The American Revolution

1763-1776 + 1776-1783

Timeline for American Independence

Timeline The American Revolution was one of

the most significant events in world history: For it to take place a lot of things had to

add up to trigger the war Even when the war began it was not

inevitable that the colonists would declare independence

Taxation without representation

The #1 catalyst for the American war for independence was taxation without representation Colonists understood taxes were

necessary, but they felt they should get a voice in government if they were to be taxed

Parliament felt that the colonists should be responsible for the massive debt created by the French & Indian War

Acts of Parliament

Sugar Act of 1764 Lowered tax on molasses, but because it

was imposed without their consent it was resisted

Stamp Act of 1765 Any printed material that was going to be

sold had to have a stamp from the British government, this applied to newspapers, books, pamphlets, wills, playing cards, etc.

Colonists organized the Stamp Act Congress to arrange a series of boycotts

Acts of Parliament

Writs of Assistance 1767 A Writ is an order These authorized agents of the government

to search any place they needed to without consent from the owner

Townshend Acts 1767 Parliament tried to avoid taxing the

colonists directly so these taxed imported goods

The colonists resisted them because the merchants were forced to raise their prices

Paul Revere’s engraving

Problems in Boston

Boston Massacre In 1770 colonists

marched toward a tax collecting building, when they arrived the tense situation resulted in soldiers firing into the crowd

Trouble with Tea

Tea Act 1773 Parliament passes the Act to drive colonial

prices up to protect the East India Trading Company

This was also an insult to the English because it was an attack on their culture

The Sons of Liberty respond by having the Boston Tea Party▪ Sam Adams led his men in disguise to board

British ships and dump the tea into Boston Harbor

Britain responds to Tea Party Intolerable Acts/Coercive Acts 1774

These laws were designed as punishment for the people of Boston because of the Tea Party and other actions

The Acts closed Boston Harbor until the tea was paid for, and prevented the colony of Massachusetts from using its most valuable port

Ironically it was the Intolerable Acts that unified the colonies, people from all over sent supplies to keep Massachusetts alive

The Colonies Unite

1st Continental Congress Met in Philadelphia in the fall of 1774 to

organize resistance against the Intolerable Acts▪ 12 of 13 colonies sent representatives (Georgia did

not)▪ Agreed to start training a proper army in case they

had to go to war Some notable members include:▪ George Washington▪ John Jay▪ Patrick Henry▪ John & Samuel Adams

“…if they mean to have war, let it begin here!”

April 18, 1775 the British Army is tipped off about an arsenal of weapons in Concord, Mass

Paul Revere and William Dawes ride ahead of them from Boston to alert the militia known as the minutemen

The militia at Lexington mobilizes to slow the British down before they can reach the weapons

Battle of Lexington & Concord

The “shot heard ‘round the world”

The Battle of Lexington and Concord marked the start of the American Revolution It was the 1st time in history a group had stood

and fought against its European masters The colonists lose at Lexington but manage

to keep the British occupied long enough to have the weapons at Concord moved

On the way back to Boston the colonists attack the British using Guerrilla Warfare and kill or wound almost half the British

Battle of Bunker Hill

Bunker Hill was the 1st fight between two large army’s in the Revolution

The hill was a strategic point necessary for defending Boston The Americans held the hill with 1,200 men The British charged up the hill suffering heavy

losses (1,000+ dead and wounded) In the end the British win the battle

because the colonists ran out of gunpowder and they were forced to retreat

2nd Continental Congress

In summer of 1775 delegates gathered again to discuss how to handle the war

They offered the Olive Branch Petition to George III: It was our last attempt at peace George III responds by hiring 30,000

Hessian soldiers The vote to put George Washington in

command of the Continental Army

1776 In January Thomas Paine tries to convince

common people that a break with Britain is just Common Sense

In April Richard Henry Lee proposes that all ties with Britain be formally cut The President of the 2nd Continental Congress,

John Hancock, authorizes Thomas Jefferson to draft a Declaration of Independence

The Declaration is signed on July 4, 1776 and marks the birth of the United States of America

The Declaration of Independence

The Declaration is divided into four parts- Preamble: the introduction Declaration of Rights: explains

unalienable rights; it is an example of the influence of the Enlightenment

List of Grievances: specific complaints against King George III and Parliament

Resolution of Independence: explains the new position of the colonies

Not all colonists agreed with the Declaration…

LOYALIST

Colonials who were loyal to Britain and supported them in the war, also known as Tories (Tory)

PATRIOT

Colonials who supported the idea of America and staying free and independent

The turning point in the war

Saratoga

In the first 2 years of the war the colonials had limited success, and were not able to gain allies because of this

At Saratoga the British tried to cut the New England colonies off from the others

Saratoga is the turning point in the war because the Americans defeated a British force of over 5,700 men

Saratoga

The Battle of Saratoga accomplished three things: Stopped the British from dividing them

up Showed the Americans they had the

ability on their own to defeat the British Ben Franklin was able to convince the

French government to lend the Americans financial support, and eventually soldiers and the French Navy

New allies

The Marquis de Lafayette, a French noble, after reading the Declaration bought a ship and hired a crew to take him to America. When he arrived he found

George Washington and helped him throughout the war because:

“The future of America is closely bound up with the future of all mankind.”

Allies

The Spanish governor of Louisiana, Bernardo de Galvez, organizes an army to attack British positions along the Gulf His attacks forced

the British to divert their attention

Allies

Freidrich von Steuben, was a former member of the Prussian military, he came to help George Washington train his army

Allies

Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur (comte de Rochambeau)

Rochambeau was the French commander who helped defeat the British at Yorktown

Winter at Valley Forge

Traditionally armies did not fight during winters, so Washington camped his army 20 miles outside of Philadelphia in Valley Forge during one of the coldest winters

The toughest job for Washington was holding his army together The army was not equipped properly and most

of the troops had no blankets, shoes, etc. Valley Forge was a unifying experience for the

Continental Army because they had to work together to survive

Yorktown

The Battle of Yorktown

The British army was trying to recover in Virginia from other defeats

Washington and his French allies convinced British forces in New York they were attacking there, and then marched south to surround Cornwallis

After a month long siege the British finally surrendered

The Treaty of Paris (1783)

The war is officially ended in 1783 The Treaty of Paris formerly

established the borders of the United States

Field Trip