Instructional Focus Document Notes Grade 8/Social Studies

1
Instructional Focus Document NotesGrade 8/Social
Studies

• UNIT 03 TITLE American Revolution
• Part 1 British Restrictions and Colonial Protest
• Cause Effect

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Pontiacs Rebellion
3
Explanation

• Pontiac, chief of the Ottawa did not recognize
  the Treaty of Paris 1763, and tried to drive
  settlers out.

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Cause

• Settlers moving into the areas that the French
  had surrendered in the Treaty of Paris 1763.

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Effect

• British crushed the rebellion, and issued the
  Proclamation of 1763.

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Proclamation of 1763
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Explanation

• Decision by the British to close off the area
  west of the Appalachian Mountains to settlement.
  No one could purchase lands.

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Cause

• Pontiacs Rebellion showed that it would be too
  costly to protect such a large area. It was
  designed to protect the colonists

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Effect

• Colonists became angry because they felt their
  government was holding back what they rightfully
  won.

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Sugar Act
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Explanation

• Items like sugar, molasses, coffee and other
  products were taxed before they could enter the
  colonies.

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Cause

• Parliament (The governing body of Great Britain)
  needed to raise money to run the colonies, so it
  began to tax the colonists.

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Effect

• Colonists did not want to pay new taxes to
  Parliament. They complained. They claimed that it
  was Taxation without representation!

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Stamp Act
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Explanation

• A law passed in 1765 which taxed all printed
  material. Newspapers, land ordinances, marriage
  licenses, playing cards, etc.
• Stamps had to purchased and applied to the
  product before it could be sold.

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Cause

• Since there were little more than complaints over
  the Sugar Act and Parliament still needed more
  money due to the high debt Britain ran up when
  fighting the French and Indians

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Effect

• Colonists were outraged. They formed the Stamp
  Act Congress and passed 14 resolutions in
  opposition to the Stamp Act.
• Sons of Liberty began to organize.
• Riots began to occur throughout the colonies and
  colonists refused to buy anything from England
  until the law was repealed. (Boycott)

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Declaratory Act
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Explanation

• A statement that claimed that the colonies were
  subordinate to Parliament.
• Parliament could pass any law it wanted.

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Cause

• Due to the repeal of the Stamp Act, which seemed
  like a surrender to colonists demands.

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Effect

• Colonists mostly ignored the statement, but it
  set the stage for further conflict.

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Townshend Acts
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Explanation

• Indirect taxes placed on goods that made the
  prices much higher.

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Cause

• Since colonists felt that direct taxes were
  beyond Parliaments authority, Parliament issued
  out indirect taxes.

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Effect

• Colonists organized a boycott and sent out a
  circular letter to all the colonies urging them
  to boycott British goods as well.
• British minister Hillsborough moved two regiments
  of British soldiers into Boston

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Boston Massacre
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Explanation

• An angry mob taunted a squad of soldiers who were
  guarding the customs house.
• British soldiers fired into the crowd.

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Cause

• The mob was filled with mostly drunks who were
  looking for a fight.
• They began throwing balls of ice and rocks at the
  soldiers

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Effect

• The soldiers were arrested and put on trial.
• Many people now did not trust the soldiers of
  Britain.
• Some radicals even began to hint at
  independence.

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Tea Act
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Explanation

• Parliament granted the East India Tea Company
  total control of the tea market in the colonies.
• Taxes were placed on the tea, even though
• Prices on tea fell.

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Cause

• The East India Tea Company had gone bankrupt and
  needed financial help, so Parliament decided to
  help them by making them the sole tea company.

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Effect

• Colonists were angered and colonial merchants
  were hurt financially since the monopoly created
  by Parliament was taking away all the business
  and money.
• Boston Tea Party was the result.
• Though the tax was low, Colonists still had no
  say on taxes being placed on them

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Boston Tea Party
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Explanation

• Several colonists and members of the Sons of
  Liberty disguised as Mohawk Indians snuck aboard
  several ships and dumped the tea into the harbor.
• This action was an example of Civil Disobedience.

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Cause

• The Tea Act which had driven money away from
  local merchants and shippers.

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Effect

• About 15,000 pounds worth of tea was destroyed.
• England became enraged
• Parliament began to pass punishing acts to force
  the colonists to pay for the tea.

