SSUSH3 The student will explain the primary causes of the American Revolution.

a. Explain how the end of Anglo-French imperial competition as seen in the French and Indian War and the 1763 Treaty of Paris laid the groundwork for the American Revolution.

• The Treaty of Paris (1763), which ended the French and Indian War, forced France to turn over control of Canada to Great Britain.

• France also surrendered its claim to all land east of the Mississippi River, with the exception of the city of New Orleans.

• The treaty gave the British government control of all of Britain’s American colonies. The colonists objected to the loss of control over their own affairs, and some Americans began to think about an American revolution.

• Tensions grew when Parliament passed laws to tax the colonists to pay for the cost of keeping a large standing army in North America that would protect both Britain’s possessions and the American colonists from attacks.

• Tensions increased with the Proclamation of 1763, by which Americans were forbidden from settling beyond the Appalachian Mountains, in an effort to limit their conflicts with Native Americans

Taxing the Colonists

• It started when the British Prime Minister George Greenville passed the Sugar Act

Taxing the Colonists -Stamp Act

• 1765• Required colonists to purchase special

“stamped” paper• Stamp = tax• This is a direct tax• Things requiring a stamp:

– Legal documents– Licenses– Newspaper– Pamphlets– Almanacs– Special duties on playing cards and dice

• If you didn’t pay the tax, you were sent to a vice-admiralty court where you were likely to be convicted

b. Explain colonial response to such British actions as the Proclamation of 1763, the Stamp Act, and the Intolerable Acts as seen in Sons and Daughters of Liberty and Committees of Correspondence.

Protesting the Stamp Act

• Sons of Liberty– A secret resistance group was formed in Boston– Founded by Samuel Adams– Harass customs workers, stamp agents, royal governors

• Patrick Henry– Passes resolution in the Virginia assembly stating that

Virginians could only be taxed by the Virginia assembly• Stamp Act Congress

– Meeting in NYC in Oct 1765 of delegates from 9 colonies

– Issues a “Declaration of Rights and Grievances” which said that Parliament couldn’t tax the colonies since they were not represented in Parliament

• Boycotts– Merchants in New York, Boston, and Philadelphia

agree not to import good from Britain until the Stamp Act is repealed

Result of the Protests

• Parliament repeals (removal of a law) the Stamp Act in March 1766

• On the same day Parliament passes another law…

• DECLARATORY ACT– Parliament has the right to make laws “to bind the

colonies and people of American. . . in all cases whatsoever.”

– This is a statement saying that Parliament can tax the colonies for ANY reason they want at ANY time.

Townshend Acts

• Charles Townshend decides a new method is needed for gaining revenue from the colonies

• Proposes new tax laws• Townshend Acts (1767)– These are indirect taxes (you pay the tax without

knowing it)– Imported goods are taxed that come from Britain• Glass, lead, paint, paper

– 3 penny sales tax on tea (most popular drink)

Reaction to the Townshend Acts• Colonists are outraged• “Taxation without Representation”

– Slogan colonists used in protest• Samuel Adams (Sons of Liberty) calls for another boycott of British

goods– Women are important in this protest, they give up buying feathers, fur,

sattins, capes– Women organize SPINNING BEES

• They make their own cloth in the colonies

– Tea is boycotted• British agents seize John Hancock’s ship the Liberty in 1768

– They claim the Hancock had smuggled wine and didn’t pay taxes on it– Some colonists riot against this seizure– 2,000 British soldier (Red Coats) are sent to Boston

The Boston Massacre

• Colonists are not happy with the presence of British troops in Boston– Main Reason: Competition for jobs

• Red Coats would look for extra work on their off-duty hours

• March 5, 1770– That afternoon a fight broke out over jobs– That evening an angry mob gathered outside of the Customs

House and began to taunt the guards– The gathering gets very tense and the guards fire into the crowd– 5 colonists are killed– Samuel Adams and other begin calling it the “BOSTON MASSACRE”

making it seem like a British attack on unarmed citizens

Tea Act

• The British East India Company has a monopoly on tea imports

• The company is hurting financially because of the boycotts– 17 million pounds of surplus tea in the warehouse– Facing bankruptcy

