The American Revolution

SOL USI.6

Mrs. Stephens

Social Studies

Does England Rule?

Have the colonists had enough?

What were the causes of the American Revolution?

Find out!

Great Britain Rules!!

• Great Britain was expanding control over the American Colonies• Many colonists

became dissatisfied and rebellious

How did Great Britain control the colonies?

Economic • Controlled trade• Taxed the colonists

after the French and Indian War

• Colonies traded raw materials for goods made in Great Britain

Political• Colonists had to obey

British laws enforced by governors

• Governors were appointed by the king

• Colonial legislatures were monitored by the governors

Patriot vs. Loyalist• Patriot

• Colonist who want to be independent (free) of England’s control.

• Loyalist

• Colonist who wanted to remain controlled by England.

What were Great Britain’s reasons for control?

• Remain a world power• Needed Money to pay for

French and Indian War and British troops in the colonies. (Taxes)

Reasons for Taxation

• Finance the French and Indian War

• Finance the maintenance of British troops in the colonies

What is the Stamp Act?

• Important British tax on colonies – Stamp Act• Colonists must buy stamps

for all printed material• When: 1765• Why? To pay for the cost of

the French and Indian War

The Stamp Act

• Colonists threatened to tar and feather stamp commissioners

Finally the colonies had enough!• No representation in Parliament.

• “No Taxation Without Representation!”

Colonists were dissatisfied!

• Resented power of colonial governors (appointed by the King)!• England had strict control over

colonial legislatures

The colonists were dissatisfied!

• Opposed Taxes• Proclamation of 1763 that

restricted westward movement

What is the Proclamation of 1763?

• A law that said the colonists could not settle the Ohio Valley• They fought the F&I war to

win the Ohio Valley• Colonists found this unfair

(some wanted to move west)

Why did the King issue the Proclamation of 1763?

• He thought it would be too expensive to protect the colonists in the Ohio Valley.• 2000 settlers had already

died there.

Letter to the King• Imagine you are a colonist living in Boston

Massachusetts. You have become angry and fed up about your life under British control. Write a letter to King George III explaining why you are dissatisfied with British control of the colonies.

• Must be in letter form. Explain the relationship between England and its colonies , the 5 things that make you dissatisfied, and what you want the king to do.

• Must be 1 full page neatly written on NB 59.

Use Your Axes to Slash the Taxes

What we Demand!!!• Ability to move west• Governors with less power• A say in Parliament• No taxes• Ability to make our own laws

How would you feel?

What would be your point of view if you were living in England?

Living in the colonies?

For each side answer the following questions:How do you feel about taxes? Why?

How do you feel about the king? Why?How do you feel about the Proclamation of 1763?

Why?How do you feel about the Quartering Act? Why?

Key Individuals of the Revolutionary War

• What role did key individuals play in the Revolutionary War?

King George III (the king who lost America)

• British King during the Revolutionary War.

Lord Cornwallis (the other man who lost America)

• British General who surrendered at Yorktown.

John Adams

• Championed the cause of independence

George Washington

• Commander of the Continental Army

Thomas Jefferson

• Major author of the Declaration of Independence

Samuel Adams

• Patriot who helped lead the Boston Tea Party.

Patrick Henry

• Outspoken member of the House of Burgesses

• Inspired colonial patriotism with “Give me liberty or give me Death” speech

Benjamin Franklin

• Member of Continental Congress

• Helped frame (write) the Declaration of Independence

• Helped gained French support for American independence

Phyllis Wheatley

• A former enslaved African American• Wrote poems and

plays supporting American independence

Paul Revere

• Made daring ride to warn colonists of British arrival• “The British are

coming!”

Key Events during the Revolutionary War Period

• What were some of the Key Events during the Revolutionary War Period?

Proclamation of 1763

• Colonists could not move west of the Appalachian Mountains

Stamp Act - 1765• Stamp or British seal required on all

things made from or used paper.

Boston Massacre - 1770

• Colonists in Boston were shot after taunting British Soldiers

Boston Tea Party- 1773

• Led by Samuel Adams and Paul Revere

• They threw tea into Boston Harbor to protest tea taxes.

First Continental Congress- 1774

• Delegates from all colonies (except Georgia) met to discuss problems with England and colonial independence.

Battle of Lexington and Concord - 1775

• First armed conflict of the Revolutionary War

Approval of the Declaration of Independence

• July 4, 1776• Declared

independence from Great Britain

Battle of Saratoga - 1777

• Turning point of the war• American

victory

Surrender at Yorktown - 1781

• Cornwallis surrenders

• End of the Revolutionary War

Signing of the Treaty of Paris- 1783

• Great Britain recognized American Independence

The Declaration of Independence

New Ideas!

• New political ideas led to a desire for independence and democratic government in the American colonies

Declaration of Independence

• Written by Thomas Jefferson• Based on ideas expressed by European

philosophers• People have “unalienable rights” of life, liberty, and

the pursuit of happiness• People establish government to protect rights• Government derives power from the people• People have a right and duty to change a

government that violates their rights!

How did the colonists defeat England?

• What advantages helped the American colonists with the Revolutionary war?

Colonial Advantage 1

• Defense of their own land, principles, and beliefs

Colonial Advantage 2

• Support from France

Colonial Advantage 3

• Strong Leadership