The American Colonies Declare Independence

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The American Colonies Declare Independence

• Fill in your notes as we go through this
  powerpoint.
• Use Sticky Notes to write down any questions you
  may have as we go so we can discuss.

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The French and Indian War

• 1754 to 1763 war fought over the land in America
  between the English and French.
• It was called the Seven Years War in Europe.
• Called the French and Indian War because the
  Indians helped the French in the war against the
  British. The Indians had nothing to lose. The
  British were taking their land, the French were
  not.
• The British won, but at a cost a lot of money.

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Join, or Die Political Cartoon by Benjamin
FranklinA political cartoon calling for American
colonies to band together for protection against
Indians and the French. First published in the
Pennsylvania Gazette on May 9, 1754.
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The American Revolution was like a parent/child
relationship.

• Lets examine what this means.

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Taxes

• French and Indian War cost a lot of money.
• Parliament (the British government) decided to
  tax to colonies to help pay for it.
• The first tax was the Sugar Act of 1764. It
  placed a tax on molasses and sugar imported by
  the colonies.
• Stamp Act of 1765 placed a tax on all printed
  material, such as newspapers and playing cards.
• This tax upset the colonists even more.

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No Taxation without Representation

• The colonists claimed no taxation without
  representation because they were being taxed but
  had no vote in Parliament and had no say in how
  the colonies were being governed.
• The colonists started a boycott, or a refusal to
  buy certain goods, from the British.

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American political cartoon showing a man aiming a
gun at a man representing colonial America He
tells a British member of Parliament, "I give you
that man's money for my use", to which the
American responds by saying, "I will not be
robbed". Boston is burning in the background.
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Sam Adams and the Sons of Liberty

• Samuel Adams led the protests in Boston against
  the taxes.
• He began a secret society called the Sons of
  Liberty.

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Tar and Feather

• The Sons of Liberty used violence to scare off
  the tax collectors.
• The Stamp Act was repealed (to do away with)
  because of all the protests.

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Townshend Revenue Acts

• Taxes on glass, paint, oil, lead, paper, and tea
  were applied with the design of raising 40,000 a
  year for the administration of the colonies

• The result was the resurrection of colonial
  hostilities created by the Stamp Act.

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The Boston Massacre

• Colonial men were shouting insults at the British
  soldiers.
• They started throwing things, probably snow balls
  and rocks.
• Someone yelled fire and the Red Coats (what the
  British soldiers were called) shot.
• Five colonists were killed. These were the first
  Americans killed in the War for Independence.
• Sam Adams started calling the incident the Boston
  Massacre. He used the incident to get more people
  angry at the British.

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A Tax on Tea

• Parliament began taxing tea. Tea was the most
  important beverage in the colonies.
• The colonists decided to boycott all British tea.

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The Boston Tea Party

• Colonists dressed up like Mohawk Indians and
  boarded three British ships full of tea.
• The colonists dumped all the tea into the harbor,
  about 90,000 pounds.
• King George III was furious!

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The Intolerable Acts

• Laws passed to punish the colonists for the
  Boston Tea Party.
• The port of Boston was closed until the tea was
  paid for.
• The Quartering Act was put into place which
  forced colonists to quarter, or house and supply
  British soldiers.

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More Tea Parties

• Boston was not the only city to have a tea
  party.
• They took place in Charleston, New York,
  Annapolis, and others.

The burning of the Peggy Stewart in Annapolis.
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Political cartoon showing the reaction to the
Boston Tea Party
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First Continental Congress

• A group of important men met to discuss the
  crisis in the colonies.
• Militias were set up. (citizen soldiers)

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Battles of Lexington and Concord

• April 18, 1775
• The British hoped to capture Samuel Adams and
  John Hancock at Lexington and destroy military
  supplies stored at Concord.
• Paul Revere hears of the British soldiers plan
  and rides to warn the militias in Lexington and
  Concord.

