Chapter 6 Section 4 The American Revolution Objective: Compare the events that led to the American Revolution & the influence of Enlightenment ideas on American government Vocabulary: Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, Checks & Balances, Federal System, & Bill of Rights

Setting the Stage The Glorious Revolution of 1688 had given England a constitutional monarchy A growing number of England’s colonists in North America accused England of tyrannical rule The glorious revolution was the bloodless overthrow of James II with his daughter & her husband What was their name?

Britain & Its American Colonies When George III became king of Great Britain, their North American colonies had a population of 2 million Colonists in North America began to develop their own government & people were use to a great degree of independence Britain passed the Navigation Act which prevented colonists from selling their most valuable products to any country except Britain Economically the colonies thrived on trade with the nations of Europe What was the name of the transatlantic trading network were goods were carried between Africa, England, & the colonies in North America? However, they were still British subjects & were expected to obey British law. How might the colonist feel about the Navigation Act? Colonists had to pay high taxes on imported French & Dutch goods

Americans Win Independence French & Indian War erupted on the North American continent between the French & British in 1754 Although they were victorious, it led to growing tensions between Britain & its colonists In 1765, Parliament passed the Stamp Act, where colonists had to pay a tax to have an official stamp placed on products to sell The colonists accused the British government of “taxation without representation” The French enlisted numerous Native Americans tribes to fight on their side Britain expected colonists to help pay for the cost of the war The colonists said they were not being represented in what body of government in England?

Growing Hostility Leads to War In 1773, to protest an import tax on tea, a group of colonists dumped a large load of British tea into Boston Harbor Representatives from each colony called the Continental Congress gathered to decide their next move April 19, 1775, British soldiers & American militiamen exchanged gunfire in Lexington, Massachusetts, sparking the American Revolution What was this protest called? Boston Tea Party Britain’s navy closed the harbor, which upset the moderate colonists Representatives were called the First/Second Continental Congress

The Influence of the Enlightenment Colonists used Enlightenment ideas to justify independence In July 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence declaring the colonies separate from Britain The declaration was firmly based on the ideas of John Locke The colonists said they were justified to revolt because the king didn’t provide them their rights George had broken the Social Contract & the people had the right to revolt against the English What was John Locke’s 3 natural rights? What rights do we declare in the Declaration of Independence? “We Hold These Truths to be self-evident” Declaration of Independence included a long list of George III’s abuses – Signed on July 4th 1776

Success for the Colonists Although they faced the most powerful country in the world, the colonists were victorious The Americans motivation for fighting was stronger than that of the British British generals made several mistakes The Americans also had all the time in the world, since the British were 3000 miles away from their home Louis XVI of France also sent aid to the colonist with the hope of weakening Great Britain How was the colonists motivation for fighting stronger than Britain? Defending their homeland

Americans Create a Republic The 13 individual states recognized the need for a national government In 1781, they ratified the Articles of Confederation America became a republic, a government in which citizens rule through elected representatives Which ancient civilization had a republic?

A Weak National Government The Articles established only one body of government, the Congress Each state, had one vote in Congress There were many issues with the national government, including the fact it was weak It was a loose confederation of the states 9 of the 13 states States issues their own money & states put taxes on goods from neighboring states

A New Constitution In 1787, Congress approved a Constitutional Convention to revise the Articles of Confederation The 55 delegates were experienced statesmen familiar with enlightenment ideas At the conference, the delegates argued over important issues & produced compromises They were familiar with the political ideas of the enlightenment thinkers List some of the famous enlightened thinkers. 4 months the delegates argued over important questions They threw out the Articles of Confederation & started over.

The Federal System They established 3 separate branches which provided a built-in system of checks & balances Although this new Constitution created a strong central government The Constitution set up a federal system in which power was divided between national & state governments What are the 3 branches of government?

The Bill of Rights The Constitution needed approval from 9 out of the 13 states Supporters of the Constitution were called Federalists & their opponents were called the Antifederalists To gain support, Congress formally added the Bill of Rights to the Constitution The Bill of Rights protected basic rights as freedom of speech, press, assembly, & religion Both the Bill of Rights & Constitution put the Enlightenment ideas into practice Madison wrote the Federalist Papers