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Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts)
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Explanation

• A series of laws that were passed by Parliament,
  designed to punish the colonies for the Boston
  Tea Party.
• They included the Boston Port Act, Massachusetts
  Governing Act, Quartering Act, and the
  restriction on the right to assembly.

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Cause

• The Boston Tea Party proved that the colonists
  needed to be controlled.
• Parliament decided to pass laws that would limit
  the colonists freedoms.

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Effect

• Many people became frightened.
• Even those who had disagreed with the Boston Tea
  Party felt that Parliament had gone too far.
• Delegates from all of the colonies (except
  Georgia) met at the First Continental Congress to
  decide action.

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First Continental Congress
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Explanation

• A group of delegates from all the colonies
  (except Georgia) met in Philadelphia to discuss
  the harsh British acts.

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Cause

• The Coercive Acts had frightened the colonists
  into taking some kind of action to protect
  themselves from further restrictions and acts.

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Effect

• The Congress condemned the Intolerable Acts
  (Coercive Acts)
• They passed resolutions that repealed many
  British laws.
• They attacked the policy of maintaining an army
  during peace time.
• They enforced a ban on all British imports.

46

• Part 2 Declaring Independence and the American
  Revolution

47
American Revolution

• American Colonists had always enjoyed a sense of
  independence because the British usually left
  them alone.
• The enlightenment had helped spread new ideas,
  new philosophies, and new political thought.

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• The American Colonists had always resented
  Englands policy of Mercantilism and how they
  used it to exploit the colonies in order to
  become wealthy with a favorable balance of trade
  to other European countries
• With the British clamping down on many of the
  Colonists previous freedoms, they had expanded
  the already existing gap between the Colonists
  and mother England.
• When the British had outlawed the meeting of
  assemblies, the Colonial legislatures (law
  makers) could no longer meet and keep affairs in
  order. This gave rise to more extreme groups
  known as the Patriots.

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Radical and Moderate Patriots

• Patriots began spreading word of independence
  throughout the colonies trying to persuade all
  the colonists to their view
• Moderate Patriots wanted a peaceful resolution
  between England and the Colonies. (Thomas
  Jefferson, John Adams, Ben Franklin)
• Radical Patriots wanted immediate independence at
  any cost. (Sam Adams, John Hancock, Paul Revere)

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Moderate Patriots(Thomas Jefferson, John Adams,
Ben Franklin)
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Radical Patriots(Sam Adams, John Hancock, Paul
Revere)
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Loyalists

• Loyalists (Tories) were colonists who worked to
  convince the colonies to remain loyal to Great
  Britain.
• Most loyalists belonged to the wealthy class.
  (Aristocracy)

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Common Sense

• Thomas Paine wrote Common Sense expressing a
  philosophy that attacked monarchy and supported a
  new democratic style of government. Common Sense
  inspired many to join the Patriot cause.

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Minutemen

• Radical patriots formed armed militia groups
  known as minutemen to protect them from British
  troops.
• Minutemen earned their name because they could be
  ready for combat at a minutes notice

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Lexington Concord

• The British heard that the minutemen were
  stockpiling weapons in Concord.
• They sent 700 regulars to seize the illegal
  weapons and to arrest any Patriots they might
  encounter. (Namely Sam Adams and John Hancock.

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Lexington Concord

• What the British did not know was that their
  movements were being watched by patriot spies.
• Paul Revere rode out in the middle of the night
  to warn the towns of the British troops approach.

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Lexington Concord

• Around 70 minutemen met the British at Lexington.
• When the minutemen raised their weapons, the
  British soldiers opened fire and cleared the way
  to Concord. First shots of the American
  Revolution

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Lexington Concord

• Minutemen and Colonial volunteers who had heard
  about Lexington, rushed to intercept the British
  in Concord.
• At the North Bridge, minutemen attacked the
  British army.

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Lexington Concord

• As the British began their retreat back to
  Charlestown in Boston, American snipers picked
  off soldiers along the way.
• By the time the British reached Charlestown,
  around 270 British soldiers had been killed.

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Bunker (Breeds) Hill

• The British had been based in Boston.
• American militias rushed to secure Bunker Hill
  and Breeds Hill, because they both overlooked
  British positions in Boston.
• Time was short, so the American militias quickly
  built a small bunker made of dirt and wood on top
  of Breeds hill.

