves final draft

John Hancock first to sign 56 delegate signatures “The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America”

Key Parts of the Declaration Ideas from thinkers such as Locke and Rousseau Set out the colonists reasons for proclaiming their freedom Justify the revolution and to put for the founding principles of the new nation

Three Parts of Dec. of Ind. No government at that time had been founded on the principles of human liberty and consent of the governed. 1) Begins with a statement of purpose and basic human rights. 2) The middle section lists specific complaints against George III 3) The conclusion states the colonists’ determination to separate from Great Britain

The First State Constitutions Transformation of the colonies into states subject to no higher authority By the end of 1776, 10 states had adopted written constitution

Most contained a Bill of Rights All recognized the people as the sole source of authority in a limited government with only those powers given by the people