• Tea Act: gives the British East India Company rights to sell tea in the colonies free of the taxes– Britain hopes colonists will buy this cheaper tea

• Colonists protest this attempt

Committees of Correspondence

• In reaction of the Boston Massacre and other issues with Britain, Massachusetts and Virginia set up a committee

• The purpose of the COMMITTEES OF CORRESPONDENCE is to communicate to the other colonies about the growing threat to American liberties

• This is important because it creates a communication network among all of the colonies keeping them all informed

Boston Tea Party• December 16, 1773• Sons of Liberty dress as Indians and board 3 tea ships in Boston

Harbor• Dump 18,000 pounds of tea into the harbor in protest of the Tea Act

British Response

• King George III is furious when he find out about the tea being destroyed

• Intolerable Acts: Passed by Parliament in response to the Boston Tea Party– Boston Harbor is shut down– Quartering Act: Forced colonists to house British

soldiers in private vacant homes– British General Thomas Gage is made Governor of

Massachusetts– Boston is placed under MARTIAL LAW (military rule)

Intolerable Acts

First Continental Congress

• Meeting scheduled by the Committees of Correspondence in Philadelphia (1774)

• 56 delegates from the colonies meet and write a DECLARATION OF COLONIAL RIGHTS– Colonists state that they should run their own affairs– Colonists support the protests in Massachusetts– If the British use force against the colonists, they will

fight back• Make plans to meet again in 1775 if demands of

the declaration are not met

Minutemen

• Colonists in New England towns begin to make military preparations for fighting

• Minutemen– Civilian soldiers– Begin to stockpile weapons– Prepare to fight if needed– Must be ready to fight at a

“minutes” notice

British Response to the Minutemen

• General Thomas Gage gets reports that the Minutemen are stockpiling weapons outside of Boston

• March 1775: Gates sends agents to Concord to find out the locations of the arsenal– Return with maps showing locations of the stockpiles

and reports that John Hancock and Samuel Adams were staying in Lexington.

• Plans are made to march to Concord to get the weapons

“The Regulars are Coming!”

• Minutemen find out the British are planning to march to Concord by going through Lexington

• April 18, 1775: “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere”– Paul Revere, William Dawes, and Samuel Prescott

ride through the towns spreading the alarm that 700 British regulars were headed their way

• Paul Revere and William Dawes are captured and questioned

Lexington• April 19, 1775• Redcoats reach Lexington• Met by 70 Minutemen on the village green• British order the Minutemen to leave• Minutemen begin putting down their weapons and leave• The Revolutionary War begins

– Someone fires a shot– British soldiers fire on the Minutemen

• 8 Minutemen are killed, 10 wounded– Only 1 British soldier injured

• The British continue on to Concord• Event is referred to as: “The Shot Heard Round the World”

Concord

• When the British arrive in Concord they find the arsenals to be empty

• Begin marching back to Boston• 3,000-4,000 Minutemen fire on the Redcoats

from behind stone walls and trees• British forced to retreat to Boston

Second Continental Congress• May 1775• Location: Philadelphia• Discuss the fighting of Lexington and Concord

and what to do next– John Adams suggests that each colony declare

their independence• Many other colonies disagree and want reconciliation

with Britain

– The Minutemen are recognized as the CONTIENTAL ARMY and George Washington is named their commander• Veteran of the French and Indian War• Most of the Continental Army are poorly trained

farmers

– Congress authorizes the printing of paper money to pay their troops

– Committee is formed to deal with foreign nations

Battle of Bunker Hill

• General Thomas Gage decides to strike the militia that was stationed on Breed’s Hill north of Boston near Bunker Hill

• June 17, 1775: Gage and his troops start marching up Breed’s Hill in a line formation

• The colonists hold their fire until the last minute, then shot at the Redcoats

• After three waves of advances the British finally take the hill– Colonists ran out of ammunition

