WHEN YOU COME IN

• THERE ARE COPIES OF THE RUBRICS AND WORKSHEETS ON THE BACK COMPUTER TABLE

• SIT QUIETLY AT YOUR DESK. WE WILL SPEND THE FIRST 10 MINUTES OF CLASS FINISHING PRE-TESTS, THEN THE REST OF THE DAY WILL BE MINE FOR AMERICAN REVOLUTION NOTES

THE ROAD TO REVOLUTION

NATHAN B. GILSON

SOUTHWEST MIDDLE SCHOOL

THE 13 ORIGINAL COLONIES• DURING THE 15TH AND EARLY 16TH CENTURIES, JOHN CABOT AND OTHER BRITISH

EXPLORERS MAPPED THE NORTH AMERICAN CONTINENT

• BRITISH EARLY SETTLEMENTS AT JAMESTOWN, VIRGINIA AND PLYMOTH, MASSACHUSSETTES IN EARLY 17TH CENTURY

• MOST OFTEN, PEOPLE CAME TO AMERICA BECAUSE THEY WANTED RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

• PROTESTANT REFORMATION CREATED A LOT OF CONFLICT BETWEEN DIFFERENT RELIGIOUS GROUPS

• IN ENGLAND, HENRY THE VIII SPLIT ENGLAND FROM THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, SO EVEN CATHOLICS FLED THE COUNTRY FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

DECLINE OF THE SPANISH EMPIRE

• NAVAL SUPERIORITY

• SPANISH ARMADA DEFEATED IN 1588

• GAVE THE BRITISH THE MOST POWERFUL NAVY IN THE WORLD

• BRITAIN NOW CONTROLS ALL TRADE COMING FROM THE NEW WORLD

• SIR FRANCIS DRAKE BECOMES FAMOUS AS A SHIP CAPTAIN

IGNORED FOR 150 YEARS

• THE BRITISH EMPIRE LARGELY IGNORED THE COLONIES FOR OVER 150 YEARS

• COLONIES ENJOYED SELF-RULE

• LOCAL GOVERNMENTS SET TAXES, AND MADE LAWS FOR MOST COLONIES

• MOST COLONISTS MAINTAINED LOOSE TIES TO THE BRITISH, AND THERE WERE SOME CUSTOMS DUTIES PAID ON IMPORTED AND EXPORTED GOODS, BUT TRADE WAS NOT STRICTLY CONTROLLED

HAPPY DAYS COME TO AN END• FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS (1754-1763)

• WARS BETWEEN THE FRENCH AND BRITISH IN AMERICA

• COLONISTS FOUGHT FOR THE BRITISH, INDIANS JOINED IN AN ALLIANCE WITH THE FRENCH AGAINST THE BRITISH

• BRITAIN SPENDS SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MONEY DEFENDING THE COLONIES

• COLONIAL LEADERS LIKE GEORGE WASHINGTON GOT EXPERIENCE FIGHTING DURING THIS WAR

• BRITISH WIN, GAIN CONTROL OF CANADA

COLONISTS LEFT WITH THE TAB • AFTER THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR, THE

BRITISH KING BEGINS TO PAY ATTENTION TO TAXES PAID BY COLONISTS

• HE SAID—WE SAID

• KING GEORGE III—WE PAID FOR AN EXPENSIVE WAR TO PROTECT YOU GUYS, NOW WE’RE GOING TO TAX YOU TO HELP PAY FOR YOUR OWN DEFENSE

• COLONISTS—NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION

DEATH…AND TAXES• BRITISH BEGIN TO TAX DIFFERENT GOODS COMING INTO THE 13 COLONIES

• SUGAR

• STAMPS (FOR LEGAL DOCUMENTS)

• TEA

• BRITISH ALSO FORCE COLONISTS TO GIVE HOUSING AND SUPPLIES TO SOLDIERS

• COLONIAL REACTIONS:

• SMUGGLING (ILLEGALLY BRINGING GOODS INTO THE COUNTRY TO AVOID TAXES)

• BOYCOTTS (REFUSING TO BUY PRODUCTS WITH TAXES)

• PROTESTS/VIOLENCE (BOSTON TEA PARTY)

ESCALATION

• COLONIAL PROTESTS BECOME VIOLENT

• BOSTON MASSACRE

• BOSTON TEA PARTY

• LYNCHING AND TAR-AND-FEATHERING

WAR

• THE SHOT HEARD ‘ROUND THE WORLD—LEXINGTON AND CONCORD

• DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE—1776

• DECLARATION—”WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS TO BE SELF-EVIDENT, THAT ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL, THAT THEY ARE ENDOWED BY THEIR CREATOR WITH CERTAIN INALIENABLE RIGHTS, THAT AMONG THESE, ARE THE RIGHTS TO LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS”

FRENCH AID• FRENCH PROVIDED MONEY, SUPPLIES, AND

SOLDIERS TO THE COLONISTS

• REASONS FOR HELP

• KEEP BALANCE OF POWER IN EUROPE (DON’T LET BRITAIN GET TOO POWERFUL)

• REVENGE FROM FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR

• ALSO GAINED VERY HIGH DEBTS

• A LARGE CAUSE OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

• TREATY OF PARIS (1783) ENDS WAR BETWEEN US AND BRITAIN

• BRITISH POWER IS GREATLY REDUCED, COLONISTS GAIN SELF-RULE

NOW WHAT?

• COLONIES NOW INDEPENDENT (BECAME STATES), NEEDED TO ESTABLISH A PLAN FOR A NEW GOVERNMENT

• DIFFERENT STATES HAD DIFFERENT GOALS FOR GOVERNMENT, WERE AFRAID OF A NEW GOVERNMENT THAT WOULD TAX THEM WITHOUT THEIR APPROVAL

• CREATED THE ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION—GOVERNMENT HAD NO ABILITY TO TAX OR RAISE AN ARMY, COMPLETELY FAILED IN ONLY A FEW YEARS

• STATES AGREE TO GIVE UP MORE POWER IN ORDER TO CREATE A GOVERNMENT THAT CAN BETTER PROTECT AND RUN THE GOVERNMENT—CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

• FIRST GOVERNMENT THAT PROVIDED A WAY FOR THE PEOPLE TO CHANGE THE LEADERS OF THEIR GOVERNMENT WITHOUT VIOLENCE (VOTING)

• WASHINGTON REFUSES TO RUN FOR A 3RD TERM

• ARGUES THAT WHETHER YOU VOTE FOR HIM OR HAVE A KING DOESN’T MAKE A DIFFERENCE, THAT THE IDEAS THAT FORMED AMERICA REQUIRE NEW LEADERSHIP CONSISTENTLY.