Uniting for Independence

1
Uniting for Independence

• From 1607-1760 the American colonies were self
  managed. The policy of the British govt. was
  called salutory neglect. let sleeping dogs lie.
• Two events changed the relationship between
  Britain and the American colonies
• 1. Seven Years War (French Indian War)
• 2. King George III
• Stamp Act of 1765 first direct tax on
  colonies
• By 1772 colonial opposition to the taxes
  caused their repeal
• 1773 Boston Tea Party
• 1. Parliament retaliated by passing the
  Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts)
• Colonial Unity
• Before 1770s most American colonials were
  loyal to Britain.
• Albany Plan proposed by Benjamin Franklin in
  1754 rejected
• 1765-1773 saw the disparate American colonies
  begin to unite.

2
Uniting for Independence contd.

• 1773 Committees of Correspondence formed
• 1774 1st Continental Congress placed an
  embargo on British goods
• The New England governments are in a state of
  rebellion, blows must decide whether they are to
  be subject to this country or independent.---King
  George III
• April 19th, 1775 Battle of Lexington Concord
  shot heard round the world.
• Second Continental Congress meets immediately
  afterward and forms a Continental Army with
  George Washington in command.
• Independence
• Continental Congress debated what action to
  take, public opinion began to slowly shift from
  fighting for the rights of Englishmen to a call
  for outright independence.

3
Uniting for Independence contd.

• Thomas Paines Common Sense
• July 2, 1776 Congress approved Richard Henry
  Lees resolution for a call for complete
  independence. July 4, 1776, Jeffersons
  Declaration of Independence was ratified.
• Key Parts of the Declaration of Independence
• 1. Statement of Purpose
• 2. 27 paragraphs of charges against George III
• 3. Formal statement of independence

4
Articles of Confederation

• After declaring independence, the Continental
  Congress wanted to create a league of
  friendship among 13 independent states. The
  first American govt. was a confederation formally
  called the Articles of Confederation
• Government Under the Articles
• unicameral legislature, each state had one
  representative
• no executive branch or national court system
• Congress only had 9 powers
• Weaknesses of the Articles
• each state would not give up sovereignty to a
  national govt.
• could not levy taxes
• could not regulate trade
• could not force states to obey national laws,
  only advise
• amending the articles required a unanimous
  vote
• no executive branch to enforce laws or act a
  commander-in-chief
• no national court system

5
Mazzarella Educational Media. "Understanding the
Constitution Creating the Federal Government.
Discovery Education http//streaming.discoveryedu
cation.com/