Revolutionary War EraBy: Jesse Woodford

Revolutionary Causes/Origins

• The Revolutionary War was a political upheaval starting in 1775; the original 13 colonies disagreed with how the British Parliament ruled the colonies.

• Colonists were not represented in Parliament in regard to taxes imposed by the Stamp Act of 1765, and claimed taxation without representation is illegal.

The Stamp Act of 1765 was designed to force colonists to use special stamped paper in the printing of newspapers, pamphlets, almanacs, and playing cards, and to have a stamp embossed on all commercial and legal papers.

Colonists believed that Parliament had no power to tax them because they weren’t represented in Parliament.

More Causes

• The British passing of the Proclamation of 1763 forbid westward expansion beyond the Appalachian Mountains, which increased tensions between the colonists and Britain.

• American resistance to pay taxes on tea led to the Boston Tea Party in 1773.

• The Coercive/Intolerable Acts were passed after the Boston Tea Party; and all punished colonists for their actions.

Boston Tea Party

Colonists boarded British ships and destroyed the tea by throwing it into Boston Harbor.

American Response to the British

• In 1775, representatives were sent to the 2nd Continental Congress to unite the colonies to fight against the British for self-governance.

• In July 1776, the Declaration of Independence was issued, and all ties between the colonies and Britain were broken.

Declaration of Independence

America’s Foreign Help

• France, Spain and the Dutch all supplied the colonies with supplies, weapons and ammunition, starting in 1776.

• The British were initially successful in the war by using their superior naval forces to capture American coastal cities, while Americans controlled the countryside.

Revolution’s Turning Point

• After the Americans defeated the British in the Battle of Saratoga in 1777, the French joined the war on the side of the Americans, making the war much more winnable for the Americans.

• French allies (Spain, Netherlands) also joined the war against the British.

Battle of Saratoga

Aftermath in France/America

• France’s involvement in the war caused its economy to plummet, and sent the entire country into massive debt.

• British surrender at Yorktown, Virginia in 1781 started peace negotiations between both sides.

• The Treaty of Paris, created in 1783, officially ended the Revolutionary War, and recognized the United States as a separate country from Britain.

The End