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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