1. UNIT 5: AMERICAN REVOLUTION
Essential Questions:
What makes something Revolutionary?
Why don’t the strongest always win?
What is a turning point?
What makes a leader great?
When is it time to quit?
How can fear create change?

2. TREATY OF PARIS 1763 ends the FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR
ENGLAND WINS: Victory was expensive
ENGLAND angry at the American colonists: WHY?
1. Colonists did not help win the war
2. Colonists were becoming too INDEPENDENT

3. TAXES! ENGLAND takes action!
England demands the colonies pay for the French and Indian War
HOW?
TAXES!
IMPORTANT: Americans love being British, they just don’t want to pay taxes directly to PARLIAMENT

4. Starting tomorrow you will have to pay $1 per day to use your locker.
LOCKER TAX
Starting tomorrow you will have to pay $1 per day to use your locker.
Is this fair?
Why is this a bad tax?
How would you fight this tax?

5. THE STAMP ACT All paper products would be taxed and receive a “stamp”
ENGLAND PUTS A DIRECT TAX ON THE COLONISTS:
THE STAMP ACT
All paper products would be taxed and receive a “stamp”

6. HOW CAN THE COLONISTS FIGHT ENGLAND?
1. “SONS OF LIBERTY”= Colonial radicals who are not afraid to use violence and intimidation
PROTESTS: Marches and rallies to unite the colonists
BOYCOTTS = NON-IMPORTATION

7. 3. BOYCOTTS OR NON-IMPORTATION
MOST EFFECTIVE
13 COLONIES are England’s
BIGGEST MARKET for finished goods
If they refuse to buy British goods they put ECONOMIC PRESSURE ON ENGLAND

9. A dummy dressed like the Stamp Collector is attacked
Colonial protest:
A dummy dressed like the Stamp Collector is attacked

10. Colonial protests work: THE STAMP ACT IS REPEALED!!!
What lesson did the colonists learn about violence and protests???

11. SELF-TEST Why did ENGLAND raise taxes on the colonies?
How could you argue that this was a dumb move?
Who were the Sons of Liberty?
Why is a boycott a great tool for the colonists to use against their mother country?
Why was the repeal of the Stamp Act a bad move for England?

12. ENGLAND does not like losing to their colonists so they pass:
THE DECLARATORY ACT
Declaring they can tax the colonies if they choose.
Why is this Act meaningless?

13. BOSTON MASSACRE?
UNRULY mob throws snowballs and garbage at British soldiers in Boston
Mob moves toward soldiers
Soldiers fire their weapons killing several people
Crispus Attucks: Free Black man killed
WAS IT A MASSACRE????????????

14. PROPAGANDA

15. MOST OF THE SOLDIERS FOUND NOT GUILTY
PROPAGANDA
The “Boston Massacre” is an example of PROPAGANDA: A message intended to persuade the audience
Colonists call it a MASSACRE to get popular support.
The mob did threaten the soldiers
MOST OF THE SOLDIERS FOUND NOT GUILTY
One was defended by John Adams!

16. BOSTON TEA PARTY England sends CHEAP TEA to the colonies……….
But it still has a small TAX
SONS OF LIBERTY
Dress like Indians and dump the tea into the harbor!

17. ENGLAND UPSET WITH “TEA PARTY”
England passes INTOLERABLE ACTS:
1. SHUTS DOWN BOSTON HARBOR
2. TEA MUST BE PAID FOR
3. MORE “REDCOATS” BRITISH SOLDIERS SENT TO THE COLONIES

18. 1st Continental Congress
COLONISTS meet in PHILADELPHIA and promise to support BOSTON:
NO TALK OF REBELLION
SWEAR LOYALTY TO THE KING!

19. THE SHOT HEARD AROUND THE WORLD
LEXINGTON and CONCORD
The Brits send soldiers to the countryside around Boston to round up the weapons of MINUTEMEN MILITIA (Citizen soldiers)
Paul Revere rides to the countryside to warn everyone, “The Redcoats are coming!”