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Bunker (Breeds) Hill

• Ethan Allen who commanded The Green Mountain
  Boys brought in cannons that he had captured
  from Ft. Ticonderoga.
• From Breeds hill, the American militia could now
  bombard British positions.

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Breeds Hill

• General Howe landed 1500 British regulars at the
  base of Breeds Hill. The British surrounded the
  hill and steadily marched to the top
• Militiamen fired as the British drew close
  causing them to retreat.

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Breeds Hill
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Breeds Hill

• William Prescott and Israel Putnam were in
  command of the militia on top of Breeds Hill
• Since ammunition was low, they had given the
  orders not to fire until you see the whites of
  their eyes.

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Breeds Hill

• The British got reinforcements and marched up the
  hill for a third time. They took the hill when
  the American militias ran out of ammunition, but
  lost over 1,000 men. Over 100 Americans were
  killed.

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Second Continental Congress

• The fighting alarmed the moderate Patriots who
  feared British retaliation.
• Delegates sent the Olive Branch Petition to King
  George III asking for protection from Parliament

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Second Continental Congress

• Knowing that the British would most likely attack
  anyway, they decided to form a Continental Army
  made up of the different militias
• They appointed George Washington as overall
  commander.

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Second Continental Congress

• The Second Continental Congress also wrote the
  Articles of Confederation. This was an early
  framework of government which would unite the
  colonies under one governing body and help keep
  them together during the Revolution.
• The most important accomplishment, though, of the
  Second Continental Congress was the writing of
  the Declaration of Independence.

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Declaration of Independence

• Thomas Paines Common Sense had inspired the
  Patriots to give up any chance of resolution as
  did his second book The Crisis.
• Patriots decided to declare the independence of
  the 13 colonies from Great Britain.
• Thomas Jefferson was the primary author of the
  Declaration of Independence.

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Declaration of Independence

• John Adams and Benjamin Franklin advised
  Jefferson as he wrote the document.
• The Declaration of Independence was a list of
  grievances (or complaints) of policies that
  England had placed over the colonists that had
  infringed upon their natural rights

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Declaration of Independence

• In the Declaration of Independence, The
  unalienable rights of Life, Liberty, and the
  Pursuit of Happiness are listed.
• On July 2nd 1776, the colonial delegates approved
  the Declaration, and sent it to the King.
• The Declaration of Independence established the
  United States of America

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Declaration of Independence

• King George III was furious when he received the
  Declaration of Independence.
• Loyalists were disgusted and opposed, and labeled
  the Patriots as traitors to the crown.

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Early Years of the Revolution

• From the start, the British dominated the
  conflict. General Howe humiliated General
  Washington at the battle of Long Island.
• The British also brought in mercenaries from
  Germany called Hessians

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• Part 3 The Tide Turns

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Trenton

• Washington needed a victory to raise morale.
• The Americans were on the verge of surrender by
  Christmas.
• Washington kept the army together to launch a
  surprise attack against the Hessian forces on
  Christmas when he crossed the Delaware river
  during the night.

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Washington crosses the Delaware
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Trenton

• Washington was successful in catching the
  Hessians completely by surprise. Not one American
  was killed.
• Washington then moved on to Princeton to take on
  the British. Though the Americans suffered heavy
  losses, they forced the British army to retreat.

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• At the battle of Brandywine, British General
  William Howe once again defeated Washington.
• Again, though, Washington not only managed to
  avoid capture, he held the army together as well.

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Saratoga

• Saratoga was the turning point in the Revolution.
• British general John Burgoyne led an advance of
  soldiers into Philadelphia with little
  preparation.

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Saratoga

• American Generals Horatio Gates and Benedict
  Arnold surrounded the British and engaged
  Burgoyne.
• The British army suffered heavy losses.

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Saratoga

• The British surrendered the field at Saratoga
  giving a huge victory to the Americans.
• Saratoga became the turning point in the
  Revolution.

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Saratoga

• After the American armys victory at Saratoga,
  European countries became convince that with more
  help, the Americans would be able to defeat the
  British.
• France officially recognized the United States
  and formed an alliance.
• Spain also began to help the United States.

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American Allies

• Marquis de Lafayette came from France to give aid
  to Washingtons army.
• Bernardo Galvez, the governor of Spanish held
  Louisiana supported the Americans with food,
  ammunition and supplies.

