American Revolution

United States  Purpose for fighting  Poorly trained Military  Lack of money  Home Field advantage  Weak leadership until George Washington

Great Britain  Strongest Navy and Army in the world  Superior leadership  No allied support  Home across the ocean  Had to supply own materials and supplies

 ’s- America was broken and settled by the French, British, and Spanish  Colonies were mostly British  French and Indian War  The French will give the Great Lakes area to the British  The British will have the area from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River  Will end with the Treaty of Paris

 The British Government felt that the colonist should help pay for the war costs  King George III   King of Great Britain and Ireland  Son of Fredrick, Prince of Wales

Acts and Taxes  To help pay for the war the colonist were given taxes and acts  Sugar Act  1764  Taxed Sugar and other Imports  Stamp Act  1765  Taxed anything printed

 “ No taxation without representation”  Loyalties divided among the colonist  Patriots- wanted independence from Great Britain and were willing to fight for it  Loyalists- opposed independence and wanted to stay part of Britain

Boston Tea Party  1773  East India Tea Company  Only place Colonist can buy the tea  Monopoly  Sons of Liberty dress up as Native Americans and dump the tea into the harbor  Dumping the tea off the side of the ships

Intolerable Act  1774  Numerous acts and taxes passed by Parliament  Was in response to the Boston Tea Party  King George wanted to punish the colonist  Will infringe upon the civil liberties of the colonist

1775  British troops marched to take over arsenals  Lexington and Concord  Capture leaders of the Sons of Liberty  Patriots are waiting for them  First shots fired

Declaration of Independence  Write a letter to King George III  Representatives of the colonies meet  Reasons why they revolted  List of grievances against the King  Written by Thomas Jefferson  Influenced by John Locke  Natural Law  “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”  Signed July 4,1776

Battle of Saratoga  October 1777  Turning point of the war  France enters the war as the U.S ally

Battle of Yorktown  1781  Last battle of the Revolutionary War

Treaty of Paris  1783  Benjamin Franklin negotiates peace  Americans gain more territory

Articles of Confederation  1777  Founding fathers met to establish  1 st form of government in the United States  Weak-Americans feared a strong central government  Like England's  Wanted to ensure individual rights and freedoms  States have more power  National government couldn’t do anything for the good of the nation as a whole

Constitutional Convention  May 1787  State delegates meet to “revise” the Articles of Confederation  Writes a whole new Constitution  United States federal system of government  Idea of Hobbes, Locke, and Montesquieu

3 Branches of Government  Executive  President  Enforces laws  Legislative  Congress  Makes laws  Two houses  House of Representatives  Senate  Judicial  Supreme court  Interprets laws  Check and Balances

Bill of Rights  First 10 amendments of the Constitution  Protects Civil liberties