U.S. History 101American Revolution & A New Nation

French and Indian War (1754-1763)

Albany Plan of Union

• Cause = rivalry between Britain & France for control of North America

• Britain & Native allies versus France & Native allies 1757 – William Pitt becomes Prime Minister of

England• Key Battles

Fort Necessity (1755) – French defeat British forces led by George Washington

Battle of Quebec (1759) – British lay siege and conquer capital of New France

Treaty of Paris (1763) ends the war

• Proposal by Ben Franklin in 1754 to form a legislature uniting all the colonies.

The Road to Independence (1753-1783)

North America in 1763

North America in 1763

1. Increased her colonial empire in the Americas.

2. Greatly enlarged England’s debt.

3. Britain’s contempt for the colonials created bitter feelings.

Therefore, England felt that amajor reorganization of her

American Empire was necessary!

Effects of the War on Britain

Effects of the War on Britain

1. Unites them against common enemy.

2. Created a socializing experience.

3. Created bitter feelings towards the British that would only intensify.

Americans treated like 2nd class citizens

Unimpressed with Britain’s military tactics were weak. {fought cowardly}

Effects of the War on the American

Colonials

Effects of the War on the American

Colonials

British Proclamation Line of 1763

In response to Pontiac’s Rebellion

Closed region west of Appalachians to all settlement by colonists.

Colonists moved west anyway.

BACKLASH!BACKLASH!

Issues Behind the RevolutionAction When? What It Did

Sugar Act 1764 Lowered the Tax on Sugar, but No Trial by Jury

Stamp Act 1765 Tax on Newspapers, Books, Court Documents

Declaratory Act 1766 British can rule over Colonist

Quartering Act 1765 Provide Housing for troops

Townshend Acts 1767 Tax on paper, tea, lead to support judges and troops

Boston Massacre 3/5/1770 British soldiers opened fire on the crowd, 5 dead

Committees of Correspondence

1772 Samuel Adams and James Otis to coordinate resistance throughout the colonies

Boston Tea Party 12/16/1773 Tea Act –British East India Co.

Intolerable Acts Spring 1774 Coercive Acts

First Continental Congress

9/5/1774 56 delegates met in Philadelphia.

Boston Massacre March 5th 1770

Ben Franklin, Pennsylvania Gazette – May 9, 1754

“Gentlemen may cry peace, peace—but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! . . . Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God!—I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!”

--Patrick HenryMarch 23, 1775

• April 19, 1775 – British troops in Boston, Mass. march to Concord planning to seize the armory Colonists find out and numerous riders scurry

to inform the inhabitants including Sam Adams and John Hancock.

MythsPaul Revere was one of many riders, such as

William Dawes.His cry was “the regulars are coming out!” not

“the British are coming!”• 5 miles from Concord at (Battle of) Lexington, the British

encountered 70 armed minutemen. “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” – no one knows who fired it.

• British continued on to Concord Most of the arms had been hidden As the British marched back to Boston thousands of colonists

began using guerilla war tactics resulting in 240 casualties

Revolutionary War

Paul Revere

Second Continental Congress

Common Sense

• May 1775• Strongly Divided at first• King George III denied

Oliver Branch Petition

• Pamphlet written by Thomas Paine, published in Jan. 1776, arguing for separation from Britain and formation of a republic

Issues Behind the Revolution

Declaration of Independence

Jefferson was primary author

Borrowed heavily from fellow philosophers, most notably John Locke

Natural rights {life, liberty, pursuit of happiness}

Rule of law {obey the laws}

• July 2nd , 1776 Congress formally declared the U.S. an Independent nation

• July 4th Approved by Congress

1. List of grievances directed at King George III

2. Unalienable Rights3. Consent of the Governed4. Right to alter or to abolish it

• Loyalists or Tories – colonists loyal to Britain.

• 1/3 of colonists remained loyal to the King of Britain.

• Financing the war Congress could ask the colonies for help, but couldn’t

force them to give anything (ex. Valley Forge) No power of taxation

• Britain blockaded Atlantic coast not allowing colonists to trade

• Washington never had more than 26,000 soldiers available at one time

• Most Continental soldiers were under 23 y.o.• African Americans were banned from the Army in the

beginning, but later free African Americans and Indians were recruited to help the colonists

• Inflation – steady increase in prices over time reduced the ability to buy goods

Hardships

Military Strategies

Attrition [the Brits had a long supply line].