84
Valley Forge

• It was a terrible winter for the Americans camped
  at Valley Forge. They had little food, little
  clothing, scant supplies, and no medicine.
• Many became sick and died of disease, starvation,
  or hypothermia. Soldiers suffered from
  frostbite.

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Valley Forge

• A Prussian captain named Baron Von Steuben came
  to Valley Forge and taught the Americans the
  proper way to fight during combat. (especially in
  hand to hand combat)

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At Valley Forge, the American army became a more
professional and dedicated army.
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Tide turns

• After the winter, most of the northern colonies
  came back under American control.
• The British began focusing on the southern
  colonies because they knew there were more
  loyalists in the southern colonies.

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Tide turns

• General Lord Cornwallis assumes command of the
  entire British army in the south.
• The American army slowly begins taking key points
  throughout the colonies including the south.

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Tide turns

• At the battle of Kings Mountain, Nathaniel
  Greene defeated British forces.
• He defeats the British army again at the battle
  of Cowpens

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American Navy

• The French gave the Americans a refitted warship
  Bonhomme Richard to the Americans.
• John Paul Jones became commander of the American
  navy

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American Navy

• John Paul Jones took on the much larger British
  warship Serapis. In the battle Jones famously
  says I have not yet begun to fight! when
  ordered to surrender is vessel.
• Both ships were lost.

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People of the Revolution

• Molly Pitcher (Mary Hays) brought water to
  Americans in the field of battle.
• She even manned cannons after a battle in which
  her husband was wounded.

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People of the Revolution

• Deborah Sampson- disguised herself as a man and
  fought in the Revolution.
• Comte de Rochambeau -commanded the French forces
  in America

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People of the Revolution

• Alexander Hamilton was Washingtons chief aid
  during the Revolution. He handled all the
  paperwork to be done in the army.
• His nickname was the Pen of the army.

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People of the Revolution

• Benjamin Franklin spent his time during the
  Revolution in France attempting to convince the
  French to support and lend aid to the Americans.

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People of the Revolution

• Nathan Hale- was a schoolteacher who joined the
  revolution as a spy for the Americans. A loyalist
  relative turned him in and he was hanged. He
  supposedly said I regret that I have but one
  life to give for my country.

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People of the Revolution

• Benedict Arnold- was placed in command of West
  Point. Feeling neglected, he decided to betray
  the Americans and offered West Point to the
  British.
• He was discovered, but fled to Canada.

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People of the Revolution

• Abigail Adams- wrote letters to her husband John
  Adams and thus the Continental Congress,
  providing advice and information.

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People of the Revolution

• Wentworth Cheswell- African American Patriot who
  was one of the signers of The Association Test
  which supported the Declaration of Independence.
• Mercy Otis Warren- she helped for the committees
  of correspondence which was vital for spreading
  information throughout the colonies during the
  Revolution.

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People of the Revolution

• James Armistead- a slave who worked as a double
  agent spy for the Patriots serving in General
  Lafayettes army.
• Haym Soloman- Jewish immigrant from eastern
  Europe who joined up with the Sons of Liberty.

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Yorktown

• Cornwallis marched into Virginia to face the
  American army for a showdown. He was forced back
  into Yorktown by local militias.
• General Lafayette arrived with American
  reinforcements strengthening the American
  offensive.
• Cornwallis was surrounded on all sides with his
  back to the sea, waiting on the British navy.
• Washington moved down and planned the assault on
  Yorktown.

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Map of Yorktown
103
Yorktown

• Instead of the British fleet, the French fleet
  arrived and bombarded British position.
• The American army assaulted the British by land.

104
Yorktown

• Cornwallis was forced to surrender.
• When Cornwallis surrendered, Parliament decided
  to discontinue the war effort and allow the
  Americans their independence.

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Treaty of Paris 1783

• 1. British officially recognized the United
  States.
• 2. British accepted the Mississippi River and
  Great lakes as the boundary of the United States.
• 3. Florida was given back to Spain
• 4. British agreed to remove all soldiers from
  American soil.
• 5. Americans agreed not to make reprisals against
  the Loyalists.
• 6. Americans agreed to have all debts that
  merchants owed to the British before the war paid
  in full.

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Treaty of Paris 1783

• It was a difficult task negotiating this treaty.
  European powers did not want the new United
  States to become to powerful.
• John Jay was a stern diplomat who did most of the
  negotiation with the European powers.