• RESULT:– British suffer 1,000 casualties– Colonists lose 450

Olive Branch Petition• July 1775: Second Continental

Congress is preparing for war, but hoping for a peaceful solution

• Many of the colonists feel a deep loyalty to King George III

• Olive Branch Petition:– Document sent to the king– Colonists attempt to restore peace

with the King and Britain• RESULT:

The Olive Branch Petition is rejected by the King– King George III issues a

proclamation calling the colonies in Rebellion

– Begins a naval blockade of the coast

Common Sense• 1775: Thomas Paine writes a 50 page

pamphlet called Common Sense– Attacks King George III– Says that the time has come for

colonists to become INDEPENDENT– Independence would allow the colonies

to freely trade with other nations– America could create a better society –

free of tyranny, with equality and economic opportunities for all

• RESPONSE: Common Sense sells 500,000 copies– Is credited with making the idea of

independence more popular among the colonists

c. Explain the importance of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense to the movement for independence.

SSUSH4 The student will identify the ideological, military,

and diplomatic aspects of the American Revolution.

• a. Explain the language, organization, and intellectual sources of the Declaration of Independence; include the writing of John Locke and the role of Thomas Jefferson

Declaring Independence• Several colonies have made

decisions to support independence• June 7, 1776: Richard Henry Lee of

Virginia proposes the following– “these United Colonies are, and of a

right ought to be, free and independent States.”

– This is known as the LEE RESOLUTION

• The Second Continental Congress appoints a committee to write a declaration explaining the reasons for their independence– Thomas Jefferson is chosen by the

committee to write the declaration

Declaration of Independence• Written by Thomas Jefferson

– He used the ideas of John Locke• “Natural Rights”• “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness”• Governments get their powers from the people they govern• People have the right “to alter or to abolish” any government that takes away their

rights

– He also creates a list of how the King has violated their “unalienable rights”– “All men are created equal”

• Free citizens are political equals• No guarantee of equal wealth• Didn’t include women, Native Americans, African American slaves

– In the original draft he attacks slavery, but it is dropped after Georgia and South Carolina object

• Adopted on July 4, 1776

SSUSH 4: The student will identify the ideological, military, and diplomatic aspects of the American

Revolution

• c. Analyze George Washington as a military leader; include the creation of a professional military and the life of a common soldier, and describe the significance of the crossing of the Delaware River and Valley Forge

Choosing Sides

PATRIOTS• Supporters of independence• Wanted economic opportunities

not provided by the British• Farmers, artisans, merchants,

land owners• Some immigrants• Make up about 50% of the

population• Quakers support the Patriot

cause but don’t fight because they don’t believe in war

LOYALISTS• Oppose independence, wish to remain

loyal to the British Crown• People who had worked for the British

government, lived far away from any conflict with the British

• Some support the Loyalists because they feel the British will win the war and didn’t want to be punished as rebels

• Promise slaves their freedom when they win the war

• Native Americans support the British because the colonists are a threat to their land

Battle of Trenton• December 25, 1776 (Christmas

night)• Washington leads a risky raid across

the icy Delaware River• March nine miles through sleet and

snow to get to Trenton, New Jersey• Hessian troops are asleep after a

night of heavy drinking• Washington leads a surprise attack

on the Hessians– 30 Hessians killed– 918 taken captive– Americans take 6 cannons

• Washington gets another victory 8 days later at Princeton, NJ– Defeats 1,200 British

Philadelphia

• Spring 1777: British General Howe makes plans to seize the American capital of Philadelphia

• The Continental Congress is forced to flee the city

• Washington and his Army try to stop the British at Brandywine Creek, but lose

• General Howe takes the city of Philadelphia

Battle of Saratoga• British General John Burgoyne plans to lead an army from Canada to Albany, NY

– 4,000 soldiers– 3,000 mercenaries (hired fighters)– 1,000 Mohawk Indians– 30 wagons with 138 pieces of artillery and personal items

• He would meet Howe’s army coming from NYC, cutting New England off from the rest of the colonies

• Burgoyne is slowed down by swamps, gullies, and brush. Food supplies begin to run low.