Guerilla tactics [fight an insurgent war you don’t have to win a battle, just wear the British down]

Make an alliance with one of Britain’s enemies.

The Americans The British

Break the colonies in half by getting between the No. & the So.

Blockade the ports to prevent the flow of goods and supplies from an ally.

“Divide and Conquer” use the Loyalists.

Britain’s “Southern Strategy”Britain thought that there were more

Loyalists in the South.

Southern resources were more valuable/worth preserving.

The British win a number of small victories, but cannot pacify the countryside [similar to U. S. failures in Vietnam!]

Good US General:Nathanial Greene

Battle When Effect

Bunker Hill June 1775

1,100 British Casualties400 Patriots

Trenton Dec 1776

Crossing the Delaware

Saratoga Oct 1777

Turning Point of the War.

Yorktown Oct 1781

General Cornwallis surrendered to Washtington

Bunker Hill (June, 1775)

The British suffered over 40% casualties.

Washington Crossing the Delaware

Painted by Emanuel Leutze, 1851

Phase III: The Southern Strategy [1780-1781]

The Battle of Yorktown (1781)

Count de Rochambeau

AdmiralDe Grasse

Cornwallis’ Surrender at Yorktown:

Painted by John Trumbull, 1797

“The World Turned Upside Down!”

• Established independence• Inspired patriotism• First instance of a colony defeating its

Imperial master• Spread idea of liberty• Promoted antislavery in the North

Numerous northern states abolished slavery thereafter

• Natives support of Britain provided a reason to continue killing them after the war ended

Effects of the Revolution

Famous Revolutionary War Figures

Benedict ArnoldHero of the Battles of

Ticonderoga & Saratoga

Schemed with John Andre to give West Point to the British, but his plan was foiled

Name now is synonymous with betrayal

John Paul JonesFather of the

US Navy “I have not yet

begun to fight!”

Nathan Hale21-year old that

volunteered to go behind enemy lines

Captured and hanged

“I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country”

Thomas Sumter “Gamecock”General in the

South

Famous Revolutionary War Figures

Ethan Allen

Hero of the Battle of Ticonderoga

Leader of the “Green Mountain Boys”

Francis Marion

“Swamp Fox”

Pioneer of guerilla warfare

Marquis de Lafayette

French general who aided the US

Baron Frederick von Steuben

Prussian general who through drilling turned the US into a formidable fighting force at Valley Forge

N. America After the Treaty of Paris, 1783

• 1st gov. of U.S.• Failed• One branch: legislative (i.e. Congress)Weaknesses:

: Constitution of the U.S. (1776-1800)

Articles of Confederation (1781-1789)

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

• Ceded land won in the Revolution to the purpose of creating new territories

• After 60,000 settlers inhabited a territory, it could apply for statehood via constitution

• Established American territorial policy

1780s • Economic recession• $50 million national debt• States printed paper money leading to

inflation

• Annapolis Convention Meeting to try and solve economic crisis Only 5 states showed up Agreed to meet again in Philadelphia in 1787

Constitutional Convention

• Causes Merchants and wealthy people that loaned money

began demanding their money back States passed high taxes to collect the money Some states, most notably Mass., said the tax must be paid in specie,

i.e. gold or silver coin. Very rare. Failure to pay could led to jail or foreclosure Tax supported by the rich in the east. Farmers in the west likened it to

British rule• Led by Shays, protesters closed courthouses and raided the

armory at Springfield• Mass. gov had no army so they couldn’t stop them• By Jan. 1787, they had an army and suppressed the rebellion• Importance: displayed the weaknesses of the Articles

Daniel Shays

The Constitutional Convention

• 55 delegates from 12 states (RI did not show) met in secret• Originally designed to amend or revise the Articles of

Confederation Quickly decided to construct a new gov from scratch Both VA and NJ plans would add executive & judicial branches, as

well as give the gov the power to tax and regulate commerce

“Father of the Constitution”

James Madison

Virginia Plan New Jersey Plan

# legislative houses

2 1

How representation is determined

Population Equal

How representatives are chosen

Lower House = by popular vote

Upper House = chosen by lower house after state legislatures nominate

Elected by state legislatures

The Great Compromise

The Three-Fifths Compromise

Commerce Compromise

• established that Congress could levy tariffs on imports, but not exports

• allowed theimportation of slaves until the end of 1807

CONSTITUTIONAL COMPROMISES

• System in which power is shared among state and national authorities

• Power is divided among the three branches: executive, legislative, judicial

• No one is all powerful

• Reps term is shorter so that they are directly responsible to the people

• Senators are longer so they can check the whims of popular opinion

• Electoral College set up because they distrusted the people• Did not predict parties would form. • Thus, whenever there is not a majority, the House

decides.

