1. Essential Question:
What were the major causes of the American Revolution?

2. Views – Proclamation of 1763
British/Loyalists- Defending the frontier is too expensive. Colonists would have to pay for troops
Patriots- Tyranny, The land was already settled, and it was the only place farmers could get new cheap land

3. Views of the Stamp Act
British and Loyalists – British citizens have been paying taxes on everything. The colonists are taxed the least, so why shouldn’t they pay off the debt of the French and Indian War
Patriots – “ No Taxation without Representation” Parliament had no right to pass a tax unless the colonists had a voice in Parliament (British Government). It is a violation of Rights

4. The Quartering Act
British and Loyalists – The soldiers need to keep an eye on the colonists, and protect the tax collectors. The colonists should pay for the service.
Patriots – We oppose the  quartering of British troops in our homes because the Mutiny Act (a British Law) prohibited quartering troops in private homes of citizens against their will. It’s the law!

5. Views of the Townshend Act
Loyalist/British- Believed that the colonists bad behavior made it more important to keep an eye on them. Colonists must pay for the Army sent there to protect them
Patriots – Duties were a tax in disguise. They violated colonists rights. “Taxation without Representation”

6. Views of Boston “Incident” 1770
British/ Loyalist – It was proof more troops were needed to control Patriot hot heads and protect the loyal colonists.
Patriots – used it as propaganda to stir up the people. It was proof that all troops need to leave colonies. They were a danger to all colonists!

7. Views of the Tea Act 1774
British and Loyalists – The British East Indian Tea Company needed to be saved. The boycotts have put it close to bankruptcy and The King needs the money.
Patriots – If they can place a monopoly on tea, what will stop them from doing it to other products. Soon none of us will be able to make a living.

8. Views of the Intolerable Acts
British and Loyalists- It is no longer about Taxes it was about British control of her colonies. Britain is the mother country and she has the right to use her power over the people to punish them.
Patriots- If the King could do this to one colony (Massachusetts) what will stop him from doing it to others.

10. The Settlement of America
During the Age of Exploration, Europeans began colonizing in North America
England granted joint-stock charters to colonists who were searching for wealth or religious freedom
From 1607 to 1733, England established 13 colonies in America; The colonies were very different & lacked unity

11. Economics & Government in America
England used mercantilism to control colonial trade & increase their profits
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Despite these trade restrictions, the colonists made money trading with England
England used a policy called salutary neglect which allowed colonists freedom to make their own laws & taxes
Americans created their own colonial assemblies & enjoyed self government

12. The French & Indian War (1754-1763)
For 150 years, colonists were happy with this relationship with England
But, everything changed after the French & Indian War
In 1754, England & France went to war for seven years over territory in America
In 1763, England won the war & the Treaty of Paris gave England all French lands east of the Mississippi River...
…But the war left England with massive debts

13. Their slogan became: “No taxation without representation”
To pay off war debts, Britain created a series of new taxes on the American colonists
The colonists were upset that Parliament in England would pass laws without the colonists approval
Their slogan became: “No taxation without representation”

14. Colonists responded to new taxes with boycotts (refusing to buy British goods that were taxed)
Boycotts were effective, but the king & Parliament believed the Americans should obey British laws & took power away from the colonial assemblies

15. From 1763 to 1776, tensions between the English government & the American colonists increased

16. “Kings can be overthrown if they violate peoples’ natural rights”
Americans were literate & read books by leading Enlightenment thinkers, especially John Locke, & used these ideas to justify their protest
“People are born with natural rights, including life, liberty, property”
“Kings can be overthrown if they violate peoples’ natural rights”
“Government power comes from the consent of the governed”

17. British abuses & Enlightenment ideas inspired Americans to declare independence
Ben Franklin, John Adams, & Thomas Jefferson served on the committee to draft the Declaration of Independence

18. Title

19. On July 4, 1776 Americans sent King George III the Declaration of Independence

20. The Declaration of Independence Analysis
What did the Declaration of Independence say & why was it such a revolutionary document?
Examine the excerpts of the Declaration of Independence & match the quotes with the appropriate summary sentence
ANSWERS:
1. E 2. B 3. H 4. F
5. A 6. D 7. G 8. C

21. The Declaration of Independence & Influences from the Enlightenment
The Declaration of Independence used ideas from the Enlightenment (especially John Locke) to explain why Americans were declaring independence
33a - explain the language, organization, and intellectual sources of the Declaration of Independence including the writings of John Locke and Montesquieu, and the role of Thomas Jefferson

22. Brief summary of American Revolution Treaty of Paris, 1783
The American Revolution lasted from 1775 to 1783
After 6 years of fighting, the Americans defeated the British at the Battle of Yorktown

23. The Treaty of Paris, 1783 granted the United States independence from Britain & all lands east of the Mississippi River
With independence, the United States needed a national government to unite the new nation

24. The founding fathers created a “federal” system that created a national gov’t but allowed the 13 states to keep power & make their own laws
Government Structure
Many of the ideas of the Enlightenment served as inspiration for the new national government of the United States

25. Analyzing the Constitution
How did the Enlightenment influence the structure & power of the national gov’t under the U.S. Constitution?
Examine each of the following images & guess what it reveals about the structure or power of the U.S. government
Match each idea to the Enlightenment philosophe who supported it
John Locke Voltaire Montesqueiu
Jean-Jacques Rousseau Cesare Beccaria

26. Constitution Concept #1

27. Popular Sovereignty
The framers of the Constitution created a democratic republic, a form of government where the people elect their leaders
The U.S. Constitution was inspired by John Locke’s idea that gov’t power comes from the “consent of the governed”
The Constitution also used Rousseau’s idea of a direct democracy because Congressmen & the president are elected directly by the people (majority rule)

28. Constitution Concept #2

29. Limited Government
The founding fathers were afraid of giving the national gov’t too much power so they stated exactly which powers the gov’t had & all other powers were left to the state gov’ts or to the people
Both Locke & Montesquieu shared the idea of limiting gov’t power
Locke believed that a limited gov’t was the only way to protect individual liberty

30. Constitution Concept #3

31. Separation of Powers
The Constitution uses separation of powers to divide the powers among three branches
The legislative branch consists of a Congress that makes laws & taxes
The executive branch consists of the president, vice president, & bureaucracy that enforces laws passed by Congress
The judicial branch is the Supreme Court & other federal courts that interpret laws, settle disputes, & decide guilt
This idea was inspired by Montesquieu

32. Constitution Concept #4

33. Checks & Balances
To keep one branch from seizing all power, the framers of the Constitution used a system of checks and balances
Each branch of gov’t holds powers over the other two branches as a means to limit their power
This idea was inspired by Montesquieu

34. Constitution Concept #5

35. Individual Liberty
The founding fathers added a Bill of Rights to the Constitution in order to guarantee that the gov’t could not violate liberty
Among these liberties are the freedoms of speech, press, and religion
The framers of the Constitution were inspired by the ideas of Voltaire

36. Constitution Concept #6

37. Individual Liberty
The Bill of Rights includes a number of protections of the rights of accused people
The Bill of Rights guarantees Americans freedom from self-incrimination, right to a speedy trial, & protection from cruel and unusual punishment
These protections of accused people were supported by Cesare Beccaria

38. The American Revolution was an important event in world history
It was the first time a colony overthrew its mother country
It was the first time a gov’t was created using Enlightenment ideas of limited gov’t & individual liberty
The success in America inspired revolutions in Europe & Latin America