American Revolution PDF

American Revolution  Testing the Boundaries -British colonists expand westward into Native American territory. -Challenge the French on claims to land. -Why do you think the majority of new cities are on rivers?  Alliance -Seeing that full-on fighting was coming, the Briti...

American Revolution  Testing the Boundaries -British colonists expand westward into Native American territory. -Challenge the French on claims to land. -Why do you think the majority of new cities are on rivers?  Alliance -Seeing that full-on fighting was coming, the British and French search for Native American allies. The French built a better relationship with Native Americans because… 1. Traded goods with them. 2. Did not encroach on their land. -Goal for Native Americans: protect their land. -Joined whichever side seemed least harmful. Albany Plan -The British colonies met in Albany, New York to discuss defense plans. -In June 1754, Benjamin Franklin introduced the Albany Plan. The plan was to join together to raise money, train a militia, and organize a government. -Militia: an army of amatuer soldiers, put together in a time of need -Problem: no one colony wanted to give up their power. -Solution: the colonies continues to argue (any similarities to modern day?)  The French and Indian War -Britain vs. France -Both claiming Ohio River Valley as theirs. -First war that started in the colonies and spread to Europe. -Mix of British troops and Native Americans sent. Led by George Washington. -Small altercation becomes large war. -Seven Years War 1756 to 1763 -England wins. -England is out of money. -England gets all land east of the Mississippi and Florida  Proclamation of 1763 -To prevent more clashes between settlers and Native Americans, King George III makes it illegal for settlers to live west of the Appalachian mountains. -No one followed it. -Led to colonists not liking the king.  Road to Revolution -The French and Indian War was EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE and left England with a large amount of debt. -England sent a standing army to protect the colonists. -Standing Army: a professional army maintained even in times of peace. -But how could they afford this? England was in debt? -TAXES!  The Sugar Act -1764 -The Sugar Act actually LOWERED taxes on molasses. -This was an attempt to minimize smuggling. -Because they were trying to stop smugglers, custom officers searched ships and any suspected contraband. -Colonists believed that the Sugar Act violated their rights as British citizens.  The Stamp Act -In 1765, the Stamp Act was passed -Any printed paper goods, including legal documents had to be taxed and have a stamp proving the tax was paid. -The Stamp Act was the first direct tax on individual colonists. -Did people like this? -NO! -Protests broke out and boycotts happened. -Boycott: a protest in which people don’t purchase controversial items. -In March 1766, the boycotts worked and Parliament repealed the Stamp Act.  No Taxation Without Representation -Samuel Adams summed up everyone’s dissatisfaction with the phrase “No Taxation without Representation”. -It became a rallying cry. -Adams was a cofounder of a secret society called The Sons of Liberty, which organized boycotts and protests, some of them being violent. -Women formed The Daughters of Liberty, urging Americans to use homemade clothes and household goods instead of importing. -This was some of the first political involvement by women in America. -Some people believed this was treason: a crime against a government which should be loyal.  The Townshend Acts -Parliament wanted to raise more money to pay for British troops in America. -1767 -Tax on ALL imported goods: INCLUDING TEA. -Colonists were infuriated by another tax being passed without their permission. The Boston Massacre -In 1768, 1,000 Redcoats came to Boston. In the colonies, the Redcoats were not there to help. -On March 5, 1770, a minor dispute broke out between a soldier and some Bostonians. -A mob formed in front of the customhouse (where taxes were collected) and they started to throw stones and snowballs. -A few soldiers panicked and fired, killing 5 Boston citizens. -The first victim was Crispus Attucks, son of former enslaved and Wampanoag parents.  Boston Tea Party -Parliament repealed all of the Townshend Acts, except for one… TEA! -In 1773, Parliament passed the Tea Act, giving the British East India Company a monopoly on tea in the colonies. -Monopoly: a situation in which one company has control of an entire market. -At midnight on December 16, 1773, the Sons of Liberty, disguised as Native Americans, boarded the ships and dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. -The King was determined to punish Massachusetts for this. The Intolerable Acts -King George III knew he had to either “master” the colonies or leave them alone. He chose “master”. -Im 1774, Parliament passed the Coercive Acts, known in the colonies as the Intolerable Acts because… 1. Boston Harbor was closed until colonists paid back the cost of the tea. 2. Most town meetings were banned. 3. The Massachusetts government was put under control of a government appointment by the King. The Intolerable Acts 4. Royal officers who committed crimes in the colonies couldn't be tried in colonial courts. 5. The Quartering Act forced colonists to let British soldiers stay in their homes. 