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Lexington and Concord

• April 19, 1775
• The British soldiers arrive in Lexington with the
  towns minutemen ready for battle. The first
  shot fired is known as The shot heard around the
  world.
• The British soldiers arrive in Concord where the
  battle continues.
• Significance The American Revolution begins with
  the battles of Lexington and Concord.

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Second Continental Congress

• May 1775
• The Second Continental Congress meets in
  Philadelphia with John Hancock serving as the
  president of the Congress.
• They form the Continental Army and George
  Washington becomes the General.

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Battle of Bunker Hill

• June 17, 1775- Charlestown, MA
• The Patriots knew that if they could gain control
  of Breeds Hill, they could use cannons to fire
  down on the British in Boston.
• The Patriots lost the battle but successfully
  killed many British soldiers.
• It showed that Patriots would need allies to
  supply gunpowder and assistance if they wanted to
  win the war.

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Common Sense

• Common Sense, written by Thomas Paine was a
  pamphlet that encouraged colonists to declare
  independence from Great Britain.
• Common Sense was very influential because it was
  read by many people.

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The Declaration of Independence

• The United States first needed to declare
  independence from Great Britain.
• Thomas Jefferson, at the young age of 33, wrote
  the Declaration of Independence.
• The Declaration of Independence was signed on
  July 4, 1776.
• That is why we celebrate Independence Day on July
  4th.
• This is the day that the United States of America
  declared their independence from King George and
  Great Britain.

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Declaration of Independence

• The document listed the ways King George III had
  abused his power. Those who signed were seen as
  traitors to Great Britain.
• Four Major ideas were reflected in the
  Declaration of Independence

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all men are created equal

• Not all men were treated equally because women,
  Native Americans and slaves were not recognized
  as equals.

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They are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable rights that among these are life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

• Rights cannot be denied

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That to secure these rights, governments are
instituted among men, deriving their just powers
from the consent of the governed

• The purpose of government is to protect the
  rights of the people.

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whenever any form of government becomes
destructive of these ends, it is the right of the
people to alter or to abolish it,

• If the government does NOT protect the rights of
  the people, the people have the right to make
  changes to their government.

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Brainpop Video on the Declaration of Independence

• https//www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/ushistory/d
  eclarationofindependence/

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Benjamin Franklin

• Benjamin Franklin, one of the most famous men in
  the world, was sent to France to ask for military
  aid as well as a loan.
• And the war was on!

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Key Battles of the Revolutionary War

• October 1777 Battle of Saratoga
• Britain wants control of the Hudson River.
  Americans met the British at Saratoga, NY. As
  Britains army was suffering heavy losses, the
  American army was getting larger. Volunteers
  came from nearby towns.
• THIS WAS A MAJOR TURNING POINT!
• Because of this victory, France agreed to help
  the Americans with ships, soldiers, supplies and
  money against their long-time enemy, Britain.

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Battle of Saratoga

• http//www.learn360.com/ShowVideo.aspx?lid2681402
  7SearchTextbattleofsaratogaID448953

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May 1780 The Siege of Charleston

• The British attempt to capture Charleston. The
  tides and Palmetto log tree fort , Fort Moultrie,
  held the British off in the first attack.
• The second attempt ended in British victory. The
  British blockaded the harbor, cutting off
  supplies.

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January 1781 The Battle of Cowpens

• Partisan forces (Soldiers who formed their own
  militia) fought when the British came near their
  home and helped the Continental Army to defeat
  the British.
• The British retreated to Yorktown, a peninsula in
  Virginia.

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Fall of 1781- Battle of Yorktown

• The Battle at Yorktown was the last major battle
  of the American Revolution.
• George Washington had the strategy to surround
  and trap the British.
• Nathaneal Greenes army came up from the south,
  while George Washingtons army came down from the
  north, and the French navy blocked the harbor by
  sea.

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Battle of Yorktown

• The British army found themselves out-maneuvered,
  defeated and therefore surrendered.

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1783

• Treaty of Paris
• Recognizes the US as a free and independent
  nation.