1. The American Revolution 6-4

2. King George III King of England –Owned the 13 colonies –Controlled them –The people living in the colonies thought of him as a tyrant

3. 13 Colonies Colonies had grown by an incredible amount between 1700 & 1770 Economy- traded with Europe Own governments Didn’t see themselves as British, they were Virginians, or Pennsylvanians

4. Navigation Acts, 1651 Colonies were only allowed to sell most valuable goods to England High taxes on products from other European nations –Despite the restrictions, colonial businesses thrived –The colonists enjoyed relative freedom and harmony on a daily basis

5. French and Indian War, 1754-1763 England finally defeated the French and seized the French colonies in North America (mostly US) England- huge debt in war against France Needed Money: wanted the colonies to help pay for the war

6. Stamp Act 1765: Britain passed a new tax, the Stamp Act Deeds, Wills, and other printed materials needed to have this official stamp to be legal Colonist had to pay for the stamp Colonists were angry. They felt it was “taxation without representation”

7. Boston Tea Party Import Tax on tea to colonists –Everyone drank tea Colonists “disguised as Native Americans”: raided 3 British ships & poured the tea in water British troops were sent to Boston

8. First and Second Continental Congresses 1st- protested treatment of Boston –Created a list of complaints about the treatment of the colonies –King George ignored the complaints 2 nd -Raise a militia April 19, 1775: the 2 sides exchanged gun fire in Lexington

9. George Washington British trained officer Chosen to lead the militia established by 2 nd Continental Congress

10. Declaration of Independence July, 1776 Written by Thomas Jefferson Listed the abuses by king which allowed the colonies to rebel –ENLIGHTENMENT idea –Heavily influenced by John Locke

11. American Success On the surface, this war appeared a huge miss match for the colonists: –The colonist were much more motivated to fight than the British –The overconfident British generals made several mistakes –Time was on the side of the colonists They didn’t need to defeat the British just outlast them –The cost of the war was huge for Britain After a few years the British citizens were tired of war time taxes

12. American Success

13. Yorktown 1781 9,500 colonists 7,800 French Trapped England and Lord Cornwallis Cornwallis surrendered and America won its independence

14. Articles of Confederation The first attempt at self government Weak national government Did not want government to be too powerful 9 of 13 states had to approve new federal laws Each state had a lot of leeway on how to rule

15. Shay’s Rebellion Daniel Shays War veteran High debt for the US Wanted lower taxes Refusal resulted in attacks Crushed Proved need for a change

16. The Constitution National Government Judicial Branch Legislative Branch Executive Branch Checks and Balances

17. The Federal System Power divided between national and state level –Prevents national government from becoming too strong

18. Bill of Rights Rights added to the Constitution Amendments 1-10 Enlightenment had a HUGE influence!!!!!! Created a new idea about government People around the world would take notice as revolutions began elsewhere