Federal System

Separation of Powers

Why Did they Select It?

• Federalists - Madison, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay Favored the Constitution Wrote a series of essays called The Federalist that explained

the system and won popular support Win due to superior organization and Washington’s support. Eventually agree to include a Bill of Rights to appease AFs

• Anti-Federalists - Patrick Henry, George Mason, George Clinton Opposed the Constitution Why?

Absence of GodDenial of States’ rightsIncreased power of central govLack of a Bill of Rights

Ratification

• Capital - New York City• Inauguration - official swearing-in ceremony on April 30, 1789• Washington was careful in his action since he knew everything

would establish a precedent Washington’s Precedents

Referred to as “Mr. President” Neutrality Refused to shake hands. Bowed instead. Added “so help me God” to oath of office Oath takes place outdoors Two Terms

• Cabinet - leaders of the executive departments that also advise the president

• Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson In charge of foreign affairs

• Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton In charge of economic policy

The New Government

• Moved to Philadelphia in 1790• Jefferson, Madison and Hamilton have a dinner discussing

assumption – Hamilton’s plan for the federal gov to assume all state debts. Jefferson & Madison agree to Hamilton’s plan, and in return get the

new capital built in the South plus a $1.5 million reduction in tax obligations for VA

• Washington, D.C. becomes capital in 1800

• Why assumption? Foreign nations that were owed money wouldn’t want the gov to collapse since they wouldn’t get their money back. Thus, they have a vested interest in the country surviving, not just a state(s)

• Hamilton’s plan called for a tariff - tax on imported goods & creation of the Bank of the United States

Capitals & Hamilton’s Economic Policies

Alexander Hamilton

• 1789 - French Revolution. New gov soon declares war on England.• Citizen Genêt (1793) - French ambassador begins recruiting

Americans to fight against Britain. To be deported, but a change in the leadership of the French

Revolution meant he would be guillotined if returned. Married and was given U.S. citizenship

• Neutrality - not take either side. Washington proclaims in 1793 Tensions rise between Britain & US Became US’ policy up to WWII

• Jay’s Treaty (1794) - Britain agrees to abandon forts in the Northwest Territory Failed to end British practice of impressment

1790s Foreign Policy

John Jay

• Whiskey Rebellion (1794) - People on the frontier, (esp. western Pennsylvania) refused to pay the Whiskey Tax Closed courthouses & attacked tax collectors Washington personally took command and led 13,000 troops to

suppress the rebels Different from Shays’ Rebellion because this was a tax passed

by Americans, not foreigners Importance: Showed the gov was committed to

enforcing its laws. You need to elect new reps to change gov. Limits to public opposition.

• Rise of Political Parties Federalists Democratic-Republicans

1790s in America

Federalists vs. Jeffersonian Republicans

Federalists (Hamilton)

Jeffersonian Republicans

Constitution Loose construction Strong central gov Favored national bank

Strict construction Weak central gov Opposed national bank

National Debt Use debt to establish credit

Pay off debt

Vision of America Pro-business Pro-agriculture

Political Power With wealthy & educated

With the common man

Ally Britain France

Events During the Adams

Administration

XYZ AffairAlien &

Sedition Acts

Virginia & Kentucky

Resolutions

Gabriel Prosser’sRebellion

“as real a revolution in the principles of our government as that of 1776 was in its form” - Jefferson

• Nasty campaign

• Jefferson wins after 36 ballots in the House

• Importance: Peaceful transition of power

• Led to passage of 12th Amendment

• 1812-1814; U.S. vs. Britain & natives• Causes

British support of Natives attacking U.S. Anger over impressment Embargo Act of 1807 – U.S. stops trading with all nations Economic recession in America; Depression in Britain

• Britain burns Washington, D.C.• Hartford Convention (1814) – New England

threatens to secede • Treaty of Ghent (Dec. 1814) ends war.

Old boundaries restored.• Battle of New Orleans (Jan. 1815)

U.S. defeats British Makes Andrew Jackson a national hero

War of 1812

• Panic of 1819 – economic depression hits• Missouri Compromise (1820)

After the War