21. The Redcoats get to Lexington
Someone fires and a battle begins! Rebels run
British march to Concord and then head back to Boston
On the road back to Boston the colonist use GUERRILLA TACTICS (HIT AND RUN) and smash the British

22. NO TURNING BACK! WAR WAR The shots fired at Lexington and Concord
The slaughter of British troops on the march back to Boston are the breaking points.
WORDS WILL NOT SETTLE THESE DIFFERENCES NOW IT IS
WAR

23. 1. Fighting for a cause they believe in 2. Possible help from France
BRITISH ADVANTAGE
AMERICAN ADVANTAGES
1. World’s Best NAVY
2. Professional ARMY
3. Rich!
4. Hired soldiers from Germany HESSIANS
1. Fighting for a cause they believe in
2. Possible help from France
3. Didn’t have to beat the Brits; just not lose to them
BRITISH DISADVANTAGES
1. 3,000 miles away from America
2. Fighting a GUERRILLA WAR
3. War not popular in England
AMERICAN DISADVANTAGES
1. No Navy
2. No professional army
3. POOR
4. Mixed support for the war (1/3 LOYALISTS)

24. LOYALISTS / TORIES: Colonists that stayed loyal to England
PATRIOTS: Colonists that rebelled against England

25. Colonists run away when they run out of bullets
Battle of Bunker Hill: British foolishly charge up a hill to attack a Rebel position.
Colonists run away when they run out of bullets
British “win” the battle but suffer 1,000 casualties

26. LESSONS FROM BUNKER HILL
BOSTON 1775
British learn that the war will NOT BE EASY
British learn that old style tactics will not work against in a guerrilla war

27. 2nd Continental Congress
2CC meets (all 13 colonies attend)
Meet to deal with the results of LEXINGTON AND CONCORD
GEORGE WASHINGTON chosen commander of Colonial forces

28. Why Washington????
SOUTHERNER: Shows this is not just a “Massachusetts” conflict
Military Experience?: French and Indian War
His GREATEST QUALITY:
PERSISTENCE: Washington never quits. He is not a great field general as much as he is a great leader

29. British Strategy to win the war: Divide and Conquer
England wanted to split the colonies
Along the HUDSON RIVER
Connect MONTREAL AND NYC
THE GOAL: Separate NEW ENGLAND from the SOUTH
Step 1: Capture New York City
JULY 1776 Brits crush Washington and take the City

31. The Declaration of Independence
Colonies officially declare their INDEPENDENCE FROM ENGLAND
JULY 4, 1776
Southerners make sure that slavery is not discussed in the Declaration

32. October 1776 British leave MONTREAL hoping to make it to NYC
Battle of Valcour: Benedict Arnold builds a small fleet of ships and fights the Brits.
Brits decide to return to MONTREAL and wait until 1777 to try again.

34. Washington Crossing the Delaware
Dec Washington attacks 1,000
Hessians at TRENTON in a surprise attack on Christmas Eve.
One of Washington’s few victories of the war. Huge morale booster
Washington Crossing the Delaware

35. 1777
America adopts a FLAG
Valley Forge: Washington spends a tough winter in Pennsylvania
British capture Philadelphia: Congress runs away

36. 1777 Saratoga: TURNING POINT OF THE WAR
British general Burgoyne gets trapped deep in New York.
He loses his entire army (over 5,000 men!) to the colonists
Huge American victory convinces the French to support the colonists

37. Phase II:
NY & PA [ ]

38. 1778 France forms an alliance with America
Why?
Saratoga proved that the American army was for real
They hate England
Anything that hurts England is good for France
What does America get?
Money
Ships and Soldiers

39. Phase III: The Southern Strategy [1780-1781]
LATER WAR
The British shift the war to the South.
The campaign is not effective
British Army ends up in Yorktown Virginia
Phase III: The Southern Strategy [ ]

40. British General Cornwallis Puts his troops on the Yorktown
Peninsula, Virginia.
He assumes this will be safe because
The British Navy can pick them up.
The French let the US borrow their fleet
And finally put their soldiers into battle.
The French blockade the Chesapeake
And a combined French and American
ARMY surround Yorktown.
General Cornwallis is forced to surrender to GEORGE WASHINGTON.

41. The Battle of Yorktown (1781)
Count de Rochambeau
Admiral De Grasse