American Revolution: The Birth of a Republic

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American RevolutionThe Birth of a Republic

• Chapter 22 Section 4
• p. 563-567

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Britain and Its American Colonies

• The colonies thrived on trade with the nations of
  Europe
• Colonists were British subjects but began to feel
  a sense of identity as Americans
• The colonies had their own governments and were
  used to a large degree of independence

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The Navigation Acts

• Laws that prevented the colonists from selling
  their most valuable products to any country but
  Britain
• Imposed high taxes on French and Dutch goods
• Led to smuggling in order to avoid taxes

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America Wins Independence

• When George III becomes king in 1760, most
  Americans were happy to be loyal citizens of
  Britain
• The king uses taxes on the colonies to help pay
  for the expenses of the French and Indian War

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George III
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The Stamp Act 1765

• An official stamp was required on wills, deeds,
  newspapers, and other printed material
• The colonists had no representatives in the
  British Parliament
• This was taxation without representation, and
  illegal under British law.

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Boycott

• A refusal to buy based on political reasons.
• The Stamp Act motivated colonists to boycott
  British goods.
• The British repealed the Stamp Act in 1766.

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Growing Hostility Leads to War

• The British react harshly to colonial protests
• Resentment towards British policies grows among
  the colonists

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Samuel Adams

• Organized the Boston Tea Party to protest a tax
  on tea.
• The British navy closes the port of Boston
• British troops occupy the city

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First Continental Congress

• Representatives from every colony but Georgia
  gather in Philadelphia in 1774
• They protested the treatment of Boston
• King George paid little attention

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Second Continental Congress

• Formed to debate the colonists next move
• On April 19, 1775 British soldiers and American
  militiamen exchanged gunfire at Lexington,
  Massachusetts
• The battle spread to the nearby town of Concord
• These are the first two battles of the American
  Revolution
• The Congress names George Washington leader of
  the Continental army

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Enlightenment Ideas Influence American Colonists

• Many colonists want to remain loyal to Britain
• A growing number favor independence
• They use Enlightenment ideas to justify
  independence
• They said the king had broken the social contract

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July 4, 1776

• The Second Continental Congress issued the
  Declaration of Independence
• Written by Thomas Jefferson
• Based on ideas of John Locke

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• We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all
  men are created equal, that they are endowed by
  their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,
  that among these are Life, Liberty and the
  Pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these
  rights, Governments are instituted among Men,
  deriving their just powers from the consent of
  the governed.

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A Break With the Crown

• John Locke had said that people had a right to
  rebel against an unjust ruler
• The Declaration included a long list of
  complaints and abuses by king George III

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Success for the Colonists

• Odds against the colonists were strong
• Great Britain was the most powerful country in
  the world and had the worlds best army and navy
• Colonists were highly motivated to fight for
  their homeland
• A war 3000 miles from home was difficult and
  expensive for the British. Their generals made
  key errors.

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An Alliance With France

• King Louis XVI of France wanted to weaken British
  control in North America
• He sent money and troops to help the Americans
  fight

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Yorktown

• In 1781, combined American and French forces
  trapped the British army commanded by Lord
  Cornwallis near Yorktown, Virginia
• Cornwallis was forced to surrender
• Americans had won the war

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Americans Create a Republic

• After the victory, the colonies set up a new
  government
• They wanted a republic but were worried about
  making the national government too powerful
• They wanted states to keep most decision-making
  authority

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The Articles Create a Weak National Government

• The new government was a loose alliance of
  states, a confederacy
• They deliberately made the national government
  weak and the states strong

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The Articles of Confederation

• No national executive
• No judicial branch
• Only a Congress
• No power to collect taxes
• No power to raise a national army
• No power to regulate trade
• Each state gets one vote - regardless of size
• 9 out of 13 states were needed to pass laws

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Limits Create Problems

• National government has no power to tax the
  states
• Some states imposed tariffs on goods from other
  states
• Many people are upset with poor economic
  conditions

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Shays Rebellion

• Daniel Shays led a revolt of angry farmers in
  Massachusetts
• They were protesting taxes and wanted the state
  to issue paper money so they could repay their
  debts
• The rebellion brought attention to the need for a
  stronger national army

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A New Constitution

• In 1787, Congress created the Constitutional
  Convention to revise the Articles of
  Confederation
• The convention argued for months over important
  basic issues

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How should a new government look?

• Who should be represented?
• How many votes should each state have?
• Should larger states get more votes than smaller
  ones?
• Should slaves be counted for the purpose of
  representation?

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The Federal System

• Delegates distrusted a strong central government
• They created a system with three separate
  branches
• This allowed for a system of checks and balances

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Checks and Balances

• Each branch of the government has some way to
  limit the power of the other two branches
• The President can veto Congress
• The Congress can override a presidential veto
  with a 2/3 vote
• The Supreme court can declare laws and actions of
  the President unconstitutional

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Federalism

• The Constitution does not eliminate the powers of
  state governments
• Federalism is the existence of a strong national
  with state governments at the same time
• In our federal system, the national government is
  supreme to the governments of states

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Federalists v. Anti-Federalists

• Federalists -wanted a strong national government
• Anti-Federalists feared that the Constitution
  gave the national government too much power.

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Ratification

• The Federalists promised that a Bill of Rights
  would be added to the Constitution to protect
  against abuses by the national government
• Anti-Federalists would not have voted to ratify
  the Constitution without this promise
• The Constitution was ratified between 1787 and
  1778

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The Bill of Rights

• Many states did not want to ratify the
  Constitution
• They wanted the document to contain some
  guarantees of personal liberties
• They insisted that a Bill of Right be added to
  the Constitution

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• 1 Freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly,
  and petition.
• 2 Right to keep and bear arms in order to
  maintain a well regulated militia.
• 3 No quartering of soldiers.
• 4 Freedom from unreasonable searches and
  seizures.
• 5 Right to due process of law, freedom from
  self- incrimination, double jeopardy.
• 6 Rights of accused persons, e.g., right to a
  speedy and public trial.
• 7 Right of trial by jury in civil cases.
• 8 Freedom from excessive bail, cruel and unusual
  punishments.
• 9 Other rights of the people.
• 10 Powers reserved to the states.