THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION Chapter 22 Section 4

KEY TERMS  Checks and Balances  Federal system  Bill of Rights

BRITAIN AND ITS AMERICAN COLONIES  First settlement 1600  Colonies expanded rapidly  1770 population 2 million people  Land was plentiful and cheap  English class system largely absent  1651 passed Navigation Act- colonies had to sell most of their products to Britain

BRITAIN AND ITS AMERICAN COLONIES  Individuals could advance through hard work and intelligence  Mid 1770’s colonies established for 150 years  British subjects but allowed independence  Each colony had its own government  Began to identify with the colony and not Britain

FRENCH & INDIAN WAR  1760’s conflict between Britain/the colonies and France  1763 Britain wins the French and Indian War  War was expensive  Since removal of French benefited colonists, Britain wanted colonies to pay part of the costs with taxes

GROWING HOSTILITY LEADS TO WAR  1765 Parliament passed the Stamp Act  Official stamp must be on all documents  Newspapers  Legal documents  Other public papers  Colonial leaders were outraged  Taxes passed without representation in Parliament

GROWING HOSTILITY LEADS TO WAR  Boycotted English goods  Stamp Act repealed 1766  1767 British imposed new taxes  Glass  Paper  Paints  Teas

GROWING HOSTILITY LEADS TO WAR  Boston, Massachusetts one of the largest colonial cities called for another boycott  British sent troops to keep order in the city  Bostonians harassed troops on the street

GROWING HOSTILITY LEADS TO WAR  1770 British discipline snapped  Troops killed five men  Known as the Boston Massacre  Most of Townshend Acts repealed  Tax on tea remained

GROWING HOSTILITY LEADS TO WAR  1773 group of Bostonians called the Sons of Liberty dumped hundreds of crates of tea overboard  Boston Tea party  Britain closed Boston’s port  Passed the intolerable acts  Limited freedom in the colonies

THE INFLUENCES OF ENLIGHTENMENT  Colonists called the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia in 1774  Gave list of grievances to British government  Plan to reconcile differences with British was presented and voted down

REVOLUTION BEGINS  Sons of Liberty expected a war  Hid weapons in the countryside of Boston  April 1775 British troops marched out of Boston to Lexington and Concord to find the weapons

REVOLUTION BEGINS  April 19 British troops confront 75 colonial militiamen in Lexington  Shots rang out Revolution begins  Not all colonists were patriots  Many colonists remained loyal to England

THE INFLUENCES OF ENLIGHTENMENT  Common Sense written by Thomas Paine  Argued the colonies had grown and no longer needed Great Britain  They deserved independence  Helped patriots gain support for the cause of independence

THE INFLUENCES OF ENLIGHTENMENT  First war in which old ideas of government were challenged  Patriots created a nation built on the ideas of the Enlightenment

DECLARING INDEPENDENCE  Second Continental Congress 1776  Committee to write a Declaration of Independence  John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin were the leaders

DECLARING INDEPENDENCE  Jefferson used ideas from Locke and Rousseau  July 4, 1776 Declaration of Independence adopted by Continental Congress  Drew ideas from the English Bill of Rights  Right to trial  Right to elect members of parliament  Right to independent judicial system

SUCCESS FOR THE COLONISTS  George Washington assigned commanding general of the army  Americans had little money  Advantage of fighting on own land  British were over- confident  Began well for the Americans

SUCCESS FOR THE COLONISTS  Began poorly for the British  Americans positioned cannons overlooking Boston; British troops evacuated  British troops defeat Washington at the Battle of Long Island  Britain was three thousand miles away  War would be expensive for tax weary Britain

SUCCESS FOR COLONISTS  Benjamin Franklin was seeking a Treaty with France  Victory at Saratoga convinced the French to help colonists  Next two years Americans strengthened their forces

SUCCESS FOR COLONISTS  British strategy to divide the colonies in two  Charleston, South Carolina 1778  American made numerous attacks on the British

SUCCESS FOR COLONISTS  September 1781 French and American armies surrounded the British  After weeks of siege Lord Cornwallis and his troops surrendered at Yorktown  October 19, 1781 American colonists won their independence

AMERICA CREATES A REPUBLIC  September 1783 British signed the Treaty of Paris  Recognized America’s independence  Set up geographic boundaries for the United States  Received greater territory than the 13 colonies  Americans had to build a nation

A WEAK NATIONAL GOVERNMENT  Articles of Confederation  Approved 1781  Made national government weak (avoid abuses)  Government had no power to tax  Could not negotiate foreign treaties  Government was weak and ineffective

A NEW CONSTITUTION  1787 delegates met in Philadelphia  Constitutional Convention  George Washington presided  James Madison played a leading role  Delegates met for four months

THE CONSTITUTION  1787 signed the Constitution  1789 Constitution ratified  Constitution created a federal system of government  Federal system-certain powers are held by the federal government other powers reserved for the State government

THE CONSTITUTION  National government divided into three branches  Executive branch- the president power to carry out laws  Judicial branch- interprets the laws  Congress the legislative branch- makes the laws

THE CONSTITUTION  Congress has two branches  Lower house- House of Representatives  Upper house- the Senate  System of checks and balances so one branch does not become too powerful

THE CONSTITUTION  Influenced by the Enlightenment  Founding principle the government exists for the people  Reflects Locke and Rousseau  Idea of government by the consent of the people

THE BILL OF RIGHTS  Wanted protection for the rights of citizens  Bill of Rights- first ten amendments to the Constitution  Protect natural rights by Voltaire, Locke, and Rousseau  Freedom of speech and religion  Guarantees due process of law

IMPACT OF NATIONAL GOVERNMENT  America’s revolution had an impact on other countries  Turning point of people’s ideas about government  Expressed optimism that reason and reform could prevail  Monarchies and privileged classes didn’t give up power or position easily

IMPACT OF AMERICAN GOVERNMENT  Struggle to attain principles led to a revolution in France  French Revolution 1789  Inspired by the American people

NOTE REVIEW QUESTIONS 1) What was the significance of the colonists being so far away from Britain? 2) Why was the French and Indian War crucial to the cause of the American Revolution? 3) Explain Checks and balances and how does the Constitution display this philosophy? 4) Why was the battle of Saratoga so important to the Revolution? 5) What Rights did the Bill of rights give and why are these rights important? 6) List the events that led to the American Revolution and which one of these were the most important.?