The American Revolution

6-4

King George III

• King of England– Owned the 13 colonies– Controlled them– The people living in the

colonies thought of him as a tyrant

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

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

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

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”

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

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

• 2nd-Raise a militia• April 19, 1775: the 2 sides

exchanged gun fire in Lexington

George Washington

• British trained officer• Chosen to lead the

militia established by 2nd Continental Congress

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

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

American Success

Yorktown

• 1781• 9,500 colonists• 7,800 French• Trapped England and

Lord Cornwallis• Cornwallis surrendered

and America won its independence

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

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

The Constitution

National Government

Judicial Branch

Legislative Branch

Executive Branch

Checks and Balances

The Federal System• Power divided between national and state level

– Prevents national government from becoming too strong

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