• Americans begin attacking Burgoyne and his troops, weakening them– General Horatio Gates– Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys

• General Burgoyne didn’t realize that Howe was not coming to help him, he was in Philadelphia

• Burgoyne and his troops are surrounded at SARATOGA– Surrenders to Horatio Gates on October 17, 1777

The French Help

• The French and British are rivals• The French had secretly sent weapons to the

Patriot since early 1776• The American victory at SARATOGA gave the

French confidence to fully support the Americans in the Revolutionary War.

• 1778: Treaty of alliance is signed

Paying for the War• Second Continental Congress first used gold and silver until they run

out• They then borrow money through selling BONDS to investors and

foreign countries• They also printed money called CONTINENTALS

– They print so much of it that it is worthless– This causes INFLATION (rising prices)

• Profiteering:– Some Americans begin smuggling rare goods for high profits

Involvement of Women and Slaves

• Women– Make ammunition– Some follow husbands to the battlefield to wash, mend,

cook– Ludwig Hays McCauly:

• Took her husbands place at the cannon when he was wounded

• Nicknamed “Molly Pitcher”• Took pitchers of water to soldiers

• Slaves:– 5,000 serve in the Continental Army

Valley Forge

• Location outside of Philadelphia where Washington and the Continental Army spend the winter of 1777-1778

• Very poor conditions:– Poor clothing: worn out shoes, torn clothing– Little food– Live in poorly constructed huts– Freezing temperatures

• Low point for General Washington and his troops• 2,000 out of Washington’s 10,000 died.

SSUSH4 The student will identify the ideological, military, and diplomatic aspects of the American Revolution.

=b. Explain the reason for and significance of the French alliance and foreign assistance and the roles of Benjamin Franklin and the Marquis de Lafayette.

Friedrich von Steuben• Prussian captain • Joins Washington at Valley Forge• Volunteered his experience as a

drillmaster to help George Washington train his troops

• Washington’s troops were poorly trained and not very disciplined.

• Things he teaches:– How to stand at attention– How to execute field maneuvers– How to fire and reload quickly– How to fight using bayonets

Marquis de Lafayette

• 20 year old French military leader

• Joins Washington at Valley Forge

• Asked the French for reinforcements in 1779

• Led a command in Virginia towards the end of the war

The British Focus on the South• After losing Saratoga, the French focus on the South.

– They hoped the Loyalists there would help them– They could then move North and take the other colonies

• 1778: British take Savannah, Georgia– Control the whole state by 1779

• May 1780: British General Henry Clinton and Charles Cornwallis sail south with 8,500 men– Capture Charles Town– Clinton goes back to NY, leaves Cornwallis in charge to capture North and

South Carolina• August 1780: Cornwallis and the British defeat Americans at

Camden, South Carolina• Cornwallis then turns his attention to North Carolina where he is

attacked by Patriot groups

British Losses

• Washington sends Nathaniel Green to the south to harass Cornwallis, he splits his force into two groups– Cornwallis attacks at Guilford Court House, NC– Cornwallis wins battle, but he loses ¼ of his men

• Daniel Morgan leads 600 soldiers into South Carolina– Gets a victory over the British at Cowpens, SC (1781)

• Weakened, Cornwallis moves his troops to Yorktown, Virginia

Yorktown• The Americans and French

move to surround Cornwallis and his troops at Yorktown

• The French Navy blocks the Chesapeake Bay, preventing the British Navy from bringing Cornwallis reinforcements.

• The Americans and French bombard the British for three weeks

• October 17, 1781: Cornwallis raises the white flag of surrender

Treaty of Paris- 1783• Peace talks are held in

Paris• Nations involved: U.S.,

Great Britain, France, Spain

• American Negotiators: John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay

• Outcome:– Confirmed that the

U.S. is an independent nation

– Set boundaries (Atlantic to Mississippi River, Canada to Florida border)

– European nations now recognize the United States as an independent country.