Origins of American Government Uniting for Independence

The Colonies Run Themselves The colonists owed their loyalty to the crown The colonial legislatures were used to dealing with the everyday thing due to the fact that Great Britain is 3,000 miles across the Atlantic

2 Things Change French and Indian War 11754 – 1763 OOver land in PA & OH GGreat Britain wins OOther countries involved George III becomes king HHe has a different idea about the ways the colonies should be governed

Taxation George put these in place to pay for the war Stamp Act (1765)  Taxes on legal documents, pamphlets, newspapers, dice, and playing cards  Colonists didn’t like it

Taxation Boston Tea Party (1773)  DRESSED AS Mohawk Indians  343 chests of tea into Boston Harbor Intolerable Acts (Coersive Acts)  One closed Boston Harbor  One said Massachusetts could not govern itself

Uniting the Colonies Albany Plan of Union (1754)  Too much power to assembly People begin to think of themselves as Americans Stamp Act Congress (1765)  Petition to the king Committees of correspondence (1773)  Urged resistance against British

1 st Continental Congress After Intolerable Acts September 5, 1774 All 13 except Georgia Philadelphia Put an embargo in place Proposed a meeting for next year if things did not change

2 nd Continental Congress Happened after “the shot heard round the world” AApril 19, weeks later Philadelphia Served as acting government JJohn Hancock (President) GGeorge Washington (commander of the Continental Army)

Independence Richard Henry Lee  Wrote a resolution saying the colonies were independent of Great Britain Committee formed to write a declaration  Adams  Franklin  Jefferson  Livingston  Sherman

The Declaration of Independence Lee’s resolution was passed on July 2, 1776 Jefferson’s draft was passed on July 4, 1776 Signed by 56 people Actually titled: “The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America”

3 Parts to the Declaration Part 1: a purpose of statement and basic human rights Part 2: lists specific complaints against King George III Part 3: says that the colonists’ are determined to separate from Great Britain

1 st State Constitutions By 1776, 10 of the states had adopted written constitutions By a few years, all the former colonies has new or transformed constitutions All of them introduced a limited government where the people are the authority