Early American Government and Revolution

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Early American Government and Revolution
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King George III
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British Policies

• 1. Mercantilism
• Policy of encouraging exports and discouraging
  imports pushes imperialism
• Navigation Acts would not allow Americans to
  ship things to other nations which would ensure a
  British monopoly over colonies

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Writs of Assistance

• British Action
• Designed to crack down on colonial smuggling
• Search warrants that allowed British officials to
  search any place, seize anything at any time

• Colonial Response
• Outraged the merchants of Boston

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1660 The Navigation Acts

• British Action
• Designed to keep trade in England and support
  mercantilism
• Colonists could only trade goods with England
• All colonial ships must stop in a British harbor
  before going to another country

• Colonial Response
• Ignored them (profitable to trade with other
  countries)
• Salutary Neglect (relaxed enforcement for
  continued loyalty)

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British Policies Cont.

• 2. Taxes
• Used to pay war debts from the French Indian
  War
• 1765 Stamp Act tax on virtually everything
  paper (newspapers, wills, cards, etc)
• Virtual Representation colonists had no
  representation in parliament so argued no
  taxation without representation British
  government argued the colonies were a part of the
  British empire and parliament made laws for the
  good of the empire therefore the colonists were
  virtually represented

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Stamp Act
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British Policies Cont.

• Colonists began boycotting goods under the Stamp
  Act until repealed
• Townshend Acts 1767 a tax on all imports
• Boston Massacre in 1770
• Tea Act 1773 led to the Boston Tea Party
• After the Boston Tea Party, King George III
  enacted the Coercive Acts 1774
• Colonists called these The Intolerable Acts
• Restricted colonists rights including fair trial
  by jury
• Allowed soldiers to search homes
• Allowed quartering of soldiers

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Class Discussion Why would quartering soldiers
make colonists angry?
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(No Transcript)
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Writing assignment

• Using 40 words or less take one of the acts
  discussed in class today and create a small
  newspaper article about the act. You can be
  either for or against the act.
• The writing should be in column form. There
  should be a catchy heading to grab the attention
  of the reader.

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Boston Massacre
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Propaganda Poster
What side is this cartoon supporting? How are
the colonists being treated according to the
political cartoon?
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Boston Tea Party
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1st Continental Congress

• Colonists response to the Coercive Acts
• September 1774 12 colonies sent delegates to
  Philadelphia
• Georgia did not governor was loyal to the King
  colonists wanted support of British soldiers to
  fight Creeks
• Sent a letter to King George III demanding
  restoration of their rights.
• Representatives voted a ban on all trade with
  England till the Intolerable Acts were repealed.
  Also, colonies to start training soldiers.
• This is the 1st time colonies acted together

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Carpenter Hall
Site of the 1st Continental Congress
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Between War and Peace

• British response sent more soldiers which set
  off the Revolutionary War
• Parliament also did not repeal the Intolerable
  Acts, but added more restrictions
• Colonist began to get ready to fight and formed
  militias.
• Militias- an army of ordinary citizens.
• Colonial militias were called Minutemen because
  they needed to be ready to fight in a minutes
  notice.
• Patrick Henrys famous speech Give me liberty,
  or give me death!

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Minutemen
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Paul Reveres Ride

• Colonists started a spy network to get
  information on the British.
• English spies found out that Minutemen were
  hiding guns and ammo at Concord and headed there
  on April 18, 1775
• Paul Revere and his Midnight Ride warned the
  Minutemen that the British are coming.
• Revere was captured in Lexington, but let go
  without his horse thus ending his ride.

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The Redcoats are Coming!
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Battles of Lexington Concord

• Regarded as the first battles of the
  Revolutionary War
• Lexington 70 minutemen waited for 750 British
  resulting in 18 American casualties and 1 British
  casualty
• Concord minutemen began firing on the British
  250 British casualties 100 American casualties
• Shot heard around the world!
• British retreated to Boston and the Revolutionary
  War began April 19, 1775.
• Americans divided on two sides.
• Loyalists- colonists who supported the British
  (Tories)
• Patriots- colonists who supported freedom from
  British rule

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The Battle at Lexington
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Second Continental Congress

• May 1775 Philadelphia deliberated on next
  steps
• January 1776 Thomas Paine publishes Common
  Sense influenced many colonists to join the
  side for independence
• It is only common sense that we be independent
• Taxation without representation
• Ability to self rule Self Determination
• Economically hurt colonies Mercantilism
  Navigation Acts
• King George III is 3000 miles away Salutary
  Neglect
• Revolutionary propaganda ideas spread
  deliberately to help a cause
• By 1776, more than half of the members of Cont.
  Congress agreed with Paine on breaking away from
  England
• Halifax Resolves April 12, 1776 - North
  Carolina becomes the first colony to call for
  independence (pg. 783 in book)

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Independence Hall
Site of the 2nd Continental Congress and the
Constitutional Convention
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Common Sense and Thomas Paine
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Declaration of Independence

• Thomas Jefferson wrote the document
• Influenced by Thomas Paine reasons for
  independence
• Influenced by John Locke Natural Rights
• Influenced by Jean Jacques Rousseau All men are
  created equal
• 4 parts
• Preamble Introduction
• Declaration of Rights explained rights that all
  people should have
• List of Grievances all that King George III did
  to the colonists
• Formal Declaration of Independence
• Approved on July 4, 1776
• A nation is born with war to follow

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Declaration of Independence
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Fighting For Independence

• Revolution was unavoidable
• 1st Battles NY NJ
• British plan separate the New England states
• Well led troops, well equipped well trained
• Enough money
• Large Navy extra help through German
  mercenaries - Hessians
• Americans defending their homes
• No navy
• Little experience, not equipped
• Well led General George Washington
• No clothing/uniforms/food

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Hessians Fighting in America
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Carrying Out the War

• Colonists surprise attacks ambushes
• British wait for supplies unpopular war
• Valley Forge tough winter before the French
  joined
• Turning Point of war Battle of Saratoga
• Surrender of 6,000 British soldiers
• More importantly was that the French joined the
  American effort

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Battle of Saratoga
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Difficult Choices

• 1/3 of Americans supported the war
• 1/3 were indifferent
• 1/3 were Loyalists
• African Americans controversial to allow them
  to fight slaves were recruited in the end
• Native Americans urged to attack settlers by
  the British
• Women while active in the war, could not
  participate politically in the new nation.

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Wars End

• British couldnt win the loyalty of Southerners
• Spain entered the war on American side
• Surrender at Yorktown, Virginia in October 1781
• Treaty of Paris, 1783 Officially ended the
  American Revolution