6. Land the colonists thought belonged to them was given to Quebec. -The goal was to exert control in the colonies, but the Intolerable Acts had the OPPOSITE effect! -What do you think happened next? First Continental Congress -The colonists sent representatives to Philadelphia in September 1774 to figure out how to respond. -Should the colonists oppose British policy or negotiate with the king? -They decided to escalate the boycotts. -They sent a petition to the King called the Virginia Declaration of Rights; which said that the colonists had the rights to “life, liberty and property”. -They were hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. -King George sent MORE troops to Boston.  Lexington and Concord -King sends more troops to Boston. -April 18-19, 1775 -Spys see that British troops are about to march. -Redcoats: British troops. -Minutemen: local militia/could be ready in a minute). -700 Redcoats reached around dawn vs. 70 Minutemen. -Both sides were told to not fire unless fired upon. -Shot Heard Round the World! -Easy victory for British. Surprise attack in Concord. Retreated to Boston.  Second Continental Congress -King George continued to ignore the colonists, so the 13 colonies sent delegates back to Philadelphia for the Second Continental Congress in 1775. -They created post offices, made treaties with Native Americans, created their own governing body, and formed the Continental Army with George Washington as the commander. -Why is this significant? Battle of Bunker Hill -Massachusetts set up militias on Bunker Hill and Breed’s Hill. On June 17, 1775, over 2,000 Redcoats marched up the hill. According to legend, the colonists were short on ammunition, so Colonel Prescott ordered them not to fire until you see “the whites of their eyes”. -The colonists drove back the powerful British army twice, but eventually they were able to take Bunker Hill. Olive Branch Petition -On July 5, the Second Continental Congress sent King George one last shot at peace, the Olive Branch Petition. -The colonists still wanted to be part of England if the king would protect their rights. -King George rejected the petition and instead hired 30,000 German/Hessian troops to fight with the British. -How do you think this will go over?  Common Sense -In January 1776, Thomas Paine wrote an anonymous pamphlet arguing for democracy and independence titled Common Sense. -Paine blamed King George personally for what was happening. -This was radical because most countries around the world were run by kings and queens. -Common Sense sold hundreds of thousands of copies throughout the colonies and convinced many to support independence. -What will happen next? Declaration of Independence June 7, 1776 -Richard Henry of Virginia introduced a resolution (a formal expression of an opinion) calling the colonies free and independent states. -Congress created a committee that included Ben Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson to draft a declaration -Jefferson wrote it within 2 weeks. July 2, 1776 -Congress passed Henry’s resolution and John Adams said July 2, 1776 would go down in history as the most important day in U.S. history. Declaration of Independence July 4, 1776 -The delegates adopted the Declaration of Independence. The United States was born! -So the war is done, right???  Summer 1776 –Over 30,000 British troops arrived in New York City in summer 1776. George Washington and his troops were outnumbered. -The Patriots are driven out of New York and then New Jersey and are forced to take refuge in Pennsylvania across the Delaware River. -How do you think morale is?  Crossing the Delaware -Christmas Day 1776 -Washington and thousands of troops secretly rowed across the Delaware River, attacked, and won an important victory! -This was big because moral was low all across the colonies. Battle of Saratoga -Spring 1777 -The British plan was to move in from the north (Montreal) and the South (New York City) to meet in Saratoga and cut off American communication lines. -The Redcoats in New York City decided to instead capture Philadelphia and the British from Montreal were left with no reinforcements. -First major American victory of the Revolutionary War.  Valley Forge -Winter 1777 -The British troops now occupied Philadelphia and were comfortable. -The Continental Army was camped at Valley Forge. -The 12,000 troops had almost no food, clothing, or supplies. About 1/4 of troops died before spring.  Help from Overseas -Prussian officer (and gay icon) Baron von Stueben helped train troops at Valley Forge using new strategies. -1778: With the victory of Saratoga and the charm of Ben Franklin, France now openly supported the Patriots. -1779: Spain joined the war and helped the Patriots with ammunition and funding. The Battle of Yorktown -Fall 1781 -The British troops were forced to Yorktown, Virginia. Supplies and money were running low. -Washington wanted to end the war and came up with a plan. The American troops surrounded the British troops with the help of the French. -October 19, 1781: England surrenders!  The Treaty of Paris (Again) -It took 2 years to finish negotiation, but the 1783 Treaty of Paris was finally agreed upon on September 3, 1783! -England officially agreed that “The U.S. was a free and independent nation. Though it had the potential to expand, its boundaries were now the Mississippi River, the southern border of Canada, and the northern border of Spanish Florida”.  How the War Was Won 1. Home-Field Advantage 2. Knowledge of the Terrain 3. Motivation for the Causae 4. Civilian Support 5. Great Leadership 6. Help From France and Spain