American Revolution & Constitution Key Points from Videos

Video #1 Tea, Taxes, and the American Revolution  Started with the end of the 7 years or French & Indian War  1763 = Victory for Great Britain  More land acquired and more $$$  Great Britain in debt as a result of the 7 yrs War  Needed $$$ to pay off --- colonists told the crown that was their problem  G.B. enacted the Stamp Act  G.B. kept a military presence in colonies to enforce policy  Colonists were unhappy with both ---- cried TYRANNY! & considered this TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION!  Stamp Act repealed but more were passed  1770 = Boston Massacre (only 5 died – what a massacre)  1773 = Boston Tea Party ($1 mill worth of tea in the Boston Harbor)

Video #1 Tea, Taxes, and the American Revolution  Protests + Taxation w/out Rep. led to Committees of Correspondence  Regulated and enforced policy (They were governing!)  Led to the 1 st Continental Congress & Declaration of Independence  By the 1 st shot, most colonies were already self-governing  Men that wrote the D. of I. were primarily concerned about property rights because they owned the property and wanted to protect it! (Slaves were also property – 30% of the population were slaves)  20% of the colonists remained loyal (Loyalists)  Slaves supported Great Britain  Promised freedom  Outlawed slavery long before America

Video #1 Tea, Taxes, and the American Revolution  Post American Revolution Ideals  Equality  Life  Liberty  Protection of Property  What made the American Revolution revolutionary?  First to establish a government that wasn’t monarchial in nature (King & Queen)

Video #2 Who won the American Revolution  British Tactics  Capture cities (i.e. Boston, New York, Charleston  Force colonists to surrender  Colonists held onto the countryside/used guerilla warfare  Two important battles  Battle of Trenton  Battle of Saratoga  1781 – Battle of Yorktown – turning point - Colonists won the war  Not everyone supported the war and slaves saw it as an opportunity  Quakers were Pacifists (took their land because of it)  100,000 slaves fled to Great Britain

Video #2 Who won the American Revolution  Native Americans fought for both sides  Still got the short end of the stick – ended up with nothing  White women also fought… and what did the get?  Nothing!!!!  American Revolution  Didn’t end slavery  Women’s roles didn’t change  Rich white men remained in power  What did the American Revolution do?  Established ideals that started and continues to start movements.  The ideas of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

Video #2 Who won the American Revolution  Established states  Led to individual state constitutions  Led to more people voting  Established true religious freedom  Thomas Jefferson separated church and state  Changed the economy  Individual liberties led to a decrease in apprenticeships/indentured servitude  Separated the North and South  North relied on paid labor  South relied on slavery

Video #3 The Constitution  1788 – 1 st Presidential Election  Did not have an original form of government  1 st was the Articles of Confederation  Lasted 10 years  1 house body of delegates  Each state had one vote  9/13 states (2/3) needed to pass policy  Declare War  Conduct foreign affairs  Make treaties  Coin money  Could not collect taxes (Created Chaos!!!!)

Video #3 The Constitution  Because A. of C. allowed treaty making --- led to  New Ordinance of 1787  Established 5 New States (couldn’t own slaves)  Fallout from not collecting Taxes!  Put the states in a mound of debt  Shay’s Rebellion  Farmers that rose up to stop the courts from foreclosing on their farms due to debt  Allowed too much democratic liberty for the lower classes which threatened private property  All this led to the 1786 meeting in Annapolis, MD to revise the A. of C.

Video #3 The Constitution  Only 6 delegates showed – agreed to meet again the fowling year  1787 – The Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia  55 men; rich; >50% college educated; 40% veterans (The Elite of the Elite!)  Agreed to a Republican form of govt. w/ 3 branches  Legislative – Congress – House of Representatives & Senate  Executive - President  Judiciary – Supreme Court  Idea was too protect from tyranny by the govt. or the people  Great Compromise led to the 2 House Agreement

Video #3 The Constitution  Congress  House of Representatives (Today = 435 seats)  For the people  Serve for 2 years  # each state is allocated depends on population of the state  Senate  Who knows who they are for???  Serve for 6 years w/ a 1/3 up for election every 2 years  Created a Separation of Powers  Checks & Balances  Legislative Branch (Congress) passes laws  President can veto  Judicial Branch can void any law (mind you this is not in the Constitution – they made it up!)

Video #3 The Constitution  The idea of the Constitution  Create a national & state government  Electoral College to avoid too much democracy  Took 9/13 states to ratify (or approve)  The wealthy rich wrote the Federalist Papers to convince states to vote for  The commoners wrote the Anti-Federalist Papers to convince states to vote against  The rich won… The poor lost (sound familiar)