American Revolution

1
American Revolution

• The teen colonies rebel
• (no surprises here, except we won!)

2
objectives

• Explain the causes and effects of the American
  Revolution
• Explain the role of the enlightenment on the
  American Revolution

3
Think of it as a power struggle

• Britain really want America to accept their power
  and authority
• The problem is that they have been an absent-T
  land lord for the past 100 years
• America has grown in a different direction
  heavily influenced by the French enlightenment
  and the British hate the French
• It is all about parents (British) getting the
  children (colonies) to do something they do not
  want to do (pay taxes)

4
The characters

• Mom and Pops played by Great Britain
• The uncooperative children played by the13
  colonies and their governments
• The bad influences played by the enlightened
  ideas (French)

5
Benign neglect or salutary neglect

• American had been left alone for over 100 years
  (mom and pops were living it up they had won the
  lottery with colonization)
• America was self-governing and self sufficient
  ( the children had been left home alone)
• Overrun with smugglers for every possible good
  (mom and pop had no clue)
• America knew what freedom was and was accustomed
  to self government

6
Treatment of colonies

• British has passed many laws in America that were
  not enforced, taxes were ignored (the children
  are misbehaving)
• Britain protected the American colonies from
  being overtaken by the natives and most recently
  the French (French and Indian War)
• Britain wanted repayment for its protection and
  was attempting to regain lost power in the
  colonies

7
The British try to take charge in America

• The Stamp act
• First to tax the people directly
• Stamp for all legal documents
• Disobeying the law vice admiralty courts - no
  jury
• Resulted in loss of respect for the king and his
  office holders

8
Response to the stamp act

• Sons of liberty
• 1765 demonstrated and protested against the act
• No stamps were sold
• Declaration of rights and Grievances

9
Stamp protest

• What does this mean?
• Why is the stamp a skull and crossbones?

10
Declaration of Rights and Grievances

• The colonist defense against the stamp act
• Stated Parliament had no power to tax the
  colonies because they are not represented in
  parliament
• The colonies act as one
• Act repealed

11
The 2nd attempt

• 1767-Townshend act
• Indirect taxes on the rich
• Glass, lead paint, paper
• These are luxury goods. Who cares if we tax the
  rich? Right?
• Tea tax

12
American Response

• Response to the Townshend act
• Organized resistance
• Boycotts-drink coffee
• No taxation without representation

13
The British fight back

• Increased military presence
• Competition for jobs
• Fist fight in a shipyard
• The Boston Massacre
• 5 people die in the MASSACRE

14
The Massacre propaganda
15
The Townshend act repealed

• They leave the tea tax
• America rioters were to be taken to England for
  trial
• Will not pay tax on tea
• Boston tea party

16
America Responds

• Committees of correspondence
• Mass and Vig
• Communication line for colonies to report threats
  on American liberties
• 1774 most colonies involved

17
The Boston tea party

• 1773 British East India Trading company pay no
  taxes on their tea
• Undersell colonial tea merchants-or smugglers
• Another protest-dec 18, 1773

18
The Boston tea party

• 50 members of the SOL
• 3 Ships-the Beaver, Eleanor, Dartmouth/dressed as
  Indians
• 9659 sterling into the water
• We will not accept British authority

19
Boston Tea Party
20
British react

• King George III
• 1774 the intolerable acts passed
• Shut down Boston Harbor-colonist refused to pay
  for damages
• Quartering act more soldiers
• Martial law in Boston

21
The intolerable acts

• Outraged citizens
• Made the colonies more unified
• September 1774-first continental Congress
• Declaration of colonial rights

22
Getting ready to fight

• Stock pile weapons minutemen
• British General Gage learns of the preparations
  sends troops from Boston to Concord
• Paul Reveres ride 4-18-1777

23
Ride of Paul Revere

• 3 men-Revere, Dawes, Prescott
• The Regulars are coming
• Revere was captured
• The Famous poem
• The real deal

24
At Lexington and Concord

• First shots of the war
• Dont know who started it the shot heard around
  the world
• 8 minutemen were killed 9 wounded 1 Brit solider
  injured
• Lasted 15 min
• Later the ambushed

25
The war was in motion

• Things move more slowly back then

26
Remember the causes

• Salutary neglect and the British debt after the
  French and Indian war were 2 causes of the war
  but there is one more
• ENLIGHTENED IDEAS

27
Patriots or American

• American Advantages
• Leadership-Washington, Franklin, Jefferson,
• Home field we know the land
• Guerrilla warfare-borrowed from the natives
  during the French and Indian war- IT WON THE WAR
  FOR US
• The French yes the French and the
  Prussians-without them we could not have fought
  the British Army

28
British or Loyalist

• British Advantages
• Better organization
• Better equipment
• More Money
• Better navy
• American John Paul Jones

29
Key battles

• The British take an early lead
• Saratoga is the turning point of the war
• York town is the end of the war and YES America
  wins

30
Self Government and Smuggling
Begin Neglect
French and Indian War
British want re-payment Taxes (ex)
Use Enlightened Ideas to validate Protest
Americans Protest and Rebel (ex)
American Revolution
Some taxes revoked except -------
31
How did we win

• Help from the French
• Home field advantage
• Militia
• British Mistakes

32
New Government

• Articles of Confederation 1781-1789
• No power to tax
• No power to regulate interstate commerce
• No court system
• No executive branch
• Constitution 1789-present
• Solved the problem of the AOC

33
USA paves the way

• Inspiration for French Revolution
• Latin American Revolutions

34
Effects of the American Revolution

• American colonies are independent
• They will experiment with a new kind of
  democracy, based on enlightened ideas and the
  practicing English government
• They will inspire others to rebel against their
  mother countries