The American Revolution

The Birth of a Republic

Britain and Its American Colonies

• New sense of identity growing among the colonies

• Britain’s mercantilist policies made colonial trade profitable.

• Strict laws angered the colonists

Americans Win Independence

• Growing hostility leads to war• Series of laws passed– Navigation Acts– Stamp Act– Colonists were forced to pay taxes directly to

the British government (why would this make them angry??? THINK!)

• Some colonists began encouraging rebellion and even a revolution!

Enlightenment Ideas Influence American Colonists

• Colonial leaders such as Patrick Henry, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin used Enlightenment ideas to justify independence.

• Colonists asked for political rights king refused colonists rebelled to oust king– Justified because King George had broken

the social contract

Patrick HenryBenjamin Franklin

John Adams Thomas Jefferson

Declaration of Independence

• Document written by Thomas Jefferson• Firmly based on the ideas of John Locke• Reflected Enlightenment ideas by arguing

for natural rights as Locke had• The end of the documents asserts that the

colonists had broken all ties with Britain– “…are absolved from all allegiance to the

British crown.”

We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness; that to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed

Declaration of Independence

Americans Create a Republic

• Recognizing the need for a national government the colonists ratified the Articles of Confederation – government where citizens rule through elected representatives

• This will turn out to be a weak government as the states hold more power and would be later overturned

The Constitution

• Written by James Madison• Drew on Montesquieu’s idea of separation of

powers– Established three separate branches each with

the power to check and balance the other• Influenced by Locke and Rousseau who

agreed that governments draw their authority from the consent of the governed

We the People of the united States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America

Constitution of the United States of America

The Bill of Rights• Fight between the Federalists and

Antifederalists to ratify the new Constitution• Problem?? – Antifederalists demanded a bill

of rights to protect the rights of individual citizens

• Bill of Rights adopted and included basic rights such as freedom of speech, press, assembly, and religion. – Such rights advocated by none other than

Voltaire, Rousseau and Locke!

In Conclusion…

• Enlightenment ideas influence colonists• As a result, colonists eventually rebel

against tyrant King George based on Enlightenment reasoning

• Colonists declare independence, defeat Britain, and establish a republic

• Both the Constitution and the Bill of Rights are documents that put Enlightenment ideas into practice